Centipede

• Occasional Invaders • Booklice • Boxelder bug • Centipede • Clover mite • Common carpet beetle • Deathwatch beetle • False powderpost beetle • Kissing bug • Millipede • Praying mantis • Scorpion • Silverfish • Springtail • Tropical rat mite • True powderpost beetle • Understanding the house centipede • Walking stick • Contact It is very likely you have run across them before and been frightened by this pest. They are slender insects with what appears to be hundreds of long, thin, legs bursting from all around their bodies. These insects move fast when spotted, searching for a safe place, and run up walls and under furniture, their legs undulating and moving fast. Do they have a head? Do they bite? What are they? These questions come to us a lot, usually accompanied by pictures showing this seemingly fierce predatory insect. The insect in question is Scutigera coleoptrata,more commonly known as the House centipedes like the cool, damp, environment found inplaces such as House centipedes look scary, but the facts about them are not scary. All is explained on this page below, so read on. However, if you need help to Lots and lots of legs The first thing you notice is that the house centipede has a lot of legs. The very name “ There are several reasons for all of those legs. First, it helps make house centipedes very fast. Since they are both predators and prey, this helps out a lot. They can travel 1.3 feet-per-second, which means they can usually get away from predators an...

Newsletters Close search form Open search form Enter your search term Search • Decor • • • • • • See all • Garden • • • • • • • • See all • Home Improvement • • • • • • • • • • • See all • Cleaning • • • • • • See all • Celebrations • • • • • See all • What to Buy • • • • • • • See all • News • • • • • • • • See all • About Us • • • • • • • See all Jessica Wrubel has an accomplished background as a writer and copy editor, working for various publications, newspapers and in public libraries assisting with reference, research and special projects. In addition to her journalism experience, she has been educating on health and wellness topics for over 15 years in and outside of the classroom. The multi-legged, worm-like creatures that are often found under decaying logs outdoors—or occasionally indoors under moist boxes, in rotting wood framing, or under piles of moist newspapers—are arthropods from the Diplopoda and Chilopoda classes of creatures. They belong to the Myriapoda subphylum, a group that comprises multi-legged species of various types. Although often grouped together with insects, millipedes and centipedes are arthropods that are categorically different than insects (which have six legs) and arachnids (which have eight legs). Centipedes and millipedes are primarily outdoor creatures that subsist on decaying plant material (millipedes) or small insects and other creatures (centipedes). Neither of these creatures causes damage or disease, nor do they nest and breed ...

Centipedes are arthropods, which include multi-legged species, such as millipedes and centipedes. Centipedes are long creatures with one pair of legs for each body segment. They are beneficial in the garden, helping to decompose up to 10% of leaf litter. They also benefit soil microorganisms, that work together to turn any debris into nutrient-enriched soil. They can lose some legs over their lifetime and they are fast and will run and hide if approached, usually to a dark corner or area. House Centipede House Centipedes ( Outside, they live in damp and cool spaces, under rocks, woodpiles, and leaf litter. They seem to prefer compost piles. When encountered in the home, they are often found in dark areas, such as garages and They are mostly found on the floor, though they are able to climb walls. They are more common in the spring when they emerge due to warm weather, seeking cooler environments in human homes. Common Desert Centipede The Common Desert Centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha) is also known as the tiger centipede or banded desert centipede. They are also sometimes referred to as the Sonoran Desert centipede. They are indigenous to the Southwestern United States and North Mexico, all the way to the Pacific Coast. These centipedes prefer dry grasslands, deserts, and forest areas, hiding under rocks. They are known to create burrows. The common desert centipede can grow to 18cm in length. Their bodies have a dark lateral stripe. They usually have a dark brown, red, ...

