# Ugh what are these bugs eating my potatoes? (In my kitchen, not in the ground.)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 22, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045 "2016-06-22T13:54:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/1 "2016-06-22T13:54:00Z")
This keeps happening and it is so gross! Every time I put some potatoes in my kitchen, especially in my potato crock that’s in the most convenient place to keep potatoes, something burrows into them. It leaves holes right into the potatoes that are roundish and maybe the size of a pencil. It’s been going on for probably a year now. Doesn’t always happen.
I assume it’s a bug of some kind. I’d never actually seen one until last night, possibly - I’d put the potatoes in the crock in a bag, opened up the bag and something flew out. I didn’t get a good look at it - it was a dark colored bug, skinny, somewhere between the length of my pinky nail and my thumb nail. Of course, it could be an innocent potato bystander.
We live in South Carolina so we also have fat sassy flying cockroaches but I’ve never heard of them chomping up potatoes.
Ideas?
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### Author:  [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/2 "2016-06-22T15:42:05Z")
delete
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### Author:  [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/3 "2016-06-22T15:47:17Z")
Some type of kitchen weevil.
Start with searches on how to control. Your food is not sealed or protected enough, for starters
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### Author:  [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/4 "2016-06-22T17:02:20Z")
I would suspect that the bug was already in the potatoes.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/5 "2016-06-22T17:59:10Z")
But you’re not supposed to seal potatoes! You’re supposed to put them in a cool dark place with ventilation.
It doesn’t seem to happen when I put them in one of the way inconvenient places to put potatoes that are on the opposite counter, which is why I figured it was something in my kitchen and not in the potatoes. However, if I don’t put any potatoes there for a damned month and then put some potatoes there, bam, holy potatoes Batman.
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### Author:  [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/6 "2016-06-22T18:54:40Z")
Either a weevil or grain beetle of some sort. They are common in grains and potatoes. They may be in there when you bought them. I’ve found them in dry cat food. That’s why I freeze cat food for at least a day, to kill the buggers.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/7 "2016-06-22T19:01:23Z")
Holes that are pencil sized. [Periplaneta americana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cockroach) love potatoes.
Mother called them “water bugs”.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/8 "2016-06-22T19:05:03Z")
Wait, really? I mean, please understand that like all South Carolina households we are _full up_ with Periplaneta americana. But quite frankly they’re all too big to fit in these holes.
(THEY COME IN FROM THE OUTSIDE, says your mama.)
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/9 "2016-06-22T19:11:15Z")
> [@Zsofia](#):
>
> (THEY COME IN FROM THE OUTSIDE, says your mama.)
How did you know she said that? 🙂
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/10 "2016-06-22T19:12:38Z")
I dated a woman whose daughter had a school experiment, sweet potatoes supported over a glass of water with toothpicks. They were full of water bugs in tunnels.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [June 22, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045/11 "2016-06-22T19:24:08Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#):
>
> How did you know she said that? 🙂
How do you think? Except _my_ mama insists that they’re called “Palmetto bugs” and will not admit that they are _giant flying cockroaches_.