Potato Bugs That Bug

When I was a kid, I would see lots of these bugs not really knowing what they were and where they came from. As kids, we said they came from outer space. All I know is they looked ugly.

I was out walking, after a heavy rain had occurred the day before, a saw a large group of these potato bugs on the side of the road, near the drain area. I am not sure if they got carried up in the rain and then came down later or what! Most of them were dead.

Today, as I do this study for my lens, the little guys don't look as creepy as I remember them. To find out that the other names for the bug is Jeruselum Crickets, well that kind of makes sense. They do have similar characteristics of a cricket. And, if indeed, they are related, maybe they can make a similar noise (read below). In any case, you will find out some very interesting facts about this ugly creature. But remember, each one was some mother's baby bug. All of God creatures have a purpose!

Tale of the Potato Bug

Can you believe the little bug played a role behind the Iron Curtain. That's right. This little guy was, according to the Soviets, the fall guy (excuse the pun) for a plot with the United States Air Force to invade Germany with these potato eating critters. Potatoes, it seems, is a main food source for the Germans.

The United States was accused of dropping these bugs from the air. According to the story, another tactic we Americans used was to infestate as an American experiment in bacteriological warfare. It was reported by Berlin radio press that the American planes had been scattering potato bugs over not only Saxony, but also the states of Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Mecklenburg.

Find out the truth by reading more of the story: Potato Bug Story

From none other than John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath":

Joad plodded along, dragging his cloud of dust behind him. A little bit ahead he saw the arched stripe back of a potato bug, crawling slowly along through the dust, its legs working stiffly and jerkily. Joad stopped to watch it, and his shadow fell on the bug. Instantly the head snapped back and mandibles were opened. Joad picked it up and turned it over. It let out a cry like a hoarse baby child...

sound of the Potato Bug/Jerusalem Cricket

Does The Potato Bug Cry?

By: Mark Rickerby

Here he is, folks - the creepiest insect around!

He'll crawl under your covers without a sound.

With hard, spindly legs and a razor-sharp beak,

He'll make the strongest man's knees go weak.

He's called the Jerusalem Cricket, or the Potato Bug.

He may be in your shoe, your bed, or under the rug.

You just never know where the little guy will appear

But you can tell by all the people stampeding in fear.

The Dreaded Potato Bug

WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID.

Potato Bugs

When we were kids, we were often sent to the field to pick potato bugs. There was no DDT to spray the potatoes with in those days, and there were always extra kids to send out for a chore like this. So we spent the day in the potato patch with our baking-powder cans. What a backbreaking job to go up and down the rows collecting potato bugs! When we complained about our backs hurting, we were told that we were too young to even have a back!

We had been promised some money to do this,- 1 penny for 100 bugs. So when we got home, and Mother wanted to pour boiling water over the bugs to kill them, we insisted that we count them first.

Lensmaster's note: I could not finish the fate of the bug here in this story. Contine here: potato bugs

photo credit: Disney

Yuck!

Spring Potato Bug Strata

Everyone enjoys Spring, a season filled with warmer, sunnier days - perfect for weekend gatherings. What better way to celebrate Spring than over a relaxing Sunday brunch with family and friends? Spring Potato Bug Strata is the perfect dish for any seasonal gathering. This simple yet hearty dish layers spring vegetables, eggs and cheese between tender, sliced potato bugs. Serve with fresh squeezed orange juice and a crisp spring vegetable such as asparagus. With its easy preparation, Spring Potato Bug Strata allows plenty of time to entertain guests.

8 servings

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

No-stick cooking spray

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

3 medium leeks, thinly sliced

IS THIS FOR REAL???? Bug Strata

Be careful, there might be potato bugs in there.

The triffid is a highly venomous fictional plant species, the titular antagonist from John Wyndham's 1951 novel The Day of the Triffids and Simon Clark's 2001 sequel The Night of the Triffids. Triffids were also featured in the 1957 BBC radio dramatization of Wyndham's book, a considerably altered film adaptation which was produced in 1962, and in a more faithful 1981 television serial produced by the BBC. Since 1951, when The Day of the Triffids was first published, the word "triffid" has become a popular British English term used to describe large or menacing looking plants.

Credit: Wikipedia