Asian cockroaches are predominantly found outdoors in shaded mulched, composted areas where fresh plant litter accumulates as well as in damp areas. Large areas of grass or leaf litter are what the Asian cockroach gravitates towards.

When the Asian cockroach is happy with the chosen location, they are the dominant cockroach and take over the location where they tend to form hordes of 30,000 to 250,000 cockroaches per acre

The Asian cockroach may fly towards the home and enter through open doors and windows but indoor invasions occur rarely. While in the home, the Asian cockroach is most likely found sitting on the TV screen or near lamps. While other cockroaches carry diseases and bacterium, as of today, research has not suggested that the Asian cockroach carries any pathogens or diseases. Although, they do come into contact with other bacteria due to their habitat preferences being around homes with outdoor pathogens, animal feces, and fungi.

Cockroaches have gotten a very bad reputation over the years because of how they look and the musty order that they create in large numbers or heavy infestations. They can contaminate food with their dropping or just appear unsightly.

The truth is however that roaches are mostly a beneficial pest when they are outside. 5 out of the 6 roaches found locally in DFW are primarily outside dwelling roaches. There is one roach however that has adapted to live off the waste/trash that humans create or make, and that’s the German Cockroach. When a pest has adapted to live off human these types of pests are called commensal pest, meaning they live off us/humans. Bed bugs would be another great example of a commensal pest.