PL – Polski DE – Deutsch
← Cockroaches of Poland
Blatta orientalis
male, Bulgaria. Photo:Dimitar Boevski · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

synanthropic – in buildings occurrence in Poland confirmed

Blatta orientalis

Linnaeus, 1758 · Oriental cockroach

Large, dark brown to black and glossy. The male’s wings do not reach the abdomen tip and the female has only small lobes. Cannot climb smooth surfaces.

Length
18–30 mm
Habitat
basements, sewers, damp rooms
Use the key → Report a sighting for the map

How to recognise it

  • Large (20–27 mm), dark brown to black, glossy.
  • The male’s wings leave about a third of the abdomen exposed; the female has only tiny lobes.
  • Flightless and a poor climber on smooth surfaces.

Similar species

Shelfordella lateralis – pale side stripes in males and pale marks in females.

Distribution

Throughout the country in buildings – basements, bakeries, sewers; cosmopolitan.

When to look

all year in buildings and glasshouses

Sources