Oriental Cockroach

How to tell it apart

• Very dark — near-black or deep mahogany, and noticeably glossy
• 25–30 mm, stout and heavy-looking compared with other roaches
• Females almost wingless; males have short wings that do not cover the abdomen
• Neither sex flies
• Slow-moving for a cockroach, and often found in cool damp places rather than warm ones

Where you’ll find it

Across the United States, commonest in the north and in older buildings.

Cool, damp, low places — basements, cellars, drains, crawl spaces, under porches and around leaking pipework.

Most conspicuous in summer, though active year-round indoors.

How it behaves

It prefers cool and damp where most cockroaches want warm, which is why it turns up in basements and cellars rather than kitchens. It is slower and clumsier than the other species here, cannot climb smooth vertical surfaces well, and does not fly at all — so it stays low, and a population is usually found at or below floor level. It has a stronger smell than other roaches, which people often notice before they see one.

You’ve found one indoors

Follow the damp. This species needs moisture and cannot persist in a dry building, so fixing leaks, improving basement ventilation and clearing damp debris outside foundations removes the conditions it depends on. Because it cannot climb well, simple physical exclusion at floor level is unusually effective against it.

Common questions

Commonly confused with

• American Cockroach Take care

Keep identifying

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

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