How cockroaches came to rule the world

The world's most widespread type of cockroach - a tiny, tan pest called the German cockroach - is at this moment crawling through countless buildings, hiding in the dark nooks of hotel rooms, restaurant kitchens and, if you're unlucky, your own home - anywhere it can squeeze its little body and scavenge for the crumbs we drop.

Yet at the same time, when scientists search for its natural habitat, they can't find it. It's not native to any wilderness in Germany. In fact, it doesn't seem to have any home in the wild anywhere in the world.

"Its origin has been a mystery," said Edward Vargo, an urban entomologist at Texas A&M University. "These only exist in buildings."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/05/20/cockroach-spread-habitat-humans/