- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Those Jerusalem crickets aren't as scary as some folks imagine them to be.
UC Davis third-year entomology student Sol Wantz, an intern at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, president of the UC Davis Entomology Club, and an undergraduate researcher in the Neal Williams' lab, shed light on "Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids" when she delivered a presentation at a recent Bohart Museum open house.
Jerusalem crickets, aka "potato bugs," drew the most interest.
The wingless insects, members of the family, Stenopelmatidae, are omniverous, feeding on both plants and...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It had to happen.
With so many folks asking "What are those weird bugs?" and UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, describing them as "basically Vienna sausages with bitey jaws," it definitely had to happen--a Bohart t-shirt depicting a Jerusalem cricket, aka potato bug, with that analogy.
The art is the work of UC Davis student and Bohart volunteer Allen Chew, and the design by UC Davis doctoral alumnus Professor Fran Keller of...
![CDATA[>- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Nope, not an Asian giant hornet.
Not even close.
It's a Jerusalem cricket, sometimes called a "potato bug."
The be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) for the Asian giant hornet detected in Canada and Washington state has resulted in scores of queries and submissions of not-even-close specimens.
The poor ol' potato bug gets blamed for being an Asian giant hornet, which the media labeled "the murder hornet." (Wish they wouldn't.)
"Some of the local insects that have been confused with invasive hornets are Jerusalem crickets, bald-faced hornets and cicada killers," says Lynn Kimsey, director of the
![Black widow spider. Jack Kelly Clark](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/48493small.jpg)
Halloween is a time when many people enjoy having creatures come to their homes in search of treats. But what about unwanted indoor visitors with six or more legs? Here are three types of creatures that might bring a chill to your spine if you find them in your house.
Spiders
Many people in the world fear spiders. Sure, they might be creepy, but in general, spiders are beneficial because they feed on pest insects both inside and outside the home. One spider that is cause for concern in California is the black widow. Wait, what? Not the brown...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's a strange little insect.
A reader likens it to "a cricket on steroids."
A Van Nuys resident says she always wondered what they were. "I've lived in this house for 17 years, and a few times a year I see this strange insect in my backyard. It is always either dead or dying. It has a really large head and seems to be a bit top-heavy and has problems walking. I have never seen these insects anywhere but in my backyard and no one seems to know what they are. I feel badly for the little critters, since they don't seem to be thriving."
A Vacaville resident encountered this "unknown species of insect" in her backyard. Her dog discovered the first one. Dead. She discovered the second....