German cockroach nymph

Warm, humid indoor areas—especially kitchens, bathrooms, cabinets, and appliances—near food and water.

Omnivorous scavengers that eat crumbs, grease, starches, sweets, pet food, paper residue, and other organic matter.

Mostly nocturnal, fast-moving, and concealed by day. Females carry an egg case until hatching; multiple overlapping generations can develop indoors each year.

They can contaminate food and surfaces with pathogens and trigger allergies or asthma through droppings, saliva, and shed skins. They provide little household benefit, though they are decomposers in natural ecosystems.