Cockroaches have been around for almost 320 million years, making them probably the oldest insect on Earth. Because they lack particular adaptations like sucking mouthparts (like aphids or cicadas), cockroaches are generalist insects. There are around 4,600 different cockroach species, and just 30 of them are known to coexist with people. Only four or five of those are the widely known pests that the majority of us have encountered, according to cockroach exterminators. The Asian subcontinent is the most typical location for the American, German, Asian, Brown-banded, and Oriental cockroaches.