Can you tell me what this is?
Location: Eastern Pennsylvania
November 24, 2011 8:50 pm
I get these in my apartment occasionally. I was just wondering what they are.
Thank you.
Signature: any
House Centipede
Dear any,
This is a beneficial, predatory House Centipede, a nocturnal hunter that will help keep your apartment free of cockroaches and other undesirable intruders. The House Centipede is one of our most frequent identification requests as well as a frequent victim of Unnecessary Carnage.
¶ Posted 25 November 2011 § Centipedes ‡ ° Also tagged: This big ol’ bug looking beetle
Location: Jackson, Michigan
November 10, 2011 8:29 pm
My friend found this bug outside of a Target parking lot and we can not find out what it was. It seems like a rather big and unusual bug. I have never seen anything like it before. Can you please help me figure out what it is?
Signature: N8
Toe-Biter
Toe-Biter
Hello,
I am not sure why, but I just received my email back with no answer or any other type of information submitted or requested.
Hi Nate,
Sometimes when we have numerous emails we are trying to respond to, we just send a brief identification. You missed our response which was “Toe-Biter”. A Toe-Biter is also called a Giant Water Bug or Electric Light Bug. It is an aquatic insect that is also capable of flying. A closely related and even larger species is considered a culinary delicacy in Thailand.
Bug found in Cathedrale Gorge Nevada
Location: Cathedrale Gorge Nevada
November 1, 2011 11:44 pm
We found the attached bug or insect in the sand of Cathedrale Gorge Nevada. What is it?
Signature: Sue Dangelo
Potato Bug
Hi Sue,
This distinctive insect is commonly called a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, and it is one of our most common insect requests from the western states.
30 legs of ”what the heck” in my room
Location: Peruvian rain forest ( within 25 miles of 12° 36′ 0″ S, 69° 11′ 0″ W)
October 30, 2011 10:35 pm
On vacation this summer, i spent time in the Peruvian rain forest. We slept in an abandoned schoolhouse, and i found this little creature hiding in my room. I took this picture late July/early August
Signature: Adam Protter
House Centipede
Dear Adam,
This is a House Centipede, a beneficial nocturnal predator that is perfectly comfortable cohabitating with humans and feeding off the other nocturnal arthropod residents like Cockroaches. For years we have been claiming that House Centipedes are perfectly harmless, though larger individuals may be capable of biting and Centipedes do have venom. The venom of a House Centipede is not considered to be harmful to humans, and we also maintain that bites from House Centipedes are extremely rare.
¶ Posted 31 October 2011 § Centipedes ‡ ° Also tagged: Large crawling insect
Location: Northern Utah
October 17, 2011 10:06 am
Hi there,
While hiking in the Lone Peak area of Utah, I saw this large insect crawling up the trail. It looks like an enormous cross between a bee and an ant. It was about 2.5 inches long, with a body about as thick around as a nickel. Any idea what it is?
Signature: Darrin Lythgoe
Potato Bug
Hi Darrin,
This is a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, a common insect in the Southwest. They are subterranean dwellers that often come to the surface after a rain. They represent one of our most frequently identified bugs and they are on our Top 10 list.
26 legged insect
Location: Blue Ridge, Virginia
October 16, 2011 10:13 pm
Hello, I have seen this bug around my house for a few months now and have no idea what it is! I live in Charlottesville, Virginia and have seen this bug since the mid summer. Oddly, while in Italy during the summer I am sure I saw one of these insects. Please help.
Signature: Gabriel
House Centipede
I have realized after looking through your Top Ten list that this is a House Centipede. Though I now know they are harmless, I can’t help but find them creepy after the one that ran at me when it noticed me. I hope you like the pictures!
Gabriel
House Centipede
Hi Gabriel,
Your very detailed photos are a wonderful addition to our website. We are very happy to learn that you were able to self identify this House Centipede. There is some indication that they might bite a person if provoked, but their venom is not highly toxic and will cause little more than irritation in most people, however, with severe allergic reactions on the rise from everything, including peanuts and pain relievers, we cannot predict what might happen if a particularly sensitive person happens to get bitten. For the record, Centipedes are not insects. Insects have but six legs.
¶ Posted 17 October 2011 § Centipedes ‡ ° Also tagged: huge bug never seen anything like it!
Location: wooded area, spokane valley, wa
September 29, 2011 2:32 am
This was outside in the. Gravel next to my house. There are plenty of trees nearby and its fall now. Temperatures are about 60-80 the last couple of days. This bug is about 2-3 inches.
Signature: marina
Potato Bug
Hi Marina,
This subterranean insect is commonly called a Jerusalem Cricket or Potato Bug, and we get so many identification requests that we have tagged it one of our Top 10, though most sightings are from Southern California. With the advent of the internet, it became apparent that populations of Potato Bugs can also be found in the more northern latitudes of the western North American states.
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