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My room is being overrun with them. Aside from being annoying, they really freak me out. Is there anything I can do to kill all of them?
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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We have so many here. The maid, when she mopped the floors, didn't rinse - left the cleaning solution to dry as residue with the claim that it would kill the millipedes. (Are they millipedes or are they centipedes? I have no idea. But people here call them millipedes despite the obvious lack of a thousand legs). It actually worked.
I then had a millipede graveyard on my floor.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Definately centipedes. I think they're young, though. They aren't nearly 1.5 inches. Everywhere I've looked says that house centipedes aren't too bad.
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"Centipede" and "millipede" are misnomers as there is no consistent number of legs for either one. In fact, some centipedes can have more legs than some millipedes. The difference is that centipedes have only one set of legs per body segment and millipedes have two sets per body segment.
That said, I'm pretty sure some of the photos in the "millipede" link above are actually centipedes.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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Okay, you're lucky. House centipedes are a non-aggressive species that rarely bites, and can't usually penetrate human skin. They are poisonous, though, like most centipedes, so if one bites you in a sensitive spot it'll hurt a good bit and there'll be inflamation.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I'm squishing all of the ones I see, but they keep on appearing and I don't know where they're coming from.
And one I squished that was on the ceiling fell down onto the bed and I can't find it so I don't know if it's dead and apparently they like to burrow into clothes, so now I'm scared to go anywhere near my bed.
The more I think about this the more panicked I become.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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If ya don't like critters running all over the place, the house centipede* is your best friend. Besides eating pests of all sorts -- which you have; otherwise the house centipedes would have left or starved to death long ago -- they also ensure that ya don't get overrun by spiders, which are also their prey. While I happen to like spiders, having spiderwebs all over the inside of my home would be annoying.
House centipedes are harmless. And certainly less disgusting than ticks and flees, which are also amongst its prey. And don't damage your building like termites and some species of ants, again amongst their prey.
* The picture is of their general looks. The ones you are seeing may have fewer legs.
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Wow, that picture is freaky, aspectre. I think I would rather have spiders. Blacwolve, you don't happen to live in Hawaii, do you? Or feel like keeping the thermostat way up and buying a few humidifiers? Because I think geckos would take care of this for you. Posts: 471 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Would you rather have ticks and fleas eating on you, and (some species of) ants and cockroaches and silverfish and moths/caterpillars and beetles/grubs eating on your food and clothing and books, and termites and (some species of) ants eating your house?
I'll keep the house centipedes, thank you. If you've got house centipedes, you've also got other pests. And the reason you aren't seeing them is cuz the house centipedes are keeping their numbers and sizes down to an unnoticeable or, at least, bearable level.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Ugh. I have to deal with these, too. And I'm not even using the "time-consuming" squish method. I'm using the "don't make any plans" method of chasing them with a large cup and piece of cardboard (sometimes with a bamboo stick, for flair -- to poke at things, of course, and coax them out of wherever they are hiding). I'm living alone for the first time in my life; dealing with these horrible things is totally up to me. Bah.
Posts: 628 | Registered: Nov 1999
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The centipedes here are the worst creatures known to man and they prey on the geckos, not vice versa. We HATES them.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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I was thinking of coming to visit you blacwolve, now it will require many pictures proving I will not see evil bugs.
Posts: 5362 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Originally posted by aspectre: Would you rather have ticks and fleas eating on you, and (some species of) ants and cockroaches and silverfish and moths/caterpillars and beetles/grubs eating on your food and clothing and books, and termites and (some species of) ants eating your house?
I'll keep the house centipedes, thank you. If you've got house centipedes, you've also got other pests. And the reason you aren't seeing them is cuz the house centipedes are keeping their numbers and sizes down to an unnoticeable or, at least, bearable level.
I would prefer cuddly little black ants to these abominations. At least if I keel the queen, they're all dead. Buggers...
Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote:Did you smash his head? Way to go, the little prick can't come back from the dead now.
Actually, it was already dead, about 1 foot from my front door, like it was headed inside when we found it, but I sprayed it with Raid just to be sure. Then we ran and got a ruler and took the picture.
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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It was good that you took that extra precaution there, what if he had tried to bite off your finger as you were measuring him? Particularly if it hadn't been smashed in the head, then it would've most definately come back from the dead just to scare you! Oh Maui Babe, you are definately a lucky girl. Posts: 3389 | Registered: Apr 2004
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No, you wouldn't, ketchup queen, not if you understood how nasty insecticides are.
And those monsters you've been getting, maui babe, are an invasive species which should be killed; to protect the native hawaiian wildlife if the fact that they pose a genuine danger to humans doesn't bother you. And nothing at all like the common house centipede.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Dag, your post has given me truly horrifying mental images of centipedes the size of elephants.
I guess then I'd come running right back down the hills and hop on a plane to go back to a place where there weren't any like that. Or at least, not where I'd ever see them, anyway. I'm alright with the whole "ignorance is bliss" thing when it comes to creepy-crawlies like that. Ick.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Megan: Maui, if I saw that anywhere even remotely close to my living space, I would be running for the hills.
I actually live in the hills. Or at least on the volcano. I run for the Raid.
My cat plays with them. It completely freaks me out and I'm afraid he's gonna be bit, but he hasn't so far.
I have to say here though, I don't see centipedes often in the house I'm in right now. I've had 4 in my house in the year that I've lived here (not including the specimen above that didn't get into the house).
Posts: 2069 | Registered: May 2001
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quote: House centipedes are harmless. And certainly less disgusting than ticks and flees, which are also amongst its prey.
I dunno. They're about equally disgusting, if you ask me.
Maybe they're equal to fleas, but they're far less disgusting than ticks. Things that like to sneak up and embed their head in your skin are pretty high on the disgusting list.
Posts: 2437 | Registered: Apr 2005
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