Most homes have had their fair share of house centipedes. What exactly are these bugs and are they something you should be afraid of? We will delve deeper into house centipedes so you can understand better what the presence of one might say about your home.
House centipedes are not an uncommon occurrence in homes. Every house owner has, at one point in his (or her) residence, seen a house centipede slowly crawling from under a drawer or couch as it tries to make its way to the other side.
Most people greet this sight with loud screams and panic, as house centipedes move surprisingly fast for their size, and at least fifteen pairs of slimy-looking legs possibly brushing against your foot accidentally can be a little terrifying especially if you have a low tolerance for bugs.
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Before you go looking for a shoe, slipper, or anything hard enough to squash the squishy creature with, here are a few things you might want to learn about the house centipede first:
House centipedes are actually “clean” bugs.
House centipedes are clean in the sense that they don’t like making a mess of themselves during and after eating. Once they are done with their meal, they clean up and make sure no traces of their food is left on their body.
They don’t have the same techniques that dogs and cats use to clean and groom themselves, instead, they utilize all pairs of legs that they have to actively drag off pieces of food off their bodies.
Speaking of legs, centipedes are named as such for having 100 legs. However, that’s not really always the case. House centipedes usually have anywhere between 15 and 177 pairs of legs, which is quite the range for its name.
House centipedes not exactly germ-free because like other pests, they tend to inhabit the dark and dirty corners of the house. However, they are much cleaner than other pests such as cockroaches and flies.
They’re a sign of other inhabitants in your house.
House centipedes are technically harmless to humans because they don’t bite or cause any known illnesses. They also don’t like consuming human food, which means even if you leave crumbs on the floor or a plateful of snacks on the table, you won’t have to worry about a bunch of centipedes holding a picnic as ants would.
So if they don’t eat human food, how do they survive? House centipedes are natural hunters. They eat other pests such as flies, moths, cockroaches, and termites. They use venom (harmful only to bugs) to incapacitate their prey after holding it down using their many, many legs.
House centipedes are known for their fast metabolism, which means they quickly get hungry after a meal. This bodes well for your home because it means they will actively hunt for more insects to eat until they are fully satisfied. If you see house centipedes living in your house, it probably means that there’s a significant amount of food options (insert other pests) in your residence that attracted them into staying.
They are proven speedsters.
House centipedes are extremely hard to kill, partly because of their speed, which should be expected given how many legs they can use for running. Kidding aside, house centipedes can run up to 16 inches in less than a second. You might not find that impressive since your size alone can make up for the distance lost in the movement. However, centipedes are adept at adjusting to their surroundings, meaning they understand they won’t be able to outrun you, but they can surely get around you by maximizing tight spaces and openings that you won’t be able to follow through
A Final Word About House Centipedes
House centipedes pose no harm to humans, and there’s absolutely no reason for you to be afraid of them. However, their presence in your home can be an indicator that other pests are silently living there as well. If you want to get rid of those unwanted visitors for good, you can always call a professional to ensure the job is done right. Pest Be Gone Pest Management can solve your pest concerns quickly at an affordable rate, so feel free to call today at (916) 257-4942 to know more about our packages and services.
(Source: American Pest)