Cockroaches are often placed in the order of Orthoptera with the grasshoppers and mantis, but have also been in the order of Dictyoptera. This specimen is preserved in amber and may be several million years old. This roach may be a nympth, the stage of development between the egg and the adult. Roaches are among the oldest winged insects, appearing 350-400 million years ago. There are 4,000 species known worldwide with 70 found in North America.
One of the worst roach pests, and by far the most common, is the German Cockroach (Blattella germanica Linnaeus) which are the most common in houses of the United States. In some areas it is referred to as the "croton bug" or in others as the "water bug". The American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana Linnaeus) is also called a "waterbug," as well as, the "Bombay Canary" or the "Palmettobug." Other common roaches include the Oriental, Brown-banded, Smoky Brown, Australian and Woods Cockroaches.
Roaches have simple metamorphosis: egg, nymph, adult. Females produce egg-containing oothecae or egg cases/capsules. Each ootheca may contain as few as 4 or as many as 50 eggs, depending on the species. Developmental time (egg to adult) is strongly influenced by temperature and humidity. It can be as short as 53 days for the German cockroach to as long as about 2 years for the Oriental cockroach.

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