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Introduction

Cockroaches are insects of the Order Blattodea. The name of the order is derived from the Latin word for "cockroach," blatta. There are roughly 3,490 species in six families. Cockroaches exist worldwide, with the exception of the polar regions.

The English word cockroach is derived from the Spanish cucaracha through folk etymology.

Among the most well-known species are the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, which is about 3 cm long, the German cockroach, Blatotella germanica, about 1½ cm long, the Asian cockroach, Blatotella asahinai, also about 1½ cm in length, and the Oriental cockroach, Blatta orientalis, about 2½ cm. Tropical cockroaches are often much bigger, and extinct cockroach relatives such as the Carboniferous Archimylacris and the Permian Apthoroblattina were several times as large as these. When infesting buildings, cockroaches are considered pests; out of the thousands of species, however, only a handful fall into this designation.