What are Potato Bugs? – Potato bugs are classified into two different categories:
The Jerusalem Cricket The Colorado Potato Beetle
The Jerusalem Crickets or potato bugs ( Stenopelmatus fuscus ) are discovered in the western and southern regions of the United States. They are a group of wingless insects having large, human-like jaws, heads, and an alien-like appearance. Potato bugs are large and can be 2-3 inches in length.
What bug looks like a potato bug?
Pillbugs vs. Sowbugs – These species are quite similar, but pillbugs ( Armadillidium vulgare) are so named for their ability to curl up in tight pill-like balls. Pillbugs are also known as potato bugs or roly-polies. Sowbugs ( Oniscus asellus) are slightly larger, flatter creatures, and they are unable to draw themselves up into a ball.
Curl up into pill-like balls Smaller More rounded
Sowbugs
Cannot curl up Larger and flatter Tail-like structure
FAQ
Do pillbugs and sowbugs bite? Neither pillbugs nor sowbugs have mouthparts capable of biting flesh. They are among the most innocuous and harmless of all creatures normally considered pests. Are pillbugs and sowbugs useful? Outdoors, both these creatures serve a valuable ecological function in breaking down dead plant material and returning the organic nutrients to the soil. When you apply a heavy mulch to your garden, you should expect and appreciate the arrival of sowbugs and pillbugs to break down the organic material into nutrients that are useful to plants. And wildlife lovers will enjoy the fact that songbirds, toads, and other small predators feed on pillbugs and sowbugs. Indoors, the presence of these creatures indoors is useful as an alert that there is decaying material present. This condition should be addressed so as to ensure the decay doesn’t spread. Do pillbugs and sowbugs carry or spread disease? Despite some proclamations by extermination experts seeking to sell their services, neither sowbugs nor pillbugs are known to carry or spread diseases. While it’s true that the decaying plant material upon which these species feed may foster bacteria that could be harmful, sowbugs and pillbugs do not spread the pathogens around; in fact, they may reduce possible transmission by consuming the decaying matter. Do people keep pillbugs as pets? Although it sounds strange, keeping pillbugs in a sealed terrarium or glass jar is sometimes popular with children as an experiment in observing natural ecology. These are utterly harmless creatures, and it can be instructive to watch the manner in which nature breaks down dead material. All that’s required is to provide the bugs with a regular diet of moist paper, wood chips, or compost layered over some ordinary soil. Make sure the container is well-ventilated, as these creatures need air to thrive.
How big is the biggest potato bug?
What is Jerusalem Cricket (Potato Bug)? – Jerusalem crickets ( Stenopelmatus fuscus ) are large insects that look like a cross between a large ant and a fat wasp. Their ant-like appearance can look frightening to many people due to their large bulging head, small eyes, and long antennas.
One of the off-putting things about the appearance of these insect bugs is their large brown head that has a humanoid appearance. Their body has shiny orange and black bands with 3 large legs on either side. Potato bugs are wingless creatures and get around on their 6 spider-like legs. Their legs help them dig into the ground where they spend much of their life.
Unlike other crickets, Jerusalem crickets don’t jump. Jerusalem crickets can grow up to 2.5 inches (6 cm). This means that these unsightly-looking cricket bugs can be nearly as long as the width of your hand. In fact, due to their unsightliness and size, people describe potato bugs as the monsters of the insect world.
Apart from giving you a nasty bite, Jerusalem bugs also give off a foul stench when they are threatened. The way a potato bug looks is the reason it has adopted names like “skull insect,” “shiny bug,” “red-skull bug,” “dark Jerusalem crickets,” and “skunk bugs.” Even though Jerusalem crickets or Jerusalem beetles are called potato bugs, they shouldn’t be confused with the Colorado beetle or Colorado potato beetle.
In fact, no one really knows where the name of this unpleasant-looking creature came from. One researcher theorized that a scientist called the beetle a Jerusalem cricket because it resembled the Jerusalem Cross. The name “potato bugs” could come from the fact that they are commonly found in potato fields. 
Jerusalem cricket (potato bug) pictures
How small are potato bugs?
Identification – 
Before you can implement a control program, you need to identify and make sure that the pest you see are, in fact, Potato Bugs and not some other pest. Careless identification can lead to using the wrong pesticides, which is a waste of your time and money.
The Potato Bug, also known as the Colorado Potato Beetle, are tiny beetles that are about 3/8th of an inch long. As adults, Potato bugs have a hard-shelled body, orange-colored head and are covered with black stripes. They breed quickly, laying up to 30 eggs at a time. The Potato Beetle eggs hatch out larvae that are a dark red color with black heads starting out and then as they mature the red becomes a pink or salmon color. During the plump larval phase, Potato Bugs also are covered in black spots and can mature into adults as quickly as 10 days. These bugs eat out potato plants and damage them to the point that they are unfit for consumption.
Use the image and description above to properly identify Potato Bugs. If you are not sure, contact us and we will assist you with proper identification.
How painful is a potato bug?
