Behavior

Jerusalem crickets are nocturnal, and are more likely found under a rock in the garden in winter, spring or summer (in the fall, they’re inactive) than inside a house, but they do occasionally wander into structures. But more often they’re found burrowed into the ground, or crawling on the surface after dark. If you’re lucky, you’ll come across the female eating her male partner after copulation. As with their nickname the potato bug, Jerusalem crickets feed on tubers, other root vegetables and insects.

Treatment

If you come across a Jerusalem cricket in your house, you can capture it – be careful, as they can bite – and release it outside. If you don’t care for these bugs in your garden, reduce their favored habitats – rocks or stones, timbers and mulch.