The potato bug is also known as the Jerusalem cricket, although they are not from Jerusalem. And they don't eat potatoes. Active usually at night, the insects use their mandibles to feed primarily on dead organic material but also eat other insects. Their highly adapted feet are used for burrowing beneath moist soil. I've discovered they usually appear after a rain, they crawl out of the grass onto the patio to dry out. Let me admit to my sickness now - the first time I saw one up here in the hills, my first thought was "would my chickens eat this?". I scooped up my baby from the dirt, carried him over to the coop and the chicken fighting began. They pulled this bug apart leg by leg by arm and devoured him in 5 seconds. This seems to be their favorite treat so far. Often one chicken will grab the baby and take off running FAST to escape from the other chickens. I know, I'm a sicko. Each time it rains I circle the house looking for babies in the dirt.
