Oriental cockroaches and American cockroaches are both widely known as household pests around the world. They have a similar appearance at first glance, so if you have one of these creatures invading ...

A new study traces the German cockroach’s evolution throughout human history, from the Islamic empires to modern-day Europe. ANIMALS; We finally know how cockroaches conquered the world.

Stock image of cockroaches on bread. Cockroaches only moved to the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century. ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS "While Europe was not central to the early domestication and ...

The cockroaches then made it from Europe to the Americas about 120 years ago, the study found. German cockroaches communicate with one another about where to find food, ...

The German cockroach was given its name in the late 1700s in Central Europe. Scientists later concluded that the species, Blattella germanica, originated in northeastern Africa.

From there, German cockroaches hitched a ride with travelers during the Islamic dynasties and European colonialism. Today, the health and economic cost of that spread is huge.

The cockroaches then globe-trotted via two major routes. They traveled west to the Middle East about 1,200 years ago, perhaps hitchhiking in soldiers' breadbaskets.