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IdentificationLow risk

Can Cockroaches Fly?

Written by PestMan Editorial TeamTechnical review pendingPublished Updated

Quick answer

Some can. In Australia, smokybrown and American cockroaches can fly or glide short distances, mostly on hot, humid nights and towards lights. Australian cockroaches can also fly. German cockroaches have wings but rarely fly, and Oriental cockroaches cannot fly at all. Most cockroaches prefer running, which is why flying ones are so startling.

Why this happens

Flight in cockroaches is strongly temperature-dependent. Warm air helps their flight muscles work, so flying is most common in summer in Queensland and northern NSW.

Light attracts flying cockroaches, bringing them to windows, verandahs and open doors in the evening. They often land on walls or people and then run.

What you may be seeing

  • A large brown cockroach flying towards a light or through an open door on a warm night.
  • Cockroaches launching from walls or trees rather than running.

What you can do

  • Keep fly screens on doors and windows in good repair.
  • Reduce bright lights near entry points in summer, or use warmer bulbs.
  • Clean gutters and trim palms and trees near the roof, which smokybrown cockroaches use as harbourage.

When professional help may be needed

Flying cockroaches are usually outdoor visitors. Professional help is more relevant if they are nesting in your roof void, gutters or wall cavities and entering regularly.

Cockroaches

Fast, flat-bodied insects that hide in warm, damp gaps and come out at night to feed. A few introduced species cause most household problems in Australia.

Species mentioned

Smokybrown Cockroach

Periplaneta fuliginosa

A large, uniformly dark mahogany-brown cockroach that lives in trees, roof voids and gutters and is a strong flyer attracted to lights.

American Cockroach

Periplaneta americana

One of the largest household cockroaches in Australia. Lives in drains, sewers and sub-floors and wanders inside on warm nights.

Australian Cockroach

Periplaneta australasiae

A large outdoor cockroach, despite its name probably not native to Australia. Common in gardens, mulch and around houses in warmer parts of the country.

German Cockroach

Blattella germanica

A small, light-brown cockroach that lives and breeds indoors, mostly in kitchens and bathrooms. It reproduces faster than any other household cockroach and is the species most often behind persistent indoor infestations.

Guide

The Australian Guide to Cockroaches

Everything an Australian household needs to know about cockroaches: which species you are seeing, why they are there, how they get in, the health implications, and how to prevent and manage them.

Guide

How to Pest-Proof Your Home

A practical, room-by-room approach to reducing pests without relying on chemicals: remove what attracts them, close the ways in, and make your property less comfortable for them.

Guide

Common Brisbane Household Pests

A Brisbane-specific overview of the pests residents meet most often, when they are active, and what the subtropical climate, storms, creeks and Queenslander homes mean for pest pressure.

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Sources & further reading

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