Potato Bugs, Jerusalem Crickets and Wetas
rss what is this?
a picture I took recently of a bug.
What is it?
heidi
Hi Heidi,
It is a Jerusalem Cricket, Potato Bug or Nino de la Tierra, depending on who you are talking to. They are members of the cricket order Othoptera and live underground.
Ok, these things are disgusting. I have found two of these horrible creatures in my yard, all in a two seek span. Where are they coming from and how can I get rid of them? I feel guilty killing anything, but these things are too much to bare sight of. What can I do so they won’t return? Also, after reading some info. on your site, it was mentioned they are not poisonous. But, what would one do if biten by one of these things?
Terrified in San Fernando Valley
Dear Terrified,
I can’t think of anything you could do to get rid of your potato bugs as they are burrowing insects and you would need to make your entire yard toxic to poison them, which whould probably have more dire consequences to you and your family than to the potato bugs. They are not poisonous, as you point out, and if bitten you will probably cry out since the jaws are powerful and the bite painful, though it is doubtful the bite would draw blood.
I have NO idea how it got into my kitchen but there it was this morning and my skin is still crawling thinking of it. It’s under a glass bowl right now. I don’t know how to get rid of it. My last encounter with one in the garden several years ago was horrible and I couldn’t kill it! My nightmare now is wondering how the hell this huge thing got into the house when there are no visible holes or gaps under doors…it’s as big as a small mouse – and we blocked the mouse access holes over a year ago, I thought!
Eeeooow…
Freaked of Laurel Canyon
Dear Freaked,
Potato Bugs are digging insects that might have gotten access through burrowing. They are also nocturnal and might enter the home through an opened door at night when you don’t notice them skulking about. They are harmless, but do have powerful jaws that can inflict a painful bite. They seem to have universal horror appeal.
Thank you! I steeled myself and got it outside last night! Way away from the house! They look like something under a magnoscope which has escaped and is giant!
JP
hi, wondering if you can help … i live in the hollywood hills, of los angeles. i saw a bug in my house yesterday that looked like a double A duracell battery with what seemed like claws. it was probably 3 inches in length and a half inch in width excluding it’s appendages. i am not a bug person and thought about stepping on it – but it was so big, i didn’t want to make the mess. instead, i flicked it across the room with some cardboard. it landed on its back and seemed to have a hard time turning over, right side up. while on it’s back, i was able to open the door and fling it outside. it was creepy as can be. i’m wondering if you know the type of bug it may have been? any pictures of it? it was gross to me … any help would be great,
thanks
brad in los angeles
Hi Brad,
Possibly a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket.
I recently found a large bug under a rock at my house in South Jordan, UT. I can’t seem to find anyone that knows what type of bug is. I hope you can help me. Its characteristics are: light brown/tan in color, 2 segments of body with black stripes across the bottom half of the body (on top, like a bumblebee), legs that look like a grasshopper’s, only not as large in proportion to the body, head looks like that of an ant, and its overall length is about 1 1/2 inches long. I put him in a jar with dirt and mulch, and he burrows under the dirt most of the time, and remains hidden, although at first he was quite aggressive in trying to climb out of the jar. He has lived for one week in the jar with no additional food or water. He has no wings, and an overall smooth body appearance. Some have said he might be a Mormon cricket, but after having looked at several images of the Mormon Cricket, I do not think he is one. He is quite adept at digging with his front legs. He has six legs, and does not jump at all. If you could help me determine what this is, I would really appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Sincerely,
Lori
Dear Lori,
Sounds like a Jerusalem Cricket or Potato Bug. Try doing a websearch. The scientific Family name is Stenopelmatus. Mormon crickets have a different shape than you describe.
What is it? I found this, trying to sneak into my apartment this morning – and have no idea what it is!! Is it a good bug, or a bad one? Does it bite? What does it eat? I don’t know anything about it – other than it is about 2.5” long, and is nothing I want running around inside my apartment!
Thanks!
Rob
Dear Rob,
It is a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket. They are omniverous, eating roots and tubers and occasionally dead animals. They can bite painfully, but are not poisonous.
Looking through almost 20 years of memory distortion, my wife and I were confronted by the strangest looking bug we had ever seen. We were living in Glendale and this "tinker toy" bug had somehow gotten into the house, seemed to be nesting in the pile of our rug near the patio sliding glass doors. It was about 2 inches long, and looked like it had been assembled out of brown plastic parts, big round shiny head with two smaller black dot eyes, antennae, a shiny cylindrical body and six legs. We even captured it into a jar where it clicked away at the sides trying to escape. Eventually it was released but we never have seen it pictured in any reference books. The name, Vinegaroon, was mentioned but it hasn’t really satisfied. Any ideas?
Richard Leppig
We’ve lost our original reply to Richard which included a photo, but we correctly identified his visitor as a Potato Bug.
When working in our garden my wife found a worm-like insect about 1-1/2" long and 1/4-1/2" wide, with a white translucent body and a pair of forward pinchers and bulging eyes. My mother-in-law says it is a "nino de la Tierra." Sorry no photos. Can you help?
Dear V.
Niño de la Tierra is a Spanish common name for the fearsome potato bug, or Jerusalem cricket. The navajo call them "wo wee ts’inii" which means skull insect or bone neck beetle. They fit your description. They belong to the genus Stenopelmatus. Take a look at potatobugs.com. It’s an entire website devoted to this good looking creature. We stole this photo from them.
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