Unidentified Insect...

[Genetic_Mishap]

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/

[Andrew]

The description does sound like some sort of wood boring beetle, but hard to tell without a photo or something.  Heck, it could have even been some sort of camel cricket, depending on what loyal's experience with crickets is.

We used to get all sorts of little fellows in our house in GA.  Wolf spiders were quite common. I would often scoop them up with my hands and drop them outside, even the large ones.  This is one spider, either a thin-legged wolf spider or a fishing spider, that was on our kitchen screen.  That is Katie's hand.

[peter johnson]

Beautiful Arachnid!!
I used to like the Golden Garden spiders when I lived in Virginia, but never encountered a really fearsome spider in the wild until I met the "Bird-eating" spiders of India -- as big as two hands put together.
peter johnson/denny crane

[loyal1]

http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Dobsonfly.html

Don't think this was it but pretty close from what I remember.
I am pretty OK with crickets..I mean, I saw a Cricket in Times Square when I was a kid. :) I was quite a Tom Boy in my day and most spiders and snakes didn't bother me.  I use to catch snakes all the time.  I don't know where the bug fear stemmed from, but not all bugs just evil looking bugs and cockroaches.

[dean]

You know, this thread has led me to the only real logical conclusion:

That these creatures are mutant insects that were originally created in the back of your microwave and are currently breeding in your mattress.  In fact, I can almost make out their scuttling now...

It really is the only true answer to this query after all...

[Flangepart]

If it has more legs then a 4, i'm not gonna make friends with it.
I may just reach for the hammer...

[Amanda]

I don't mind most bugs.  Beetles, roaches, blah blah.  But spiders.  I don't care how tiny and "harmless" they are.....I just cannot handle them.  Andrew - Katie is a much better woman than I, I would probably never use that door/window/whatever EVER again.  

I don't jump and scream and throw fits.  I silently run like hell in the other direction as fast as my short lil legs can carry me.  I don't kill them if I am faced with one.  I avoid the room where he is and figure, if I leave him in peace, he'll leave me in peace.

[loyal1]

That's all well and good, but when the creature is in my bedroom where I sleep...them's fightin territory.  I once found a nice big hairy spider, not only in my room, but chillin next to me in my bed.  I never knew I could jump and move so fast.  It was like the whole mother and baby under the truck situation.  I was speedy gonzales!

I would have actually preferred seeing a spider.  At least I know what they are.

[peter johnson]

loyal1
I don't know the bug you're picturing here, but my guess is that I was probably right in saying "Longhorn Beetle", as this picture looks very much like one --
they won't bother you
peter johnson/denny crane

[loyal1]

Peter wrote~

"I don't know the bug you're picturing here, but my guess is that I was probably right in saying "Longhorn Beetle"

Here is a pic of this bug here.  Looks just like him.

http://facweb.furman.edu/~perrytravis/TPerryWebsite/Hermosa/Pictures/Longhorn.jpg

[Shadowphile]

Nice bug.  Knowing that it is harmless is good.

I work doing emergency spill response.  I was returning from a call at 1:00 am, during which a praying mantis had landed on my coveralls.  I had brushed him off my shoulder and forgotten about him.  He must have clung to my back because while heading home, he jumped onto the face of the driver, who almost rolled the pick-up....

He said afterwards that he was very proud of his ability to 'scream like a girl'.

[peter johnson]

Bugs are just cool --
thanks for the followups -
peter,.