Comments on: Crickets from hell — encounters with Parktown prawns

By: Gavin Stewart

Gavin Stewart — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:50:25 +0000

Further to my last comment, how do I keep the buggers out of the house? They are definitley attracted to light. Other than living in total darkness, what to do? I don’t mind them actually, because they eat snails (much more detsructive in the garden) and they attract Hadedas who just love them. Still, I need a defence system for indoors, where my wife goes bananas if she sees one. Any suggestions?

By: Gavin Stewart

Gavin Stewart — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:35:19 +0000

We live in Parktown, and now that the rains are here, these buggers are springing up everywhere. Cheers

By: Sarah Britten

Sarah Britten — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:43:10 +0000

The New Zealand creature is known as a Weta. The studio that did the special effects for District 9 was, appropriately enough, named for this beastie.

By: Peter Joffe

Peter Joffe — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:48:03 +0000

Korinkriek, Once when I was in Namibia I was approached by a huge yellow and black Korinkriek. I was busy shovelling coals into the braai fire. I chopped the cricket in half with the spade upon which the front part of the beast turned around and started to eat the back half. Self cannibalism was something I had never thought of before but here it was. Sadly I did not photograph it for the scientists to comment on.
About snails though, we still have plenty of snails in the garden so that is why I think that PP’s prefer themselves to snails?? I don’t know if Hadedas eat snails??
One evening when I was out on a business visit, I received a desperate cry for help from my wife via cell phone. There was a prawn in the passage and she could not get from the bedroom into the kitchen. I was to come home immediately and save her. I agreed and two and a half hours later I arrived back at home to find her sitting on a stool, with her feet up in the air, waiting to be rescued whilst the prawn was sitting quietly in a corner. I figured that the prawn would just wonder off so I did not rush home. Have never been forgiven.
This is turning into an interesting topic. Perhaps we should get 702 to have a session on PP’s?

By: milly vanilly

milly vanilly — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:24:14 +0000

Doesn’t New Zealand have a much bigger type of King Cricket? Saw it on National Geographic once and almost fainted. The thing was like 20cm in length!!!
Thanks for a bone chilling blog.

By: Simon

Simon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:44:09 +0000

Many years ago, I lived in a garden cottage in Parkview. Shortly after work one spring afternoon I arrived home from work, phoned my girlfriend (now my wife) and whilst I was on the phone, grabbed a pair of shorts that I had left on the floor. Once I pulled them up, I realised that there was more than just me in the shorts. The scream would have done a teenage movie star proud as I hopped around trying to get rid of the shorts without losing track of the parkie.

Almost as bad as waking up in the middle of the night with them on my pillow. Urban legend has it that we eat about eight spiders in our sleep during our lives – I nearly did the same with a Parkie.

By: Kanthan Pillay

Kanthan Pillay — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:48:59 +0000

David: I live out in Buccleuch and find them frequently in the swimming pool. I’ve also found one inside my shoe one morning — fortunately I was wearing socks.

Some years ago, I proposed that “Proteas” was a namby-pamby name for our national cricket team and that we should simply call our team The King Crickets affectionately known as the Parktown Prawns. Think about it — they’re nimble, they’re quick, they’re scary, they will look great on tee shirts and bumper stickers…

By: david saks

david saks — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:38:15 +0000

Al – thanks for informing me where the term ‘korinkriek’ comes from. That’s what my parents called them. It’s a very bland name for
so noxious a creature, although better than the appallingly misleading ‘King Cricket’

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:50:23 +0000

Well.

I have a rather unpleasant story.

Living in Sandhurst at the time (next to Parkmore), and just getting out of bed, I dropped off the bed, put on my slippers, walked 2 steps, and realised there was something in my slipper.

Yep, I had put my foot ONTO one, and squished it between the ball of my foot and my toes with the first step. I just got the “grils” thinking about it.

I’ll never forget it.

Ever.

By: Esther

Esther — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:48:17 +0000

I suppose I am a bit of a Greenie… I live in Craighall, and have regular encounters with the beasts. I am cautiously elated during each encounter, and sad to find one in the pool. They remind me that there is still something left of our ecosystem.