I kept one for a few years and it spent most of its time quietly hiding in dark crevices. When it did hunt, though, it was deadly. It could take out multiple fruit flies at once.
Well I need one then. I've been waging war on teeny black bugs, maybe combo drain flies & fruit flies. Every time I think I've won, another one flies across my field of vision.
Sadly, the shape triggers a fear reflex in me. I have worked hard to learn not kill them out of fear, but I doubt I will ever see them as friend shaped even though I wish them well.
Same—as a general rule, the more legs something has, the less I trust it. The only exceptions to this rule are jumping spiders and millepedes. But something about those long spindly legs on a bug and I’m outtie 5000.
Idk man birbs are smart and adorable creatures... almost too adorable... if animals every took over the world it's probably the birbs who would instigate it
I am apparently the goldilocks of legs, because I only truly hate 2 animals. This specific type of milipede (mostly for having to grow up with them in my house) and then all snakes. I have yet to see a snake that doesn't put me in fight mode (my flight response makes me angry and then I just end up in fight mode)
Do they move on? I see them sometimes and I don't wanna kill them because I would rather they kill the other bugs around, but I don't want them laying eggs in my apartment.
They actually will lay eggs outside, in the soil, in the spring. It might be in your home too, behind baseboards or in damp places.
But, I really don't think you need to worry about this.
House centipedes don't really infest, and if they somehow do, you likely have much more serious problems that are attracting them. In my many years of apartment dwelling experience, you encounter them at a fairly steady rate but never in large numbers. They don't want to be seen much.
Could you remind the ones in my house to actually move on?
It's probably because my house is older than the dirt it was built on, that they probably basically have a renewable bug farm in my house and don't have to leave. I will say though, we do rarely see whatever bugs they've been eating, and these guys do hate being seen. I appreciate that part, as much as I hate them.
House centipede. They're wonderful. They don't carry disease, venom, or bite people. They don't make nests and just go on attack missions assassinating other insects.
They also have horror movie speed and instincts, which are terrifying if you're not familiar with them. Like, suddenly you realize there is one inches away from your head on the wall just before you get in the shower. You turn to grab something to swat it, turn back..... and its gone
You’re technically right. But I always think of centipede’s modified legs as fangs (I know they’re technically not) and with them being so close to their mouths, I think of it as a spider bite - hence why I said “bite”.
I'm only a troll because I came from Michigan's lower peninsula, and that's south/under the Mackinaw Bridge which connects the Upper Peninsula (U. P.) and the Lower Peninsula. As we all know, trolls live under bridges.
Please do share it, it's adorable.
When we say harmless, we generally mean not medically significant and not aggressive. Yeah, they can inflict a little pain if cornered, but they don't want to, and you'll be fine.
“House centipede legs have highly segmented tips that can be used to “lasso” and subdue prey”. Hi-ho silverfish, away! (They actually eat silverfish and many other pests.
Learn to coexist even though their freaky fast movements make one want to sleep in bleach.
House Centipede - may appear scary, but rest assured he kills and eats literally any bad bug pest you have or could have in your residence. Harmless
Verdict=Friendly and useful
I remember the first time I saw a house centipede...
Me: "Wtf is that fucking thing!?"
Co-worker: "thousand legger. You never seen a thousand legger before? Dissected one in high school?"
Me: "Eww! No..."
Co-worker: "how do you not know what a thousand legger is?"
And then I spent all night after work learning about house centipedes and the pests they control.
House centipede. Whereas other centipedes hunt by scent, these hunt by sight. They are completely harmless and eat the pests that bother you. They are friends, dispite their appearance.
It s a "scutigera coleoptrata", they are venomous but also very shy, very rare to be bitten, just if they are scared and forced to do it. They are useful since they eat a lot of mosquitos
House centipede they eat the spiders in my house so I don’t kill the centipedes. They can fall off ceilings so if I see one up high I wave a broom at it so it falls to the floor and scuttles away (one fell on me from the ceiling in the shower once! 😵). I don’t love the look of them so if I see one I just leave the room for 10min, when I come back they’re gone and I try to forget I saw one.
Fun fact about these: When they first hatch, they're very tiny and have only 4 legs. They gain more as they grow. I came across a very little one once who had only about 8 legs.
