What to Know About Jerusalem Crickets

If you really want to roast someone properly, liken them to a Jerusalem cricket. Jerusalem crickets, also known as "potato bugs" or "earth children" by the Navajo Indians, are rather funny-looking insects. Unlike gossamer-winged dragonflies, they are flightless, with bald, shiny heads that appear strangely humanoid. They have the vague trappings of a cricket, if the cricket had overeaten and developed a bloated, striped abdomen. 

They look like a cross between an alien fetus, an oversized ant, and a nightmarish potato. Like mole rats and other unfortunate subterranean dwellers, they have plump, heavy bodies that slowly waddle through the dirt, crawling through rot and trash. If one of these insects crawls out of your garden, your first reaction is to call an exorcist. 

However, before you dial your local priest, it is worth investigating these bizarre creatures. Despite their odd appearance, Jerusalem crickets are some of the most fascinating and misunderstood residents of the underground. 

 

Neither from Jerusalem, Nor True Crickets

The colloquial name "Jerusalem cricket" continues a long tradition of common names that are, in fact, misnomers. They are not native to Jerusalem, nor are they true crickets. Found primarily in the western United States, Mexico, and parts of Central America, they inspire great curiosity among those who happen upon them. Though they belong to the same insect order (Orthoptera) as crickets, they are classified in a distinct family called Stenopelmatidae.

The origin of their name is shrouded in mystery for entomologists. One popular theory suggests that 19th-century Franciscan priests working among the indigenous peoples of the Southwest used the term "Jerusalem!" as an exclamation of surprise. Upon seeing the giant, alien-looking bugs, locals may have associated the exclamation with the insect itself. Another theory points to a conflation of a Navajo word meaning "skull insect" with Skull Hill, the suggested burial place of Jesus.  

Disciples of the Dark

In the nocturnal hours, among the sagebrush, Jerusalem crickets come alive. To many, a life in the dark is a dreary existence, but they continue to eke out an existence. A master of the subterranean realm, they are equipped with highly specialized biological tools, including a robust structure designed for life in the dark. Their large, hairless, amber-colored heads house incredibly powerful mandibles capable of chewing through decayed organic matter and occasionally other dead insects. The nymphs of some species are violently cannibalistic and aren’t opposed to feasting on each other. Thankfully, gardeners do not have to deal with perpetual darkness and have solar lights to lead the way. 

Those creatures appear starved of the grace accorded to prettier insects, but they want not. Evolution may have stripped them of flight, but they persist, proving that the ugliest things are the toughest. Their muscled, armored legs are immensely powerful, displacing soil as they bulldoze beneath the earth. Because they spend the vast majority of their lives underground, they have no use for wings. When they do emerge – usually on damp nights or during the rainy season – their slow, plodding gait tends to leave trails in sandy, gravelly areas. 

If crickets are the maestros of the summer, then Jerusalem crickets are the rickety band that wheezes off-key. True crickets are famous for the swell of their nighttime chorus, produced by rubbing their wings together, a process called stridulation. Because Jerusalem crickets are wingless, they make do by drumming by beating their abdomen against the ground, a dull, whacking sound that is audible to humans up to 60 feet away. 

What to Do If You See Them in Your Garden

Crickets and grasshoppers favor drought, their populations exploding during arid conditions, while Jerusalem crickets will migrate into homes in search of moisture. Finding a Jerusalem cricket while turning over soil or pulling weeds can be either a jump scare or, for the adrenaline-inclined, an exciting moment. The best course of action is simply to leave it alone and let it go about its business. For a chance to spot them while gardening, outdoor benches can facilitate this. 

When contrasted against spiders, which are possibly venomous and elicit revulsion, they are entirely harmless and far more preferable. They possess no venom, do not harbor diseases, and have no interest in bothering you. When they do bite, it’s usually only because they are actively mishandled, as they are not aggressive by nature and will prefer to burrow back into the safety of the earth rather than fight.

Jerusalem crickets, through misshapen in appearance, are beneficial garden guests and indicators of a healthy ecosystem. As they tunnel through the earth, they help aerate the soil, allowing water and nutrients to reach plant roots more effectively. They also act as natural decomposers, breaking down rotting organic matter and recycling nutrients back into your garden. To further enrich your soil, boost the local ecosystem with a worm composter, designed to be buried within raised garden beds.