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How to identify it
- It looks nearly identical to the German cockroach; the only truly reliable way to tell them apart is a lab analysis of the waxy layer on the body.[1]
- Behavior gives it away: Asian cockroaches fly readily and come to lighted walls, doors and windows at dusk, then rest on lamp shades, TV screens and lit walls indoors.[1]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| German cockroach | Can't sustain flight and lives mainly indoors, while the Asian cockroach is an accomplished flier living outdoors.[1] |
Where it lives
First found in North America near Tampa, Florida, in 1986; it has spread through most of Florida and has the potential to spread across the warm southern United States.[1]
Biology and life cycle
Females produce an average of 3.7 egg cases with about 37 young each, and adult females live about 100 days.[1]
It is a pest mainly during peak adult numbers in early spring and summer in Florida, though some adults are present all year.[1]
Outdoors it can be the dominant cockroach: more than 250,000 per acre have been found in damp leaf litter, mulch and gardens in parts of Tampa.[1]
Damage and signs
- Mainly a nuisance invader; it nibbles some crops, such as lettuce, cabbage, roses and strawberries, but hasn't caused major crop damage.[1]
Health risk
Indoor cockroach infestations contribute to allergens; the Asian cockroach mostly lives outdoors and enters in small numbers at night.[2][1]
Control
Pesticides
Outdoor scatter (granular) baits have controlled populations successfully; it is susceptible to commonly used insecticides.[1]
Indoor insecticide applications have been completely ineffective, because only a few cockroaches come in each night from outside.[1]
Where sources disagree
Family: GBIF and Auburn University researchers writing in the Journal of Insect Science place the Asian cockroach in the family Ectobiidae, while iNaturalist and the ITIS database still list it under Blattellidae.[4][3][6][5]
Common questions
- Why do cockroaches fly to my porch light?
- If you live in the Southeast, it may be the Asian cockroach, which becomes active at dusk and is attracted to light reflecting off walls, doors and windows.[1]
Sources
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Urban and Structural Entomology, “Asian Cockroach.” urbanentomology.tamu.edu/urban-pests/cockroaches/asian/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Asthma Triggers: Gain Control (Cockroaches and Pests; Pets; Chemical Irritants).” www.epa.gov/asthma/asthma-triggers-gain-control (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Journal of Insect Science, via PubMed, “Peterson, Appel and Hu (2019), Instar determination of Blattella asahinai (Blattodea: Ectobiidae) from digital measurements of the pronotum, J Insect Sci 19(5):5.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31587065/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), “Blattella asahinai Mizukubo, 1981 (GBIF Backbone Taxonomy).” api.gbif.org/v1/species/1997190 (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), “Blattella asahinai Mizukubo, 1981, TSN 666695.” www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=666695 (accessed 2026-11-11)
- iNaturalist, “Blattella asahinai taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/208088 (accessed 2026-11-11)