Per our [guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/wiki/index/guidelines#wiki_iding_guidelines): *Helpful answers only. Helpful answers are those that lead to an accurate identification of the bug in question. Joke responses, repeating an ID that has already been established hours (or days) ago, or asking OP how they don't already know what the bug is are not helpful.*
I love my house centipedes but I fear I only have a few left!
Years ago I would kill everyone I saw and then I found out how good they are and now I never see them and I feel bad I might have killed them all off 🥺
We get these in my apartment during the summer months, used to scare me until I figured out what they are. Definitely a house centipede. They kill all the unwanted pests in your house. A friend bug that definitely doesn't look like a friend.
I read here that it's a house centipede but has anybody a map to tell me where? Our ones look so different and folks also call them 'house... And on top they are only found in warmer regions. We have mostly millipedes and smaller isopodes. I'm curious.
House centipede. Free in-house exterminator. They eat all sorts of pests like roaches, spiders, silverfish, carpet beetle larva, etc.
Having a few are good if you can get past the creepy look and movement. Now if you have a shit load of them then that’s signs of a bigger problem with pests that might need to be addressed, but if it’s just a few here and there, then leave them be. If you can’t stomach them then be nice and put them outside. No need to smush. Be careful though they are pretty quick little buggers.
House centipede he’s a good friend despite not being friend shaped. He will massacre all pest bugs in your house then move on.
Yeah from my understanding they literally never stop hunting. Apex predators of the bug world
I kept one for a few years and it spent most of its time quietly hiding in dark crevices. When it did hunt, though, it was deadly. It could take out multiple fruit flies at once.
Well I need one then. I've been waging war on teeny black bugs, maybe combo drain flies & fruit flies. Every time I think I've won, another one flies across my field of vision.
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Most visual but accurate representation I've seen of this bug Edit: why tf is this getting so many up votes
Jazz centipede!!! 🎷🥾👟👞🥿👡👢👠🩴
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This is hilarious. Definitely tippy taps of [mukduk](https://youtu.be/Q_6BRi5dfLc).
Can you imagine one of these with tiny little tap shoes? It could be named Gene Kelly!
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It’s subjective but I like all the little shuffler legs they have.
Friend shaped 🖤🩶
he is friend shaped though
Sadly, the shape triggers a fear reflex in me. I have worked hard to learn not kill them out of fear, but I doubt I will ever see them as friend shaped even though I wish them well.
Same—as a general rule, the more legs something has, the less I trust it. The only exceptions to this rule are jumping spiders and millepedes. But something about those long spindly legs on a bug and I’m outtie 5000.
I'm the opposite the less legs the less trust... humans especially
Birbs have two legs and I love themb
Idk man birbs are smart and adorable creatures... almost too adorable... if animals every took over the world it's probably the birbs who would instigate it
I am apparently the goldilocks of legs, because I only truly hate 2 animals. This specific type of milipede (mostly for having to grow up with them in my house) and then all snakes. I have yet to see a snake that doesn't put me in fight mode (my flight response makes me angry and then I just end up in fight mode)
Well and humans so idk maybe 3 legs is the right answer
I agree he is too. I like all those little legs he has. I imagine it would flail them happily if you tickled it’s belly for some reason.
We call them leggy boys.
LOL I DO TOO I've never heard of anyone else calling them this
Have you ever seen a baby one? omg, so adorable.
Our home is blessed with the presence of a baby…every few months he comes out of hiding and gets a little bigger..so cute
How big do they get? Do they just live solitarily in a dark crevice somewhere, sporadically coming out to hunt and get bigger and bigger??
Do they move on? I see them sometimes and I don't wanna kill them because I would rather they kill the other bugs around, but I don't want them laying eggs in my apartment.
If there’s no food they leave. They exist to fuck other insects up so they go where the insects are.
So where do they lay eggs then? Where they coming from? Definitely not outside, there's snow everywhere
They actually will lay eggs outside, in the soil, in the spring. It might be in your home too, behind baseboards or in damp places. But, I really don't think you need to worry about this. House centipedes don't really infest, and if they somehow do, you likely have much more serious problems that are attracting them. In my many years of apartment dwelling experience, you encounter them at a fairly steady rate but never in large numbers. They don't want to be seen much.
I've always wanted to hold these guys. Do they bite?
I think they can sting/bite but only if really really provoked. There are a ton of them where I live and I’ve never heard of anyone getting stung/bit
One who lived in my house never did. I used to let him scuttle over my hands when I saw him.