Let’s just get one thing out of the way here: While not poisonous, a bite from a potato bug can certainly rattle you! Potato bugs have strong jaws that can sink into the skin and cause a moderate amount of pain if they bite you. Luckily, it isn’t common to get bitten by potato bugs and they don’t inject venom.
- While pesky, these bugs are naturally shy and will scurry away from humans.
- The only time they might bite is when they’re cornered or provoked, whether intentionally or not.
- If you’ve come across this unusual bug, don’t be alarmed and definitely don’t try to smush it.
- There’s so much misinformation online surrounding the potato bug, and that’s because it’s often mistaken for the Colorado potato beetle, an entirely different insect altogether.
So, want the real lowdown on this strange-looking bug that’s more accurately known as a Jerusalem cricket? Keep reading to learn where they come from, how to manage them in your home and garden, and what to do if you’ve been bitten by a potato bug.
What attracts potato bugs in the house?
Step 3 – Inspect your gutters on the outside of your home. If they aren’t working properly, excessive moisture will accumulate near your home, attracting potato bugs. If your gutters aren’t working properly, call a gutter company to repair them.
Can potato bugs fly?
The insects are mainly orange in color with black and white stripes. These common little bugs can fly and can present more of an infestation risk if a swarm of them appear.
Are potato bugs harmless?
Are Potato Bugs Poisonous? – Potato bugs are not poisonous. However, these pests have toxin-rich saliva that can damage plants. For humans, without any toxin glands, potato bugs can not be considered harmful. Sometimes though a bite from a potato bug ( Jerusalem Cricket ) can be painful.
What states have potato bugs?
Distribution (Back to Top) – The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), occurs in Mexico and in most of the United States (except Alaska, California, Hawaii, and Nevada), including Florida. It was first reported in Florida in 1920, but it is not often a major pest.
How do I know if I have potato bugs?
Potato Beetle Signs and Symptoms – To catch them in the egg stage, look underneath the plant leaves for anything bright orange. Young potato beetles are bright red with a hard shell and two rows of ridges across their humped backs. You may also notice lines of black dots along each side of their bodies. Adult potato beetles are small, yellow and black striped bugs.
What gets rid of potato bugs?
9. Vinegar – The acidity of the vinegar will kill potato bugs and all kinds of bad plant pests, Therefore, combine one cup of vinegar, one teaspoon of liquid soap, and three cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake well and use it to spray your plants to kill nymphs and adults.
Where do potato bugs like to live?
Contact Us – UC Cooperative Extension Ventura County 669 County Square Dr. Suite 100 Ventura CA 93003 Phone: 805.645.1451 Fax: 805.645.1474 Office Hours Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please phone ahead as staff schedules vary due to COVID-19. We are also available via phone and email.
Click here for our office directory: Contact/Staff Info Room Reservation Requests Potato bugs, also known as Jerusalem crickets, are part of the same group of insects that include house crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids. Potato bugs are usually found in burrows, which they make in the soil under wood piles, boards, leaf litter, rocks, and piles of trash.
A grassy pasture area also provides good habitat. This insect is nocturnal in habit, so is not often seen, unless you disturb their burrow or catch one crawling about in the evening or early morning. Their normal diet is plant material such as fruit, vegetables, grass roots, earthworms, and any small insect they can catch.
- They make good pets for a terrarium and will survive nicely on bits of fruit, vegetables, and any kind of meat.
- They are somewhat scary looking and will rise up on their hind legs and jump at whatever disturbs or annoys them.
- They can also make a sound like sandpaper rubbed together.
- They can damage fruit and vegetables in the garden and can become a real problem by chewing holes in drip tape.
They are not poisonous, but they have very strong jaws and will bite if handled carelessly or squeezed. If control is needed, start by cleaning up trash, dead grass, leaf litter, etc., around your home and garden. If further efforts are needed, a bait should help reduce the population.
What purpose do potato bugs serve?
This burrowing aerates the soil and allows for it to be more porous. They also eat smaller insects that can be harmful to your plants. In a way, the potato bug provides pest control for you and your garden.
What eats a potato bug?
Biological Control of the Potato Beetle – Ladybugs eat potato bug eggs off of the leaves of plants. Maintain a healthy population of ladybugs in and around your garden to protect potato leaves from potato bug outbreaks, as well as from aphids and other related pests.
Ladybugs love marigolds, which are also great companions to potatoes and other nightshades. Other beneficial insects may also be of use against potato bugs. Like ladybugs, lacewings consume the eggs of potato bugs. The yarrow plant is a native plant in much of the range of the Colorado potato beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata ), and a long-blooming attractant for lacewings.
While it’s hard to find spined soldier bugs, or skunk bugs in a commercial setting, these predatory stink bugs will eat not just the potato bug eggs, but their larvae as well. Spined soldier bugs are fond of other beetle eggs and larvae, such as the Mexican bean beetle and flea beetles.
They devour cabbage looper larvae and cabbage worms as well, so if you have a natural population of spined soldier bugs, keep them around! Beneficial nematodes also help you out, especially when you have overwintering potato bugs to contend with. These tiny bugs burrow into the pupa of potato bugs during the winter and feed on the larva inside.
They also help with active larvae, especially during the pupal stage.