How the German cockroach conquered the world

The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is named after the country in which it was first described and scientifically studied, namely Germany. It was here that the Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné identified it in 1776, shortly after the Seven Years' War. German cockroaches are light brown and are characterized by two dark lines on the first section of the thorax. They are just over one centimeter long. A female can produce five egg packets over the course of her life, with an average of 30 to 40 eggs per packet.