The adult males are 1 inch long and have wings that are about half as long as their body. Neither males nor females can fly or glide. The female carries an egg capsule for about 30 hours and then drops or attaches it to a protected surface near food. On the average a female produces eight egg capsules, each containing 16 eggs which hatch within 60 days. The reproductive cycle of this roach is completed in 6 to 9 months.
Oriental roaches prefer damp, cool, dark areas.
They are generally found in sewer drains, crawl space areas, basements, cellars, or on the first floor of buildings. They may spend considerable time outdoors during warm weather. They are the largest of all the cockroaches common in Nebraska. Both nymphs and adults are shiny, reddish brown with a pale brown or yellow band around the edge of the head and back. The wings of both the male and female extend slightly beyond the body.