Identify my cockroach
Found a cockroach in a forest, a basement or a kitchen and not sure what it is? Send photos using the form – your request goes by e-mail to the site’s author, and the reply will come to the address you give.
You can also try it yourself with the key first: Key to the cockroaches of Poland →
How to take a good photo
Good photos are half the identification. With small woodland species the details matter: the pronotum pattern, wing length, the colour of the margins.
- I
From above
The whole animal in frame, camera square to its back. The pronotum, wings and abdomen tip should be visible.
- II
From the side
A second shot in profile – it shows wing length relative to the abdomen and any ootheca.
- III
Scale
Put a ruler or a coin next to it (a 1 złoty coin is about 23 mm). Without scale, body length is hard to judge.
- IV
Sharp, in daylight
No close-up flash – a spot by a window is best. Several sharp photos beat one blurry one.
A live cockroach is easiest to photograph after a short spell in the fridge (not the freezer) – it slows down for a few minutes.
Send the photos
Only the top-view photo and your e-mail are required. Everything else – length, place, date, habitat – helps a lot.
Key to the cockroaches of Poland →Want your find to appear on the observation map? Report it for the map →