Brown-banded Cockroach

Supella longipalpa

Brown-banded Cockroach

Supella longipalpa

Take care

Handle with care

It does not bite. Like other indoor cockroaches, an established population contributes to household allergens through droppings and shed skins, which is the real reason to deal with it.

We identify, we don't diagnose. If you've been bitten or stung and symptoms develop, or you're worried, seek medical attention.

Size10–14 mm

MarkingsTwo pale bands running ACROSS the wings and abdomen, not down the head · Small — 10–14 mm, similar in size to a German cockroach

WhereAnywhere warm and dry indoors — bedrooms, living rooms, inside furniture, behind wall hangings, in electronics.

How to tell it apart

Two pale bands running ACROSS the wings and abdomen, not down the head
Small — 10–14 mm, similar in size to a German cockroach
Males are lighter, fly readily, and are the ones usually seen
Egg cases glued in place high up: behind pictures, inside furniture, under shelves
Found through the whole house rather than only near water

Where you’ll find it

Across the United States, more common in the south and in heated buildings.

Anywhere warm and dry indoors — bedrooms, living rooms, inside furniture, behind wall hangings, in electronics.

How it behaves

The useful difference from a German cockroach is where it lives. This species tolerates dry conditions and prefers warmth over moisture, so it spreads through bedrooms and living rooms rather than concentrating in kitchens and bathrooms. It also glues its egg cases to surfaces and favours high, dry, undisturbed spots for them — behind a picture frame or inside a bedside table — which is why an infestation can be well established before anyone looks in the right place.

You’ve found one indoors

Search high and dry rather than low and damp. Check behind wall-mounted items, inside furniture joints, and around electronics, and look for the glued egg cases as much as for the insects. Treatment that concentrates on the kitchen, which is right for a German cockroach, will miss this one almost entirely.

Common questions

How is it different from a German cockroach?

The bands run across the body rather than as two stripes down the plate behind the head, and it lives in dry warm rooms rather than clustering near water. That changes where you have to look.

Do they fly?

Males fly readily, especially when disturbed or warm. Females have shorter wings and generally do not.

Why are they in my bedroom?

Because they prefer it. This species is happiest somewhere warm, dry and undisturbed, which describes furniture and wall voids far better than it describes a kitchen sink.

Commonly confused with

German Cockroach Take care

Keep identifying

Identify another animal from a photo or return to the Cockroaches guide.

Previous: German Cockroach · Next: American Cockroach

Where this was checked

iNaturalist — Supella longipalpa checked 2026-07-30

Last reviewed 2026-07-30. We identify, we don’t diagnose — what we can and can’t tell you.