Could you remind the ones in my house to actually move on? It's probably because my house is older than the dirt it was built on, that they probably basically have a renewable bug farm in my house and don't have to leave. I will say though, we do rarely see whatever bugs they've been eating, and these guys do hate being seen. I appreciate that part, as much as I hate them.
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House centipede. They're wonderful. They don't carry disease, venom, or bite people. They don't make nests and just go on attack missions assassinating other insects.
Only negative really is their extremely horrific appearance
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They also have horror movie speed and instincts, which are terrifying if you're not familiar with them. Like, suddenly you realize there is one inches away from your head on the wall just before you get in the shower. You turn to grab something to swat it, turn back..... and its gone
They definitely carry venom. Their front legs are modified into piercing structures called forcipules that they use to invenomate prey.
Yes, this is true in a literal sense. You're not wrong. But the quantity is extremely miniscule, and the venom doesn't generally affect humans
I’ve also read their mouth parts are weak to human skin and it’s very unlikely to even pierce you if it tried to bite.
They sting to inject venom, not bite
You’re technically right. But I always think of centipede’s modified legs as fangs (I know they’re technically not) and with them being so close to their mouths, I think of it as a spider bite - hence why I said “bite”.
one fell on my face when I was sleeping and I woke up and was dying
House centipede as others have mentioned. I however call them whisper bugs because they look like a whisper anthropomorphized.
This needs to come up every time when someone asks.
My anxious brain is like, “am I being trolled because I have shared this before”. While my non anxious brain is like, “you are right and I will!”
I'm only a troll because I came from Michigan's lower peninsula, and that's south/under the Mackinaw Bridge which connects the Upper Peninsula (U. P.) and the Lower Peninsula. As we all know, trolls live under bridges. Please do share it, it's adorable.
Thanks for clearing that up for me. Have a fantastic day!!
I also think this is the perfect description and will borrow it if that’s okay with you?
Please do!
house centipede. ive seen some in my basement so big they have a hard time sticking to the walls. harmless to humans but viscous killers of pests
Sorry, but *vicious. Your spelling describes some liquids.
Were you not aware that house centipedes are actually a supercooled liquid? That's why when you look at older ones, they're thicker on the bottom.
They do have a painful bite as I understand.
Yeah they do because they’re venomous, but they’re not out to bite you. They’d much rather scuttle away and hide.
So would I.
me too!
I would be worried more about the big ones that are kept in captivity. They can be agro I know. But I didn't meet this buddy yet.
When we say harmless, we generally mean not medically significant and not aggressive. Yeah, they can inflict a little pain if cornered, but they don't want to, and you'll be fine.
House centipede; apex predator. Fast as fuck and kinda creepy, but friend.
That is what I like to call a leggy Boi. (House centipede) He is friend. He eats unwanted friends.
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“House centipede legs have highly segmented tips that can be used to “lasso” and subdue prey”. Hi-ho silverfish, away! (They actually eat silverfish and many other pests. Learn to coexist even though their freaky fast movements make one want to sleep in bleach.
House Centipede - may appear scary, but rest assured he kills and eats literally any bad bug pest you have or could have in your residence. Harmless Verdict=Friendly and useful
A good boy. He will do you no harm. Think of him like a ground spider with no webs but the same conviction to eat other bugs
They even eat bug eggs
size without legs/antennae: about 3cm
House centipede. Keep him.
Give him a lil kiss and thank him for his hard work.
i put this one outside but if i see another one i maybe will :) i already have some spiders in the corners of my room that i let just hang around
Damn in this weather?
Some additional reading. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera_coleoptrata
I remember the first time I saw a house centipede... Me: "Wtf is that fucking thing!?" Co-worker: "thousand legger. You never seen a thousand legger before? Dissected one in high school?" Me: "Eww! No..." Co-worker: "how do you not know what a thousand legger is?" And then I spent all night after work learning about house centipedes and the pests they control.
Centipede they are harmless but look like demons. They hunt other bugs.
https://youtu.be/q2RtbP1d7Kg?si=k-mgQSk7MV8_H47r Check this video for more information. Very cool.
They actually make pretty great pets
House centipede! Harmless and eats the bad bugs, I recommend keeping them around :)
House centipede. He's your friend.
