I am getting squeamish in the legs just looking at that picture! I keep looking down at my toes and frantically glancing around the room.
This type of bug was IN MY APARTMENT yesterday! I saw it and began mumbling to myself in fear. I didn't move for fear of startling it to go on the run. There was no one else there. If I wanted it gone, I had to do something about it.
Actually, in retrospect, I was very lucky. The house centipede, as it is called, had unintentionally crawled into a Tupperware container I had left in the front hall. I tore through the house looking for the top so I could catch it.
I approached the Tupperware container with the utmost caution, holding the lid in my shaking hands. I slammed it on the top and willed it to snap into place, trapping the HUGE bug.
I took the container outside where, in a frantic state I held it well away from my body and opened the top, shaking the Tupperware with intense vigor for fear the thing would cling to the sides. Then I shuddered, and shuddered, and shuddered.
What am I going to do if there is another one? No, I am really asking! Someone tell me what I am going to do? It could happen anytime, anywhere in my apartment. It could crawl over my head while I am sleeping! It could be looking at me RIGHT NOW, it's creepy legs rustling, it's feelers erect.....my feet itch. There is something on my leg!!!!!!!
Okay, I have freaked out enough. I have always wondered about these creatures, as I have encountered them on many different occasions. Lets turn to our friend Wikipedia:
- The house centipede, when fully grown, has an average of 17 pairs of very long, delicate legs and a rigid body, which enables it to run with surprising speed up walls and along ceilings and floors. Its body is yellowish grey and has three dark-colored dorsal stripes running down its length; the legs also have dark stripes. Unlike most other centipedes, house centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed, faceted eyes.
- House centipedes feed on spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish and other household pests. They kill their prey by injecting venom through their fangs.
- House centipedes lay their eggs in the spring. In a laboratory experiment of 24 house centipedes, an average of 63 and a maximum of 151 eggs were laid.[1]
Young centipedes have four pairs of legs when they are hatched. They gain a new pair with the first molting, and two pairs with every subsequent molting.[2] They live anywhere from three to seven years, depending on the environment. Curiously, male house centipedes are one of the few arthropods with fully prehensile genitalia. - Outdoors, house centipedes prefer to live in cool, damp places. Most live outside, primarily under large rocks, piles of wood and especially in compost piles. Within the home, these centipedes are found in almost any part of the house; most commonly, they are encountered in basements, bathrooms and lavatories, where there is a lot more water, but they can also be found in dry places like offices, bedrooms and dining rooms. The greatest likelihood of encountering them is in spring, when they come out because the weather gets warmer, and in fall, when the cooling weather forces them to find shelter in human habitats.
- S. coleoptrata is indigenous to the Mediterranean region, but it has spread through much of Europe, Asia, and North America. In the United States, it has spread from the southern states and Mexico. It reached Pennsylvania in 1849, New York in 1885, and Massachusetts about 1890, and it now extends westward to the California coast and reaches north into Canada (Lewis 1981). House centipedes also thrive in the midwest states, such as Michigan and Ohio. In Japan, these creatures are referred to as "gejigeji," and celebrate a level of popularity. They can often be seen for sale in pet stores.
- Interaction with humans
The house centipede is capable of biting a human, but this seldom occurs. When it does, it is no worse than a minor bee sting.[citation needed] The worst one can usually expect from a house centipede's bite is some pain and a slight swelling at the location of the bite.[citation needed] The symptoms generally disappear within a few hours. However, the bite can cause health problems for those few who are allergic to the extremely mild venom of its bite, which is similar to that of most normal centipedes. It is possible in some cases that a rash may develop and many minuscule bumps can form, an allergic reaction which might be comparable to a bee sting, in terms of pain, or simply itchy, as with a mosquito bite. The house centipede's venom is too weak to cause any serious harm to larger pets such as cats and dogs. - Techniques for eliminating centipedes from the home include drying up the areas where they thrive, eliminating large indoor insect populations, sealing cracks in the walls, and seeking the assistance of an exterminator. Because this pest is generally benign, capturing it live and releasing it outside is another good option, although difficult to do. One method is to capitalize on the fact that centipedes generally run in straight lines. Placing a jar or open container directly in the forward path of a centipede and then inciting it to run from behind (by, for example, sprinkling water or nudging it with a sheet of paper) will generally ensure that it will run directly into the container and remain there. The container can then be closed and taken outside to a suitable spot to deposit the centipede. With a bit of luck, you can also persuade the centipede to run onto your hand, or get a hold of it with a soft item such as a towel or a facial or toilet tissue, and capture it without causing it injury.
These things terrify me.
The End
