Researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife have traced the origins of the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, to Asia, revealing its evolutionary adaptation to human habitats. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights how these pests, reliant on human activity, have evolved over the last 2,100 years and become resistant to many insecticides.
Texas A&M AgriLife researchers, including Edward Vargo, Ph.D., have traced the German cockroach’s origins to Asia, revealing its evolutionary adaptation to human habitats, as detailed in their study recently published in the For centuries, the German cockroach has thrived in close proximity to human populations, infesting homes, apartment buildings, work offices, and other structures.
“Many people speculated over the years that the species’ origins came from Africa or Asia,” Vargo said. “It has been intriguing to find out that those who said Asia were right all along.” These cockroaches are known for their small size, resilience, and ability to thrive indoors. In addition to their dependence on human-built structures, they have also relied on human transportation for dispersal. As civilizations and travel advanced, it turns out our crisscrossing the world included the German cockroach as a secret passenger.