Cockroaches generally live up to one year; female cockroaches are capable of producing 100 to 200 eggs during that time. Eggs: Adult females produce eggs within a protective case known as an ootheca. Each ootheca may contain 16 to 50 eggs depending on the cockroach species with the production of as many as 4 to 30 of the cases over the course of their lifetime. Oothecae are typically deposited in discreet and protected locations, but some species carry the egg case until the eggs are ready to hatch. Nymphs: Nymphs hatch from the eggs after an incubation period lasting up to two or three months. Nymphs are born without wings. They grow and develop in a transformative process called metamorphosis, molting out of their skin when they have outgrown it. The period between each molt is called an instar. Cockroaches typically complete six or seven instars to reach adulthood. The entire cockroach life cycle usually comes to completion within four months to a year. Environmental factors like temperature and humidity greatly influence the length of time it takes cockroaches to complete development from egg to adult.