Cockroaches are Blattodea insects, including termites. Of the 4600 species of cockroaches, about 30 are related to human habitats. There are about four species called pests.

Cockroaches are an ancient group that dates back at least 320m years to the Carboniferous. But those early ancestors lacked the internal spawners of modern cockroaches. Cockroaches are general insects with no special adaptability, such as mouthparts for sucking aphids and other real insects. They have chewing mouthparts and are probably one of the most primitive living opter butterflies. They are common and strong insects that can endure a variety of environments from the cold in the Arctic to the high temperature in the tropics. Tropical cockroaches are usually much larger than temperate species, and contrary to popular belief, extinct cockroach relatives and "cockroaches" such as Carboniferous apes and Permian apotroblattina are not as large as the largest modern species.

Some species, such as the gregarious German cockroach, have complex social structures involving common housing, social dependence, information transmission and kinship recognition. Cockroaches have appeared in human culture since ancient times. Although the vast majority of species are harmless and live in a wide range of habitats around the world, they are often described as dirty pests.

In this clip art, you can download free roach pictures