Jerusalem Cricket

What it does

Jerusalem crickets are nocturnal burrowers that spend most of their lives underground, digging with powerful legs and surfacing at night or after rain. They are flightless and slow, and when threatened they may hiss by rubbing their legs, kick, emit a foul odor, or bite defensively. They are solitary rather than colony insects.

Where it lives

They live in loose, moist soil in gardens, fields, deserts, and woodlands throughout the western US. Around homes they turn up under logs, rocks, mulch, and flowerpots, and occasionally wander into garages or basements at ground level. They do not infest or breed inside buildings.

How it breeds

Development is slow, often taking a year or more from egg to adult. Females lay eggs in the soil, and nymphs resemble smaller adults, molting several times as they grow underground. Adults are most often seen in cooler, wetter months. Populations are naturally low, not explosive.

What it eats

They feed on plant roots, tubers (which is why they visit potato patches), decaying organic matter, and other insects. They are omnivorous soil dwellers rather than crop-destroying pests, and their garden impact is usually minor.

Identification

Adults are large, 30-50 mm, heavy-bodied, and amber-brown with a distinctive shiny, rounded 'humanlike' head, dark bands across a plump abdomen, and thick digging legs. They are wingless. Their size, bald-looking head, and slow ground-dwelling habits make them hard to confuse with true crickets.

Signs of an infestation

• A large brown insect found in soil, mulch, or under rocks
• Wandering into a ground-floor garage or basement at night
• Shallow burrows and disturbed soil in garden beds
• A hissing sound or foul odor when the insect is disturbed
• Sightings after rain or irrigation in cooler months

Prevention tips

• Seal gaps under doors and around ground-level foundations
• Move mulch, logs, rocks, and flowerpots away from the house
• Reduce excess moisture and overwatering near the foundation
• Remove yard debris that provides daytime shelter
• Relocate any that wander indoors back outside rather than killing them

Professional solutions

Jerusalem crickets rarely warrant professional treatment. They are occasional solitary invaders, easily removed by hand (with gloves) or a container and released outdoors. If they enter frequently, exclusion and reducing moisture and harborage around the foundation solve it. Broadcast insecticide is unnecessary for such an infrequent, beneficial-leaning soil insect.