Before You Know It
As days go by, the numbers only increase. Before you know it, a centipede has arrived. This is a familiar yet unpleasant and unwelcome sight for so many people. As soon as this occurs, dread seems to set in.
Not knowing what else to do, you make a decision and reach for your shoe. An overwhelming feeling of fear, rage, and disgust fills your veins as you try to kill the creature, but you have no idea what it's done and what it will do.
Creepy!
Let’s face the facts, centipedes are pretty creepy looking! Not only do they have 30 legs and antennas, but they are also quite poisonous. Okay, fine, they might not be that poisonous to humans, but they do bite!
And yes, their bites are only mildly painful, and they rarely ever bite, but that’s beside the point! With 30 legs, they are pretty gross, and it’s hard to consider them our friends. But that is exactly what they are.
They’re Harmless
A centipede will only try to harm you if you pick it up and purposefully try to provoke it. They might bite you, but this bite barely hurts and it will only produce a tiny bump under your skin.
As far as venom goes, they save their venom for their prey. They simply want to coexist with humans, they’re not here to harm us! They want to live in a safe and friendly environment with us, and they do, for the most part.
Nocturnal Creatures
But did you know that centipedes are nocturnal? This means that they roomie-up with homeowners who are blissfully unaware of their presence. They tend to hide in dark, humid climates, meaning they’re usually in rooms less traveled, such as the bathroom or basement,
But often, these creatures are tattooed on people's faces and bodies because they symbolize luck and prosperity.
Entomophobia
When you find one of these creepy creatures lurking around your home, it can be a pretty terrifying ordeal. This is an issue, especially for people who have a phobia of insects, known as Entomophobia.
But maybe this will make it easier: just imagine that the little multi-legged insect is your own, cute, little teddy helper! Because once you hear what they’re actually getting up to, that’s exactly what you’ll think they are!
Chasing The Wrong Guy
But of course, we can’t guarantee that this trick will always work, especially not at first. Your instincts might take over, and before you know it, you’ll be gripping one of your shoes, screaming as you attempt to squash it.
Terrified and determined, the little thing will keep escaping as you try your hardest to kill it. But it’s a lose-lose game and no life for either of you. In these circumstances, you’d be sad to know that you’d be chasing the wrong guy.
There It Is Again
Just a few days later, you’ll walk into your bathroom at night and spot something darting across the room. You leap out of the room and look back, it’s just that darn centipede again!
Panicked, your imagination runs wild and you begin to think: what if it leaves the bathroom and gets close to you while you are asleep? Paranoid, you return to bed and struggle to fall back asleep. But the centipede isn’t after you, it’s after something else!
Living With You
The tension between human and centipede is at an all-time high at this point. You want it out of your house, so you begin scheming up a brilliant plan.
It has been living in your home for way too long at this point. Although you haven’t seen any others around, you begin to fear that it might invite more of its kind. But little do you realize that there is nothing for you to be afraid of.
The Battle
One night, you get up from bed again, equipment in hand as you approach the bathroom. You’re ready to execute your brilliant plan. The battle doesn’t last long, you’ve got it cornered now. You have two choices: take it outside, or kill it.
You’ve lived with it for long enough, and you’ve had enough of this, but you don’t feel like it deserves to die. You decide to take it outside. The problem has finally left your home, but then, all hell breaks loose.
Other Insects
Days after its departure, you notice that other insects have invaded your house. That’s when you realized that you hadn’t seen these good-for-nothing pests in weeks!
Cockroaches, ants, flies, moths, and even spiders have now invaded your home. You realize now that all you need is another centipede, perhaps the same one as before, but there are none in sight… yet.
Insect Invasion
More days pass, and more pests are spotted. Now, a centipede has arrived. A familiar and unwelcome sight. You gear up, getting ready for round two.
When the centipedes come in, that’s when action is needed. But that’s not very logical or true. In fact, the centipedes are only trying to protect you and your house. And here’s how.
Nature's Pest Controllers
Centipedes are only after one thing, and one thing only. Yup, you guessed it - other bugs! They are nature's very own pest exterminators.
Unlike pest control services, the centipede is not invasive and won’t put chemicals in the air or turn your house upside down. And there are a few other perks that may surprise you!
An Insect With Manners!
Centipedes don’t feed on wood, destroy clothes or spin webs. They’re not even attracted to leftover food, just other bugs that are harmful to your house.
Centipedes are also solitary creatures, so unless you have a big pest problem on your hands that have attracted a few centipedes to your home, they’re not likely to live among other centipedes, so you never have to worry about an infestation. Still not convinced?
The Enemy Of Your Enemy...
If you kill a house centipede, the life you save won’t be your own. It’ll be those of the spiders, roaches, bedbugs, termites, silverfish, and ants all around you.
Put the broom down and hang on for a second. Remember the old adage: the enemy of your enemy is your friend. What house centipedes care about and hunt are the creepy things that you’re living with — and make no mistake: you are.
Creep Factor Of 10
Even though they do have a Creep Factor of 10, which can cause even the most rational person to roll up a gasoline-soaked newspaper and set the house on fire, you should leave them be.
A house centipede is capable of moving 1.25 feet per second, so chances are you won't catch him anyway. Here's what to do instead.