The very short answer to this question is: yes. Most species of cockroaches do have wings and many of them can fly, but most of them do not, preferring to crawl around on the ground to scavenge for food. So, the real question is probably – can roaches fly? Yes, they can, but they very seldom do.

There are even species of flying cockroaches right here in Cape Town, too.

Flying cockroaches are not more dangerous than other cockroaches, it just means that they are able to fly away from danger or fly to places that those who only crawl may not be able to reach.

To answer that question, it’s probably a good idea to look at some common cockroach anatomy shared across species. Although there are many varieties of cockroach located all over the world, they do share some of the same characteristics. These include:

• Antenna
• Head
• Forelegs
• Hind legs
• Thorax
• Abdomen
• Wings – two pairs

A cockroach’s wings fold back over the abdomen, across the back and the first pair act like as shield, protecting the body and the hind wings.

Some cockroaches do not have wings at all. One such type is the Madagascar hissing cockroach, which of course, could not fly even if it tried.