Cockroach Facts & Worksheets

Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattodea, which also includes termites. These insects have been on Earth for over 300 million years.

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Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattodea, which also includes termites. These insects have been on Earth for over 300 million years. About 30 cockroach species out of thousands are associated with human habitats. About four species are well known as pests.
The term “palmetto bug” is a general name commonly used to refer to several species of cockroaches in the southern U.S. and even some beetles. Other cockroach names are “water bug” or “Croton bug.”

See the fact file below for more information on the cockroaches or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Cockroach worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Insecta
• Superorder: Dictyoptera
• Order: Blattodea
• The average lifespan of a cockroach is one year.
• A female cockroach is able to produce eight egg-cases, which allows them to have 300-400 offspring in a lifetime. It is only necessary for the female cockroach to mate once to produce that number of progeny.
• It is nearly impossible to calculate the number of cockroaches that exist worldwide due to the fact that so many already exist and are reproducing at such a fast pace. Scientists believe that there are over 4,000 species around the world.

LIFE CYCLE

• Egg Production: Their life cycle starts with the production of eggs. Adult females produce between 10 and 40 eggs at a time, which they carry in specialized cases. After carrying it around on her abdomen for a species-specific amount of time, the female place the egg capsule in a protected spot preferably near a food source.
• Nymph to Adult: Newly hatched cockroaches come out from eggs as nymphs. During this stage, the insects grow by shedding their skin multiple times until reaching adulthood, a process known as molting.
• After Molting: The developing cockroaches become soft-bodied and white before eventually getting larger, darker in color and hardening off. When they mature into fully developed adults depends on factors like species and the conditions of the surrounding environment.

APPEARANCE

• Male cockroaches are typically smaller than females.
• Generally, cockroaches have flat, oval-shaped bodies. Their bodies are oily to the touch and possibly cool or warm, depending on the temperature of their habitat. The head of a cockroach is small and is covered by a shield-like pronotum. A cockroach’s mouth is directed down and backward.
• Cockroaches have six long, spiny legs that allow them to run quickly across almost any surface. The specialized pads located at their tarsi are used for scaling surfaces and even allow for walking on walls and ceilings.
• Some species of cockroach have wings that are flattened against their backs, although not all cockroaches use these wings for flight.

DIFFERENCES IN APPEARANCE BETWEEN SOME SPECIES

• German cockroaches are brown with two stripes or dark streaks down the pronotum, and are approximately 13 to 16 mm long.
• American cockroaches are reddish-brown in color and are one of the longest domestic cockroach species, measuring approximately 40 mm in length.
• Oriental cockroaches can grow to be much larger and are black in color. (AKA: Waterbugs)
• Pennsylvania wood roaches measure approximately 20 mm in length. Male adults of this species are tan in color.
• “Death’s Head” cockroaches have a pattern on the pronotum, which inspires its name. It has a dark body with brownish colored wings and is about 40-60 mm long.
• Cuban roaches are almost entirely translucent and pale green or pale blue-green. The size of this species varies from 12 to 20mm.
• Desert cockroaches range from 15 to 24mm in size. Males are pale with darker markings on the wings while females have a brown or reddish color and are wingless with distinctly visible body segmentation.

DIET

• Cockroaches are omnivorous scavengers and will eat any organic food source available to them. Although they prefer sweets, meats and starches, they are also known to consume other items such as hair, books and decaying matter.

SOUND

• Some species make a fizzling noise while other cockroaches make a chirping noise. Several different hisses are produced, including disturbance sounds, produced by adults and larger nymphs, and aggressive, courtship and copulatory sounds produced by adult males.

Cockroach Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about cockroaches across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Cockroach worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the cockroaches which are insects of the order Blattodea, which also includes termites. These insects have been on Earth for over 300 million years. About 30 cockroach species out of thousands are associated with human habitats. About four species are well known as pests.
The term “palmetto bug” is a general name commonly used to refer to several species of cockroaches in the southern U.S. and even some beetles. Other cockroach names are “water bug” or “Croton bug.”

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Cockroach Facts
• Roach Parts
• Roaches and Diseases
• Coach Cockroach
• Roach Life Cycle
• Roaches and More
• Blue or Red?
• Cockroaches vs. Beetles
• Cross-roach Puzzle
• Acrostic Poem
• Connecting Cases

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can a roach live?

The average cockroach lifespan is rather short, about twenty to thirty weeks. This is assuming the roach has ready access to food and water of course. The first stage in a cockroach’s life, for both females and males, starts with the egg stage.

How fast can a cockroach run?

Cockroaches are among the fastest insects. They can run up to 3 miles per hour.

Do roaches have a queen?

Although cockroaches apparently live in groups, they don’t have a social hierarchy like bees or ants.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.