Have you seen me in your yard? I’m a Stenopelmatus. Please… DON’T kill me!

I would like to tell you a little about myself. Many people also know me as a potato bug, Jerusalem cricket, Skull Insect, Childface, or Mother of Scorpion. People get scared when they see me and want to kill me. Reality is that I’m running from you.

I’m not a spider nor scorpion nor cricket, and I HAVE NO POISON. My only weapon is my mandibles. With them I feed off the organic waste that is found next to garden plants.

We have a very important role in the environment, because we help plant growth, thanks to removing the earth and thus allowing soil oxygenation.

My life span is a year.

If you find me at night, don’t kill me. I’m just looking for food and a safe place to hide. Please… DON’T kill me!

With information from Biological Community.

Habitat

The Jerusalem Cricket is subterranean, nocturnal, and occurs in a wide variety of habitats, including homes. It can be found under rocks, logs, and debris and prefers sandy soils (Vickery and Kevan 1985, Capinera et al. 2004, and Mitton 2017).

Food Habits

In the daytime it feeds underground consuming roots, tubers, and decaying plant material. During the night, especially after rain, they come to the surface to feed on live insects, animal material, and plant debris. Underground they can become garden and crop pests feeding on tubers like carrots and potatoes, hence their common name “potato bug” (Vickery and Kevan 1985, Capinera et al. 2004, and Mitton 2017).