HUGE Bug under my children’s Blanket
Location: Under a blanket, In a House in Northern California
November 15, 2010 12:56 am
HUGE does not begin to describe it, this bug is COLOSSAL, ENORMOUS, MAMMOTH, etc. I was making up a floor-bed for my children, and when I flipped back a blanket, I saw this beige underside of a bug. By the sheer size and uniform coloration I was sure it was one of my boys’ rubber bugs (they have quite a few). I called one over to come pick it up, thinking I’d ”psyche” him out and tickle the back of his neck as he picked it up. Teehee! Well, he said, ”NO!” when I told him to pick it up. THANK GOODNESS HE DID! I bent down to grab it myself, when thought, what detail, how amazing, in rubber? It was 2 inches long almost. Is that… mandibles or something??? THEN… IT TWITCHED and I nearly violated my drawers.
IT WAS A REAL BUG !!! I ran and got a glass jar and a heavy piece of paper, and me and my 2 and 4 year old boys captured the bug. We lidded him up and kept him overnight (sorry bug, I didn’t know what he would eat so he was probably very hungry) so we could photo him and release him in the morning.
When he was dumped out on the ground we got a good last look at him. He sort of burrowed happily into the loose dirt, it looked like he was comfortable in the dirt and not so much a tree-bug. I wanted to touch him, so very gently extended my index finger to stroke the back of him. What happened next is a blur, he sort of gripped onto me, I suppose with his back legs? I yelped and reflexively flung him over my shoulder, felt bad, so looked around till I spotted him on the grass, and scooted out of the way yelling GOOD BYE BUG!! OOH HE TOUCHED ME!
And the boys thought it was very funny, and asked if he would go eat now (I hope).
Anyways, he was about 2 inches long, had a striped body, a very noble face and reminded me of a gigantic ant. I thought maybe he was a cricket? A locust? I have no idea! I have never in my life seen a bug this huge.
The boys were quite fond of him and asked to keep him as Pet. But I told them we don’t know what it is for him to eat so we should let him go.
Signature: Eve

Potato Bug

Hi Eve,
Your detailed account of an encounter with a Potato Bug is highly entertaining.  Your observations that it resembled a cricket is astute.  Potato Bugs and Crickets are in the same insect order and another common name is Jerusalem Cricket.  Potato Bugs do have strong mandibles, and though they are not dangerous, they may deliver a painful bite if carelessly handled, possibly even drawing blood.

Wow!  Thank you so much for your response.  Potato Bug.  I’m very glad it did not bite me!  And even more glad I found him before my children crawled into bed with him.  What an interesting creature.  I believe I will learn a bit more about them, and write this out for my son’s schoolwork.  Thanks again!

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What’s this bug
Location: Aliso Viejo, California
November 1, 2010 3:06 am
Hi,
I was walking along when I saw this thing, it looks like a giant ant, it was well over 1.5 inches. I was wondering what it was, and my friend said it could be _____ (spanish name) and that it’s poisonous and if you see its tummy, it looks like a baby’s face. Is this true?
Thank you!
Signature: Kitty

Potato Bug

Hi Kitty,
We just posted a letter yesterday of a Potato Bug sighting.  These are legendary insects in Southern California and they are also found in numerous other locations in western North America.  The recent unseasonal rains is causing them to emerge from their normally subterranean burrows, making them more visible.  There are many superstitions regarding the Potato Bug, which is also known as the Jerusalem Cricket.  In Spanish it is called Niña de la Tierra or Child of the Earth and it is not poisonous, though it does have strong jaws and could theoretically produce a painful bite.  They are not dangerous.

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giant cricket like bug?
Location: sydney australia, garden apt.
October 31, 2010 8:43 am
i was hoping you could ID this bug for me. it was about 3 inches long with maybe 7 inch antennae. it’s body was thick and mobile, curling it’s pelvis under and then out again.
Signature: thank you!

Winged Weta

Though your image is blurry and not the best quality, we were of the opinion that it represents a Winged Weta, but alas, we were having problems locating any information on Winged Wetas, also known as King Crickets.  We did find an online reference to the New Zealand Entomologist 26:  75-77 (December 2003) with an article entitled A winged weta, Pterapotrechus (Orthoptera:  Gryllacrididae), established in New Zealand. It is described as “a golden-brown insect.  Adults are 30 mm to 37 mm long, with enlarged hind legs, the males often being larger than the females.  It has long filamentous antennae; rows of large spines on the fore-tibiae, and adults of both sexes are fully winged.  Adult females have a 15 mm long slender curved swordlike ovipositor.  The forewings are soft and pliable, and wrap around the body behind the pronotum.  they extend a little beyond the tip of the abdomen.”  The included image is of a female, and since your specimen does not appear to possess an ovipositor, it must be a male.  Wikimedia Commons also has an image of a female Winged Weta.

THANK YOU!!!!
You guys are amazing!! I am an instant fan and SO grateful for your ID.
Many many thanks!!!

hi Daniel,
I just looked up what 37mm is in inches and this makes me think we don’t actually have a winged weta. our bug was at least 2.5 inches, i think more like 3 (63 – 70mm). making ours twice the size. and again, the antennae were at least 6 inches, but really more like 8. ridiculously long…i’m sorry the picture isn’t better!
there was no ovipositor but there seemed to be a something like a prong at the end of the body.
lastly, the wings looked almost moist. sort of papery and wrinkled.
could our bug be a baby? meaning, could that be why it’s hard to find, because it will soon look different from what it is now?

Your bug is not a baby.  We are inclined to think several things regarding the size discrepancy.  First, official sizes probably represent an average, not the extremes.  Second, the species in Australia may be different, but we still believe it is a Winged Weta.  Third, people often think the bugs they see are much larger than they actually are.

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Monster Beetle
Location:  Puebla, Mexico
September 25, 2010 12:49 pm
Hello bugman,
I live in Puebla, Mexico, a city in southern Mexico. I found what seems to be a beetle in my shower. It has 6 legs, red legs and head, a black body, antenna, and no wings. It is also giant. Can you please help me figure out what this is so I can shower peacefully? Thank you!
Signature:  A Scared American in Mexico

Niña de la Tierra

Dear Scared American,
You had an encounter with a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket in the family Stenopelmatidae, a subterranean dweller that emerges and forages at night.  In Spanish, it is called a Niña de la Tierra or Child of the Earth.   Potato Bugs have strong jaws and they may bite if provoked, but they are not dangerous. The description of different species has not gotten the attention it deserves, and most literature does not accurately differentiate members of the family which according to BugGuide, includes at least fifty species in California and 200 species in the entire range. Also according to BugGuide, they are found in Western North America from British Columbia to Central America.