# potatobugs.com **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2006, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648 "2006-07-31T02:39:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/21 "2006-07-31T15:49:16Z")
Huh. Those things don’t bother me much. Once we had a vegetable garden surrounded by a high brick wall. We noticed that a scrub jay used to lurk about as we were spading up the soil, and descend after we left to nab the worms and beetles that we uncovered. One day we unearthed a HUGE potato bug, and thinking it was big enough to intimidate the jay, we put it on top of the garden wall to see how the jay reacted. The jay in his tree emitted a squawk of startled delight, swooped down in a beautiful dive, and scooped the big bug up in literally one fell swoop. Not frightened he, but on the contrary, I think we provided him with what was essentially the jay equivalent of a prime rib dinner. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/22 "2006-07-31T16:42:43Z")
Why? Why am I compelled to not only read the friggin’ bug threads, but click on the friggin’ bug links? What in the holy hell is wrong with me? I’m going to be brushing imaginary bugs off myself all day now. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/23 "2006-07-31T21:46:23Z")
I think the reason that picture in the OP’s link looks so creepy is that the bug sort of resembles a human; vaguely skin-coloured, hind legs vaguely proportioned like human legs; forelimbs a bit like human arms; a smooth, round head with a colour not unlike human skin, and a body that looks like a stripey shirt. They disgust because they inhabit the ‘uncanny valley’ of being different from us, but not quite different enough. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/24 "2006-07-31T22:25:46Z")
[QUOTE=tashabot] I have an interesting potato bug story. Apparently potato bugs exist everywhere here in Nevada. I’ve lived here twelve years and I’d never seen one until about a year ago. ~Tasha [/QUOTE] EVERYWHERE IN NEVADA !!! I’m gettin a flamethrower … ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/25 "2006-07-31T22:38:27Z")
[QUOTE=DianaG] I’m going to be brushing imaginary bugs off myself all day now. [/QUOTE] Unless you actually look where you’re brushing, you don’t know they’re imaginary. ---
**Author:** ![tashabot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tashabot/32/6250_2.png) [@tashabot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tashabot)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2006, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/26 "2006-08-01T05:02:08Z")
[QUOTE=Omegaman] EVERYWHERE IN NEVADA !!! I’m gettin a flamethrower … [/QUOTE] Well, let me rephrase: Everywhere in Northern Nevada. I can’t speak for Vegas. I’d assume, though, that if they exist here they have the ability to exist there. I could be totally wrong. ~Tasha ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/27 "2006-08-03T03:56:50Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] I think the reason that picture in the OP’s link looks so creepy is that the bug sort of resembles a human; vaguely skin-coloured, hind legs vaguely proportioned like human legs; forelimbs a bit like human arms; a smooth, round head with a colour not unlike human skin, and a body that looks like a stripey shirt. They disgust because they inhabit the ‘uncanny valley’ of being different from us, but not quite different enough. [/QUOTE] Sorry…no. No, it doesn’t. What it looks like is a humongous ant. Albeit one with tasteful colors. And since we all know that ants are much more organized and smrtr than we are, it is quite reasonable that we should be afraid of them. VERY afraid. 🙂 I don’t know if these were potato bugs, but they sure ate potatoes like they were going out of style. Behold my thread about bugs. > **[I Can't Stop Squirming......](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=75452)** > > My niece is a first grade teacher. And apparently, her class had some sort of beetle experiment going on this past school year. Well, she is heading for a two-week vacation in Hawaii, and guess who gets to “mind” the experiment? Right. Me. So I... I’m not so sure I’ve ever gotten over it. [sub]Well, yes. I have. But I fully intend to pull it out anytime anyone accuses me of being buggy/crazy. Always best to have a retort, you know? 😃 [/sub] AND…having re-read that thread, I’m itching again. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/28 "2006-08-03T04:14:11Z")
I COMPLETELY refuse to acknowledge the existence of these abominations. To me, those cute little stripey bugs I used to play with when I was a kid will always be potato bugs. Not that giant mutant…thing. _Shudder_ As hideous as it is, I am convinced there is spider somewhere in its DNA. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648/29 "2006-08-03T14:25:57Z")
AARRGGHH!! I clicked and looked! Explain to me again why the hell the SDMB does NOT have a puking smiley. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potatobugs-com/366648.md?page=1)