The giant desert centipede (AKA the giant Arizona desert centipede) is commonly found slithering around the arid, hot Southwest region of the U.S. and parts of northern Mexico. As scary-looking as they can be, giant centipedes are also highly beneficial for maintaining the balance of our ecosystem. Find out more about these ominous-looking creatures. On This Page • • • • • What Is the Giant (Desert) Centipede? Nocturnal in nature, giant Averaging between six and eight inches long, adult giant desert centipedes have flat, orange segmented bodies (usually between 26 and 30 segments) with black heads and tails, making it difficult to distinguish which end is up. They have one pair of yellow legs for each segment — except for the first and last ones — and feel their way through life using antennae, since they don’t have eyes. A predatory being, the giant centipede is agile and uses its many legs to move pretty fast. Centipedes have been clocked at approximately 1-1/3-ft. per second. All 8,000 species of centipedes reproduce without copulation. The male deposits sperm on the ground, leaving it up to the female to locate the spot, AKA bundle, to lay her eggs for fertilization. She remains there, coiled around her eggs to protect them, until they hatch and the young ones are ready to set out on their own. The giant desert centipede has a lifespan of about five years. Are They the Biggest of Their Kind? Not exactly, although they are pretty big. Experts at the Factoid: A fossi...

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Many species are commonly found outdoors living in dark, damp spaces such as under logs and stones or in leaf litter. A few species, like the house centipede, may also be found inside the home. Learn to identify, control, and prevent centipedes inside your home. What are centipedes? Centipedes have flat, elongated bodies, and range in size from ⅙ inches to 6½ inches long or longer. While their name means “100 legs”, centipedes can have anywhere from 15 to 177 pairs of legs depending on the species, with each segment containing one pair. Centipedes are found in several colors, but brown and reddish-orange are the most common color patterns. The United States has a wide array of centipedes. The Cryptopid centipede is common along the west coast while the Florida blue centipede is an aggressive species found in the southern U.S. The North American, or giant desert centipede, common in the arid southwest, is likely the largest centipede in the U.S. and can reach up to 8 inches long. You’ll find the bark centipede searching tree bark for its next meal throughout the central and eastern U.S. Perhaps the most common species of centipede in the United States is the house centipede. Unlike other centipedes, they are typically found indoors. What are house centipedes? House centipedes are usually 1 to 1½ inches long. They are greyish yellow with three dark stripes running the length of their back. Their body has 15 segments, each with a pair of long legs banded with white. House cen...

Vadim Zhakupov/Getty Images House Centipede You’ll find this aptly-named centipede ( Scutigera coleoptrata) all over North America, as well as Hawaii. It can grow from 1- to 1-1/2-in. long. Although a large one can look fearsome with its fifteen pairs of legs, it’s basically harmless, though it can inflict a painful nip if handled. Its yellow-gray body features three stripes running along the back, plus long antennae protruding from the front and the back. You’re most likely to find a SteveByland/Getty Images Giant Desert Centipede The common name of Scolopendra heros is something of a misnomer, because it doesn’t just live in the desert. It has been sighted in Arkansas, southern Missouri, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Closely related species are common in Hawaii and Japan, where it’s known as mukade. And it’s as fierce as it looks. It bites, and the two-pronged tail can deliver a painful and possibly dangerous sting. It’s also virtually indestructible. You can step on it, and it will wriggle away as if nothing happened. In Japan, the usual method to dispatch a mukade involves picking it up with chopsticks and cutting it in half with a scissors. ePhotocorp/Getty Images Tiger Centipede Sometimes called the common desert centipede, Scolopendra polymorpha calls the South and West home, from Louisiana to California and up to Oregon. It inhabits dry grasslands, deserts and forests, living under rocks or digging burrows. This is another large centip...

The House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is a yellowish grey centipede with 15 pairs of legs. Originally native to the Mediterranean region, the species has spread to other parts of the world, where it usually lives in human homes. The House Centipede is an insectivore that kills and eats insects. House Centipede Characteristics The House Centipede, when fully grown, has 15 pairs of very long, delicate legs and a rigid body, which enables it to run with surprising speed up walls and along ceilings and floors. Its body is yellowish grey and has three dark-colored dorsal stripes running down its length. Their legs also have dark stripes. In an act of defence, when one of the house centipedes legs is held down, it drops that leg in hopes that the attacker will be distracted by the temporarily twitching appendage. Unlike most other centipedes, House Centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed, faceted eyes. House Centipede Diet House centipedes feed on bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, House Centipede Reproduction House centipedes lay their eggs in the spring. The average centipede lays around 63 eggs and a maximum of around 151 eggs. They have as few as four pairs of legs when they are hatched. With each molting, they gain a new pair. They live anywhere from 3 to 7 years, depending on the environment. House Centipede Habitats Outdoors, house centipedes prefer to live in cool, damp places. Most live outside, primarily under large rocks, piles of wood ...