Field plate · Blattella germanica
German cockroach
Small, tan, and the hardest kitchen pest in rental housing. If it has two dark stripes behind the head, it is this one.
Plate 2 of 28. Drawn in profile to the identification marks named below; the scale rule is a drawing convention — sizes are given in the text.
Identification marks
Light brown, 11–16 mm, with two dark parallel stripes running lengthwise on the shield behind the head. Nymphs are smaller and darker with a pale stripe down the back. It almost never flies.
Look-alikes it is confused with
Brown-banded cockroach (pale bands across the wings, lives higher and drier — in electronics and picture frames) and field roaches that wander in from mulch and die out indoors. The two pronotal stripes settle it.
Where it hides in a house
Warm, damp, tight: under sinks, inside dishwasher and refrigerator motors, hinge recesses of cabinets, behind drawers, and inside small appliances. Erie's rental turnover moves it between units in boxes, furniture, and appliances.
Health & property risk, stated plainly
A sanitation and asthma pest. German cockroach allergens are a well-established trigger for childhood asthma, and a heavy infestation contaminates food-contact surfaces throughout the kitchen.
What actually works
Gel bait placed in cracks where they live, applied in many small points and left alone; thorough vacuuming of harborages; fixing leaks; decluttering under-sink cabinets; and repeat visits timed to the hatch of egg cases. A full method page on this desk covers why baits work.
What doesn't
Spraying baseboards or fogging. Repellent sprays scatter German roaches deeper and into neighbouring rooms and apartments, contaminate bait placements, and select for the bait-averse, spray-tolerant population that makes the next treatment harder.
When to call a licensed pro
Yes — for anything beyond a handful of roaches in one appliance. Established German cockroach work is a multi-visit program, and in multi-unit housing it fails unless adjoining units are inspected too.