German
cockroach
Blattella germanica
The small, tan cockroach that lives indoors, near warmth and water. The most common one in kitchens, and gel bait is the standard way to treat it.
- Size
- Small, about a fingernail long
- Colour
- Tan to light brown
- Lives
- Kitchens and bathrooms, indoors
- Active
- At night, hides by day
How to tell it apart
Two dark stripes
Two parallel dark bands on the shield behind the head. This is the giveaway.
Not banded wings
A brown-banded cockroach has two pale bands across its wings instead.
Not the big one
An American cockroach is much larger and reddish, with a pale band around the shield.
Signs you have them
- Droppings like ground pepper along shelf edges, hinges and the top of door frames.
- Egg cases: small brown capsules, ridged like a tiny purse. They mean breeding.
- Seeing one in daylight often means the hiding places are crowded.
- A musty, oily smell where there are many.
The plan
- 1
Starve them
Grease behind the cooker, crumbs, the bin, the dripping tap.
- 2
Bait, don't spray
Gel in small dots where they hide. They share it back home.
- 3
Stop the young
A growth regulator stops nymphs from becoming breeding adults.
- 4
Track it
Check a monitor trap weekly. Still busy after a month? Call a pro.
Solutions for the German cockroach
Gel bait
Small dots where they hide: hinges, cracks, behind the fridge and cooker.
Regulated in many countries. Read the label before you buy or use it.
Opens Google Maps. Call first to check they have it.
Growth regulator (IGR)
Stops young ones from growing up.
Regulated in many countries. Read the label before you buy or use it.
Opens Google Maps. Call first to check they have it.
Monitor traps
Check them weekly to track progress.
Opens Google Maps. Call first to check they have it.
Shoo does not sell these yet. They are standard products sold by other shops; follow the label on the one you buy.
What people worry about
I only saw one. Does that mean there are more?
Not always, but German cockroaches breed indoors, so check before you relax. Look for droppings and egg cases near where you saw it, and put monitor traps there for a few weeks.
We keep a clean house. Why do we have them?
Cockroaches turn up in clean homes too. They arrive in shopping, deliveries and secondhand items, or come through pipes from next door.
Why do they keep coming back after I spray?
Spray kills the ones you see, but most are hidden, and spray near bait puts them off it. Switch to gel bait in small dots where they hide and stop spraying near it.
They seem to come from the flat next door. Is it hopeless?
No. Sealing gaps around pipes and baiting along shared walls keeps your flat much quieter. Ask the building in writing to treat the source unit too.
Is gel bait safe with kids and pets?
Used by the label and placed where children and pets cannot reach it, it is the usual choice in family homes. Put dots under, behind and high up, and leave out anything the label rules out.
When should I call a professional?
If your monitor traps are still busy after a month of baiting, or the whole building is affected, a professional is worth it. Ask how they treat, how many visits it takes and what you must do before each.