(no subject)

[anogete]

I've talked for pages (almost?) about how I recently moved to a new apartment which happens to look out over a beautiful undeveloped basin. The place is teeming with wildlife, including rabbits, quail, squirrels, various birds, and a wealth of native bugs. Because we live on the first floor, I was passingly concerned about bugs squirming their way into the apartment though itsy bitsy cracks around the doors. In the two weeks since we've been living there, we haven't seen any bugs inside.

UNTIL YESTERDAY.

I'm traumatized. I went home for lunch to let Ferguson outside for his mid-day business. The entryway to the apartment is tiled - about three feet wide and five feet long. There was nothing in the floor when I got home. I took Ferguson out, and when we returned it was sitting in the middle of the tiled entryway.

What was it? A gigantor bug with the biggest eyeballs I've ever seen on an insect. I squealed, danced around a bit, then went to get a tissue to pick it up and throw it away because I thought it was dead. It was not dead and, when I tried to pick it up, proceeded to scramble away. Holy crap, it's alive. So, I told Ferguson to keep an eye on it (like a dog knows how to monitor a bug) while I went to get a container suitable for catch and release. I ended up trapping the monster in a bowl and taking it outside, many many yards away from my door. I released it into the grass beneath a shade tree, and it burrowed down into the ground.

Gross.

Then I proceeded to call Jason and explain that I may or may not have found a queen ant in our apartment, and that I certainly hoped this wasn't an indication of other ants that might be traipsing into our place. He assured me that I'd lost my mind and that, from my description, I'd encountered a Child of the Earth.



Glad I put that behind a cut, aren't you?

So, when I got back to work, I looked up Child of the Earth on the internet and discovered that they are actually called Jerusalem Crickets. They aren't dangerous, but can bite. They live underground and are not considered to be pests like ants or other colony insects. I still have no effin' idea how the damn thing got into the apartment. It was at least two inches long and half an inch tall. There is no way it could have squeezed through a crack. I can only guess it followed me in when I got home. Which freaks me out to no end. Uninvited visitors are following me in the door!

I am glad I did not kill it, though. Apparently, there is a scientist in California who has spent years studying these guys. He wants you to ship them to him if they show up around your house. I did not know this until after I released my little (big) friend. I asked Mr. Jerusalem Cricket not to return to my abode, and I haven't seen him since. Maybe he took my request to heart.

Comments

[sansura.livejournal.com]

holy shit! that thing's huge. I'm glad you got it out of your apartment and I hope that it never returns.

[bleedtoblue.livejournal.com]

Ewww. And I'm not particularly grossed out by insects, but really, eeeewww. I've never heard of those before, nor seen one, and I don't want to see one in person! You are braver than me, I would have squished it first and asked questions later.

[anogete.livejournal.com]

I'm not too squeamish around bugs. I tend to ignore them if they are outside, or catch and release if they are inside. It was just so huge that I couldn't help but shiver at the thought of it crawling on me.

[theredzebra1.livejournal.com]

Holy crap! That's repulsive!

[mist72.livejournal.com]

I get those guys around my house all the time. They are harmless (didn't know they could bite, tho!). The outside cats torture them from time to time, the poor guys. They dont move too fast, like their cricket cousins. I try to save them ... Yes, I am a freak.

Neat to know they are called Child of the Earth. Didn't know that either. I feel smart now! Thanks Amanda :)

[anogete.livejournal.com]

I read that they are quite common in California, especially the southern areas of the state. Everyone around here calls them Children of the Earth, which I think is a rather odd name for them. After all was said and done, I was happy I did not kill it. It really didn't intend any harm.

[okami-no-yume.livejournal.com]

Child of the Earth sounds really hippie.

I don't think I've ever seen one of those...but ewwww.

It's funny. I don't really fear bugs. I do things like capture spiders and take them outside. Just a couple weeks ago, I had a scorpion on my bedroom ceiling. I just calmly knocked it down with a broom, swept it into the dustpan and released it.

Now, rodents on the other hand...I have a phobia of those. Mice freak me out, for some reason. :p

[celeste-506.livejournal.com]

HOLY !@#$ !!!! I would have screamed like a bitch and never gone into the apartment again!

[witchy-1.livejournal.com]

Holy sh......I would freak out if that was in my apartment. Good for you for getting him outside without having to kill him. You are a braver woman than me!!!!

[ccangel42.livejournal.com]

oh my god i would have died!

[marasmine.livejournal.com]

I don't think we have them over here - for which I am very grateful! It has very fat legs for an insect doesn't it? We do have some pretty big beetles which like to fly into lighted windows at night. Very noisy. It is difficult to be close to nature without bugs trying to move in - hopefully you won't get too many more. Wouldn't any of your menagerie have appreciated a tasty snack?

[ladymina.livejournal.com]

that's tiny ... and harmless, though a bit ugly ...
did you see the cricket I found in Trinidad? -. that was huge!!!