Abstract
There are approximately 4,000 species of cockroaches
worldwide and 428 species in Australia. The majority of
these species are not pests but live in the wild, feeding on
decaying vegetation or other organic matter, and they are
important in recycling this material. A number of
cockroaches have become pests and live in or around
homes where they are omnivorous scavengers. The 2 most
significant pest cockroaches worldwide are the German
cockroach (Linnaeus) and the
American cockroach (Linnaeus).
