I can't even look. I want to though, but I can't. I know what I will see, and it scares me, yet still, curiosity gets the best of me.
I better wait until this evening after I have had my nightly tonic. Perhaps that will give me the fortitude to look into the abyss that is The Potato Bug.
Is it tonight yet?

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I didn't see the name "Jeruselum Cricket" listed. But that's what I heard them called first.

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ROFL!!! Cricket, there is a Jewish Potato Bug named after you!!!

Cricket! That site is hysterical, I can't believe I waited until just now to have a peek! I even tried to check out the message board, but alas, it was down. I mean, this is a site that I could find myself frequenting! The FAQ page was great, it gave me a good giggle, although the pics gave me the heebie jeebies. I can't believe we used to actually have those in our garden, blech! Thanks for the post, that was great.
And I take back what I said, you are MUCH MUCH more cuter than a Jerusalem cricket. That said, it could have been worse, it could have been "bald fetus of Satan"!!!

...you all are a riot!

I in fact have these alien creatures in my yard. I have found five of them so far. And yes, they are supposed to give a nasty bite from what I have been reading. I researched them a couple years ago...but forgot everything I learned.

I pulled a prank with one of them once with my sister....let's just say she is very paranoid now when I reach out to hand her something.

It was in a jar...come on now...if it was something really bad do you think I would literally be holding it?!! Let me answer that....YES!!!!!!!
Ah memories of sisterly love....tee hee hee

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those are called pill bugs or roly poly's

Cricket...
I have been plagued by potato bugs for several years, and found the Potato Bug website you provided the link for to be very helpful.

Unfortunately, I didn't find my potato bug in any of the pictures. It's similar to the "Devil's Spawn", but has some characteristics of the "Bald Evil Fetus". I posted a picture of it on the website in hopes that someone can identify it for me.

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Potato bugs are drawn to the smell of alcohol,

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I found this information interesting because the potato bugs showed up soon after I started drinking at night in the garden with the slugs and skunks.

They have obviously over-wintered in the house, because I have seen them in the lower cabinet where I keep my potatos and my Jim Beam. They seem to be more drawn to the Jim Beam than the potatos, because they have actually chewed the labels off the bottles, and on more than one occasion chewed the plastic cap right off the bottle.

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They may gnaw your cheeks while you sleep, trying to get at the smell of the alcohol on your breath.

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Now, that scares me!
Thank God one of my obsessive/compulsive disorders is brushing my teeth! I even get up in the middle of the night and brush my teeth (and my hair, but not with the same brush!). This freaky teeth-brushing obsession has obviously saved me from getting my cheeks gnawed through during my sleep.

I found this information on the website to be extremely interesting, due to the fact that I am prone to alien encounters:

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That very photo clearly shows something resembling a potato bug near one of the Mars rocks. Utilizing N.A.S.A.'s space technology, the photo was hyper-enlarged near the spot where the potato bug stands. PotatoBugs.com obtained the only known print of the Mars potato bug from Turner, who had it attached to his fridge with a Garfield magnet.

"Yeah, it's clearly a potato bug," says Irv Bostich, a friend of Turner's from Castaic.

"My best guess is that potato bugs are extra-terrestrial," reckons Turner. "How else did they get there? How did they get here?"

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I have also sent the photograph of my potato bug to NASA, in hopes of identification.

Cindy's Potato Bug


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Buckle up! It makes it harder for the aliens to suck you out of your car!

EEW. What a scary thread you guys!!! OK..EW..EEW EWW...wanna hear something even scarier? Has anyone seen that show fear factor? Well we never watch it...but...on one occasion because one of our models was competeing on it. So theres this one part where they have to shoot this thing at this big wheel and wherever it lands...that would determine the amount of POTATO BUGS....that they had to EAT! BLAAAHHHHH....YEUCK!!!! So anyways...Masumi, thank GOD, only had to eat one and guess what? She ate it! AAAACK!!!!

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Now, that scares me!

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Cindy, that scares me, too! Almost enough to make me want to quit drinking. Ummm...don't hold your breath waiting for NASA to identify your potato bug. They've got that one under tight wraps, right up there with the identity of the lizard people...but that's a different story (or so they would want you to believe! )

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She ate it! AAAACK!!!!

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Okay, now I will never sleep again. Sleep just isn't worth the nightmares.

Hi all! so potato bugs/ nino de la tierra as I know it is not deadly? my parents who are Mexican always said if they bit me i could die in thirty minutes or less. they are ugly though. As a child killed a potato bug by drowning it in my daddy's taquila/ mescal which is a white taquila made from the Yucca plant.

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True INSANITY will never admit itself.(forgive my misspellings)