How one of the world’s most successful indoor pests took over the planet

The indoor pest you're likely referring to is the common cockroach, specifically the German Cockroach. This pest has been successful at becoming a global nuisance due to a variety of factors. 1. Adaptability: Cockroaches can survive in a wide range of environments from the Arctic cold to the tropical heat, helping them to spread across different regions. Also, German cockroaches have shown an ability to develop resistance to common pesticides, making them harder to eliminate. 2. Reproduction: They have a rapid reproduction cycle. A female German cockroach can carry up to 50 eggs in one ootheca (egg case), and over her lifetime, could potentially produce up to several hundred offspring. 3. Diet: Cockroaches aren't picky eaters. They eat anything from food crumbs, paper, cloth to glue. This adaptability in diet allows them to survive in varied conditions and habitats. 4. Stealth and Speed: Cockroaches are nocturnal creatures that swiftly run and hide in dark crevices when exposed to light or disturbance, making them hard to catch or exterminate. Therefore, their adaptability, fast reproduction, wide-ranging diet, and ability to hide make them very successful at infesting human establishments worldwide.