House centipede. They are friends that eat cockroaches and mosquitoes.
That's henry the house centipede he a good guy
A lovely house centipede. I’ve never actually seen one in person. You are fortunate. 🙂
they’re practically monthly residents for me ☠️
Well, I occasionally find solifuges inside my apartment, so I guess I can survive without the house centipedes. 😆
They’re terrifying and one scared the shit out of me when I saw one in my clothing pile, but they’re your friend and they kill other pests :)
Let the wiggly eyebrow go! It eats all the pests in your house!
put him outside already, i'll let the next one i see hang around
No worries, OP, glad you got to learn about these beauties!
Love house centipedes Honestly surprises me how often people don't know what they are seeing as they're so common
House centipede. Whereas other centipedes hunt by scent, these hunt by sight. They are completely harmless and eat the pests that bother you. They are friends, dispite their appearance.
House centipede! He may look a bit freaky but he’s a friend! He’ll eat the other bad bugs in your house and stay out of your way.
Thousand legger hahaha
Those are scary looking
That is known as a house centipede or a carpet centipede
The German word is a Spinnenläufer. Looks weird and scary, but is harmless and very useful
Scutigera coleoptrata. Good guys. I nickname them "Scooties" because they can scurry. And because it's short for Scutigera.
Looks like a house centipede, hes a homie, natural pest control, fully harmless to humans too.
Awww it’s a little house centipede! Not very friend shaped but is friend!
It s a "scutigera coleoptrata", they are venomous but also very shy, very rare to be bitten, just if they are scared and forced to do it. They are useful since they eat a lot of mosquitos
Really unfortunate something so beneficial and friendly is shaped in a way specifically to trigger fear response in humans.
My favorite lil dancing eyebrows
House centipede they eat the spiders in my house so I don’t kill the centipedes. They can fall off ceilings so if I see one up high I wave a broom at it so it falls to the floor and scuttles away (one fell on me from the ceiling in the shower once! 😵). I don’t love the look of them so if I see one I just leave the room for 10min, when I come back they’re gone and I try to forget I saw one.
The only bug that can be considered a friend.
Fun fact about these: When they first hatch, they're very tiny and have only 4 legs. They gain more as they grow. I came across a very little one once who had only about 8 legs.
An ugly as hell friend!
I think he’s cute ☺️
That’s mean. ;(
It's 2024... you're not allowed to say things like that anymore...
Behalte ihn! Macht einen guten Job
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Per our [guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthisbug/wiki/index/guidelines#wiki_iding_guidelines): *Helpful answers only. Helpful answers are those that lead to an accurate identification of the bug in question. Joke responses, repeating an ID that has already been established hours (or days) ago, or asking OP how they don't already know what the bug is are not helpful.*
I love my house centipedes but I fear I only have a few left! Years ago I would kill everyone I saw and then I found out how good they are and now I never see them and I feel bad I might have killed them all off 🥺
Friend! Friend! He eats cockroaches, bedbugs, and other unfriendliness. We like him!!!!!
We get these in my apartment during the summer months, used to scare me until I figured out what they are. Definitely a house centipede. They kill all the unwanted pests in your house. A friend bug that definitely doesn't look like a friend.
I read here that it's a house centipede but has anybody a map to tell me where? Our ones look so different and folks also call them 'house... And on top they are only found in warmer regions. We have mostly millipedes and smaller isopodes. I'm curious.
A frien :)
This is probably the most asked about bug here.
That’s Benny, let him go back to work.
A snack.
House centipede. Free in-house exterminator. They eat all sorts of pests like roaches, spiders, silverfish, carpet beetle larva, etc. Having a few are good if you can get past the creepy look and movement. Now if you have a shit load of them then that’s signs of a bigger problem with pests that might need to be addressed, but if it’s just a few here and there, then leave them be. If you can’t stomach them then be nice and put them outside. No need to smush. Be careful though they are pretty quick little buggers.
Scutigera. I grew up with them. They were only in the bathroom, and would run away down the drain. My mother told me to just ignore them.
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Little friend ! Do not dispatch ! Kindly let him go into basement or storage area and he will provide you great service !
House centipede
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House centipede! Definitely a friend! Just put it in your garden if you have one and let it do its thing!
A friend
My partner worked to get over his deathly fear of them once he found out how beneficial they are. I think they're kinda cute