Insect identifier · Often confused insects
How to identify a German cockroach
Blattella germanica
· Also called cockroach, roaches, water bug, german roach
People search “german cockroach” because it looks like something that bites. German cockroach (Blattella germanica) does not bite or sting people. Also called cockroach, roaches, water bug, german roach.
A fast brown oval in the kitchen is a roach, not the thing that bit you in bed.
What does a german cockroach look like?
German cockroach is About 12–16 mm. Colors: brown, tan. Marks: Two dark stripes on the pronotum; Flat oval; Fast; Egg cases.
German cockroach is About 12–16 mm. Colors: brown, tan. Marks: Two dark stripes on the pronotum; Flat oval; Fast; Egg cases.
Identification marks
- Two dark stripes on the pronotum
- Flat oval
- Fast
- Egg cases
Size: About 12–16 mm
Colors: brown, tan
Where: indoor
German cockroach vs Bed bug
Stripes behind the head and a kitchen trail = cockroach. Mattress seam and a line of welts = bed bug.
- Bed bug identification (Cimex lectularius)
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Range and season
Active year-round indoors. Places: kitchen, house. Indoor pest. Does not bite people. Two dark stripes behind the head. Not a bed bug, though both hide in cracks.
Kitchens and bathrooms, any city.
Indoor pest. Does not bite people. Two dark stripes behind the head. Not a bed bug, though both hide in cracks.
Year-round indoors
Common questions
Do cockroaches bite?
German cockroaches do not bite people.
Cockroach vs bed bug?
Roaches are larger, faster, and have long antennae. Bed bugs are flat, apple-seed sized, and live in the bed.