House scolopendra is a common armored insect all over the world. It can be an exotic animal if a tropical species is acquired, the representatives of which reach 30 cm in diameter; or simply appears in the house by chance when we are talking about the centipede flycatcher, which lives in many regions of Russia and sometimes penetrates houses. The frightening appearance of this centipede immediately raises thoughts about whether it has poison that is dangerous to humans, and how to get rid of the uninvited guest.
What is it like?
The common centipede got its name for a reason. In her case, everything is obvious - many legs do not go unnoticed. Thanks to this, the arthropod runs very fast. In 1 second she covers up to 40 cm. This allows her to quickly hide when danger appears.
If you carefully examine the centipede, you can find small hairs all over its body, and long antennae on its head. There are also stripes running along the body that extend to the paws. Some people associate the centipede with a scary beetle with a flexible, curved body.
Danger
The probable danger of the creature to humans is quite clear: centipede bites are very painful. At the same time, they are unlikely to lead to death; the consequences are usually the following:
- the bite site becomes red and swollen;
- general health deteriorates somewhat;
- Victims with weak immune systems may experience headaches, fever, and chills.
Symptoms usually go away within 3-4 days . Allergy sufferers should be careful: the substance secreted by the glands of a predator in a stressful situation is a strong allergen that can cause itching and other characteristic phenomena . For asthmatics, a bite is dangerous because it provokes an attack.
On a note! The most common site of a bite is the leg. If at the time of the attack the person was in a sitting or lying position and was bitten in the stomach, arms or back, you should consult a doctor.
Why is it dangerous?
With the appearance of unusual neighbors, people are interested in why centipedes are dangerous. Apart from its frightening appearance, the common flycatcher is absolutely safe for households or their pets. In addition, the centipede prefers to hunt at night, so many people are not even aware of its existence.
If you try to pick up the centipede with your hands, you will likely experience irritation on the skin. This is due to the fact that the flycatcher’s venom transfers to the skin from the paws. Like insect bites, this can cause some discomfort to a person.
But it is easy to get rid of it by placing the limb under a stream of cold water.
What does it look like
Almost everyone knows what centipedes look like. The external structure of centipedes is simple. The body is divided into a separate head and torso, consisting of a varying number of segments.
The head is a fusion of the acron and 4 segments of the body . It also has a pair of antennae and 3 pairs of limbs. In labiopods, the head limbs resemble those found in insects.
The body of an adult centipede reaches a length of up to 60 mm. Basic color: from gray with a yellowish tint to bright brown. 3 purple or blue parallel stripes are visualized on the back.
How many legs
Arthropodologists can tell you how many legs centipedes have. They argue that the number of legs changes dynamically as the flycatcher grows and ages. And their number directly depends on the number of body segments. At first, the newborn centipede has 1 to 4 segments with 4 pairs of striped limbs.
As the body grows, new legs appear . In an adult, there are a maximum of 15 pairs. In this case, the outermost pair of limbs is longer than the others and more closely resembles whip-like antennae.
Description and features
The centipede belongs to the genus of tracheal arthropods. In natural conditions, the scolopendra insect is found very often. In addition to forest inhabitants, there is a species of domestic arthropod that has chosen to be in the vicinity of people. According to biologists, the scolopendra is not a true insect; scientists classify the creature as a labiopod.
The body of an adult centipede is colored yellowish-gray and brown. