Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
As several people noted they have seen them in CA but rarely see them, if at all, all the way up north in WA. Their natural habitat is the hotter part of the west and southwest as far east as the Oklahoma panhandle, parts of Texas and down into Mexico. They don't like the cold much so points east of there they just don't exist naturally. Their other, much more common name is Jerusalem cricket and your description of them is pretty right on. I've never seen one in person but have seen them in entomology lab and can imagine seeing one up close and in person in your garden might be very memorable.
While they aren't aggressive they have been known to have a painful bite when cornered or threatened. If you want some fairly down to earth information on what they are, and more, try reading this from the Calafornia Academy of Sciences: http://www.calacademy.org/science_no...m_crickets.php
If you have problems with them in your garden this is an excellent site for remedies (they work with other members of the cricket and grasshopper family as well and are less toxic to the environment and you). Natural Remedy to Kill Potato Bugs | Home Guides | SF Gate
ArkansasSlim since the bug the OP mentioned is not naturally found in your area and tends to be only out at night I am wondering if what you had to pick off the plants were Potato Beetles. The following is a closeup of them from the University of Florida website:
They are a serious pest that seems to be able to resist just about every method of getting rid of them.
There was time in our youth where people smoked like chimneys and dumped toxic chemicals right and left because they didn't know better and it worked on the pests of the day so beautifully. Many people paid with it by getting cancers and horrible neurological disorders but we all know at least a few people who seemed to survive it all without getting sick. I'm sure you are grateful to be among them.
Yep, grateful for that, and those are the bugs we picked. If I had only a penny for each one I picked over the years - WOW - I could have retired early
I peaked at the answer!!!
Must find a bug book......
I can send you a camel cricket, mamh, or as many as you want! They are quite common in our area - scary looking insects, can jump over a foot high, and are quick. Our detached garage was loaded with those jumpin' jacks yesterday when I was putting my garden tools away. Their cover is soft, and if they can be approached from behind, a fly swatter surprises them. Now, back to the subject - potato bugs aren't seen often here.
I've only seen one of these and it was dead, but I thought it looked like something from outer space or made out of spare parts from other insects. Are they common anywhere?
Ohhh, we have these ugly buggers. Tbey are qjite common. They help keep the birds fat, the chickens vobble them, and scorpions too, with gusto. They think they are a delicacy. Lol.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(photo from the University of Arkansas)
