ACK! Bag of scratch infested with bugs

[Aumlet]

Um, WHAT is that?!

 

[ChickensRDinos]

It is a Stenopelmatus, commonly known as an earth baby or a Jerusalem cricket (which is a very silly name because they are not found in Jersusalem and are not crickets). They are found in the western US and parts of Mexico and have cousins in Australia.

They burrow deep in the ground and come out when it rains to avoid drowning. They rub their legs against their bodies to make a hissing noise that is really loud and scary when you don't know what it is in a new house in the middle of the night.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

It doesnt rain very often, but when it does I find them everywhere. The chickens love to eat them.

 

[Back2MyRoots]

When we first moved into my current house I kept finding these guys (in my house!!). At first they completely freaked me out! My then I started looking them up on the internet and reading about them. Between that and farming mealworms and the bee swarm I captured this year, I am kind of hooked.

Dear God, what is that?!?

 

[Back2MyRoots]

Lord have mercy! I would just poop if I came across that!

 

[Bresseman]

In California when I was growing up we always referred to them as potato bugs. They always kind of freaked us out. But on the subject of bugs and chickens eating your weevil infested feed, I think the supposition that bug waste would be bad for the chickens is questionable, you have to admit chickens eat bug waste every time they eat bugs. The stuff is always in the intestines of the bug itself. So in my opinion the contention that bug waste in a bag of feed being bad for your birds is a stretch. However I am not an expert so I can't speak authoritatively.

I purchased a number of bags of feed from my feed store over the summer. Most of them had a small amount of weevils in them. When I questioned the feed store they said it was a problem every summer and was just another form of protein for the chickens and not to worry. So I didn't but I thought it was a little sketchy quality wise.

 

[DianaMallory]

I agree with PulletSurprise, Freezer for 24 hours! Don't you keep your flour in the freezer for the same reason? I do!

 

[DianaMallory]

looks like it has the head of a termite a butt of a yellow jacket and legs like a cricket! Since moving to the woods I have seen bugs that I never new existed! Like the Cicada killing bees. Wow are they scary looking! But awesome to watch!

 

[Aumlet]

I agree with PulletSurprise, Freezer for 24 hours! Don't you keep your flour in the freezer for the same reason? I do!

I keep my flour in my pantry, and never had a problem. Lucky I guess!

So even without the freezer, they're dying in the sealed bags and I've started feeding it to chickens (and the bunny, who loves scratch).

 

[Pullet Surprise]

Oh I think this lot is beyond the freezer cure!!! With that big of an infestation there is probably nothing left of nutricional value...burn it.