The adults are strong fliers and readily enter the houses. The Asian cockroach is almost identical in appearance to the German cockroach. In fact, entomologists believed it was an outdoor strain of the German cockroach in Asia. The wings of the Asian cockroach are usually longer and narrower than those of the German cockroach. They extend beyond the tip of the abdomen and cover the egg capsule in the females.
Asian cockroaches are lighter in color than most German cockroaches.
The Asian cockroach can be identified by gas chromotography of the waxes found in the exoskeleton. Any part or any stage of the cockroach can be identified with this procedure. They should not be preserved in alcohol. Dry, dead specimens should be sent for analysis. At dusk there is a frenzy of activity, adults very active in the grass and mulch.