The German cockroach is the most common of the four household infesting roaches. It develops and lives all over the building, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. The Oriental roach is more sluggish than the three above mentioned species. They develop in damp basements and sewers, foraging mostly on first floors of buildings. The young nymphs resemble the adults but they are smaller and have no wings.
Cockroaches hide during the day in sheltered places.
They come out to look for food at night, and if disturbed, run rapidly for shelter and disappear through openings to their hiding places. Some typical hiding places for roaches include warm, dark, moist places such as under a sink, behind a dish- washer, stove, refrigerator and under cupboards. To keep them out, all cracks passing through walls and floors, or cracks leading to spaces behind baseboards and door frames should be filled with putty or plastic wood. Be sure to check areas where water and steam pipes enter the building. When you bring in baskets, bags, cardboard boxes, look for cockroaches that may be hiding in them and destroy any that you find.