Identifying your cockroach: German, Oriental, American or brown-banded

"Cockroach" covers several species, and in the Paris region four of them account for almost every sighting. They do not share the same hiding places, the same habits or the same breeding pace.

That is why a technician's first question on the phone is rarely "how many?". It is more often: what does the insect look like, and where did you see it? The answer shapes the whole first stage of the Repère Protocol, locate.

Before comparing: catch one

A cockroach squashed on the floor is hard to identify. The easiest approach is to set one or two sticky traps along a wall, under the sink or behind the fridge, and check them after a few nights. A whole insect, even a dead one, still shows its colour, its wings and the markings on its thorax.

Then take a sharp, flat photo with an object of known size next to it (a coin is fine). Sent with your request, that picture saves everyone time.

The German cockroach, the kitchen species

By far the most common in flats, restaurants and food shops.

• Appearance: small, light brown to beige, with two dark parallel stripes on the shield just behind the head.
• Wings: adults have them but hardly ever fly.
• Where: warm, damp spots close to water and food. Cupboard hinges, under the sink, dishwasher and fridge motors, worktop joints.
• Notable trait: the female carries her egg case (the ootheca) attached to her abdomen until hatching, or nearly. The eggs are therefore shielded from surface treatments, which is why the follow-up visit matters.

Cockroach on a white background

The Oriental cockroach, the basement species

It tends to turn up on the ground floor, in cellars, bin stores and around drains.

• Appearance: larger and stockier, very dark brown to black, glossy.
• Wings: short in males, reduced to small stubs in females. It does not fly.
• Where: cool, very damp places. Floor drains, inspection chambers, crawl spaces, waste-water stacks.
• Notable trait: it climbs smooth vertical surfaces poorly. Finding one in a bathtub usually means it came up the pipe, not that it lives in the bathroom.

The American cockroach, the largest

Less common in homes, it is found in large buildings, boiler rooms, underground networks and some plant rooms.

• Appearance: the biggest of the four, reddish brown, with a pale edge around the thoracic shield.
• Wings: long, extending past the abdomen. In hot weather it can glide a short distance.
• Where: warm, humid, large spaces. Sewers, boiler rooms, steam ducts, shop basements.
• Notable trait: one inside a flat points to an arrival through the networks or the common areas.

The brown-banded cockroach, the one that leaves the kitchen

This is the species people do not expect, because it is not confined to kitchens and bathrooms.

• Appearance: small like the German cockroach, but marked with two pale bands running across the wings and body.
• Wings: males sometimes fly when it is warm.
• Where: drier, higher spots. Behind picture frames, in bedroom furniture, ceilings, electronic devices, shelving.
• Notable trait: females glue their egg cases under furniture and into corners, sometimes far from the kitchen. An inspection limited to the sink will miss them.

Summary table

Why the species changes the visit

The idea behind the Repère Protocol is to find the source before treating. And each species keeps its source somewhere different.

1. Locate: the technician focuses the torch-in-hand inspection on the zones the species favours and sets monitoring traps to map the sources.
2. Treat: gel bait dots for German and brown-banded cockroaches, targeted treatment of drains and damp areas for Oriental ones, coordination with the common areas for American ones. A growth regulator may be added where relevant.
3. Check: a follow-up visit built into the protocol, a reading of the monitoring traps, adjustments if activity remains.
4. Prevent: photo report, storage advice, sealing of entry routes (joints, ducts, drains), active vigilance.

For Oriental and American cockroaches, which often come through the building, treating one flat on its own soon reaches its limits: the managing agent needs to be involved. Our apartment building page explains how that coordination works.

To set your first sticky monitoring traps, one pack is enough for a flat: one trap per suspect area, dated with a marker.

Calling in a technician

Our cockroach control service covers all four species, with a dedicated treatment for German cockroaches. The cockroach guide covers their life cycle. Prices are public on the rates page, and you can book a two-hour slot online.

FAQ

Is there a difference between a roach and a cockroach?

No: "roach" is simply the short, informal form of "cockroach". Both words refer to the same insects. What matters is the species, because it determines which hiding places to inspect and which treatment to apply.

Does a black cockroach in the bathroom always come from the drains?

It is common with the Oriental cockroach, which lives in cool, very damp places and struggles to climb smooth surfaces. A catch near a drain or plughole points towards the waste-water network, but only an inspection can confirm it.

Why are there cockroaches in a bedroom when the kitchen is clean?

The brown-banded cockroach prefers warmer, drier places than the kitchen: furniture, frames, electronics, ceilings. Its egg cases are glued under furniture, well away from the sink. A catch in a bedroom is a good reason to extend the inspection to the whole home.