The House Centipede

Yikes… if you’re squeamish about bugs, don’t look, I’ve got a doozy for you.  Of course, these guys are not near as gross as cockroaches.  Ridiculous as it sounds, cockroaches are a big reason I no longer live in Florida.  Well, that, and alligators, and 90+ degrees for more than a month or two in the summer, and the expense of property insurance if you want to live near the beach (because, if not for the beach, why else would you brave the cockroaches, alligators, and heat to live in Florida?!!!).

This is a House Centipede.  I found him scurrying around my shower stall this morning.  Yuk, what a greeting first thing in the morning.  Worse for him though, he got clobbered with a wad of toilet tissue and forced into an early morning flush.  Hard to tell from the picture, but he was no bigger than my pinky finger, legs and all.  

Since moving to Kentucky, this has been the only pest I’ve seen in the house.  I did a little research on the centipedes… since I was sharing residence with them, thought I should know what I was up against.  They come into the house for warmth (it dipped into the 30’s last night so that may be why he was inside this morning), they are nocturnal, and they like moisture.  Most times, they hang out in damp locations like basements and woodpiles.  They eat other bugs – yeah!  my hero!  The article I read said they eat roaches, termites, bed bugs, and spiders, to name a few.  I’ve seen tiny spider webs in a few of the corners around the condo, so I’m guessing that could be a treat for them if they decide to stay for the winter.  They inject poison into their victims, but their fangs are not strong enough to pierce human skin.  That is, unless you happen to have a big granddaddy centipede... they can live up to six years if left in a protected location with plenty of food.  The article (written by Orkin Pest Control, they should know) said to leave sticky traps around the house to determine how big a problem you have.  I don’t think I have an infestation since this is maybe the third centipede I’ve seen in almost a year, but to be safe, I’m going to take the steps the Orkin article suggests.  No sense turning a blind eye until the critters are kicking me out of the bathroom rather than the other way around.

Ugh… writing this post is making my skin crawl.  Enough for now!