The German cockroach is the cockroach of concern for many people, the species that gives all other cockroaches a bad name. It occurs in structures throughout much of the world, and is the species that typically plagues multifamily dwellings. The German cockroach may be confused with the Asian cockroach. While these cockroaches are very similar, there are some differences that a practiced eye can discern.

Many people mistakenly believe that only "dirty" people get cockroaches, but this is a myth. Every home or commercial kitchen has the potential to have a cockroach problem.

Once a cockroach infestation gets started, its severity is usually determined by the resources available for cockroach survival--food, water and harborage (i.e., hiding places - see photo at right - click on image for larger view)--factors we often control. The biggest cockroach problems are often in homes where there is a clutter problem because, the more stuff people have, especially in the kitchen, the more hiding places for roaches. But, clean, neat and tidy kitchens can still have roaches. For example, cockroaches can hide underneath the labels of canned goods and eat the paste off the labels.

Because cockroaches tend to frequent garbage cans, sewers and other disease-laden locations, germs attach to their body that can transfer to food contact surfaces (utensils, plates) during the normal course of roach activities. These include disease-causing bacteria: Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli, Streptococcus (pneumonia), several helminths (hookwoorm, pinworms, tapeworms), and even viruses (poliomyelitis). If this hasn't convinced you they are bad to live with, cockroaches also produce a powerful allergen that causes allergies and asthma.

The biggest problem in U.S. kitchens is the German cockroach, Blattella germanica. It is a small cockroach, with two distinctive longitudinal stripes just behind its head. The German cockroach requires moisture regularly, has a high reproductive rate and is small enough to live in small cracks and crevices. Infestations are often at their worst in the late summer months.