Subject: Hideous Monster Bug
Location: Sacramento CA
November 8, 2012 1:28 pm
I have found two of these hideous monster bugs in my apartment. They walk like a pit bull on steroids. They rustle paper so loudly it sounds like a mouse. They’re enormous and disgusting.
Found in a hideous carpeted apartment in Sacramento California in October.
Signature: matthewjschneider
Dear Matthew,
Where is the “hideous monster” of which you speak? This subterranean Orthopteran is at the center of a myriad of local lore. Called a Potato Bug, Jerusalem Cricket, Niña de la Tierra, Mestizo or Cara de Niño, these harmless creatures are often feared unnecessarily. Indeed, the are often the victims of Unnecessary Carnage.
Thanks for your assistance. Everything I read online indicates they’re rarely found in homes, yet I’ve only seen them in my apartment but never out back. Any ideas why that might be happening? Is it due to changing of seasons?
Thanks
M
Hi again Matthew,
Rain causes Potato Bugs to emerge from their underground dwellings. We are not sure why they are entering your apartment, but perhaps they are just wandering in accidentally while searching for food, mates or water.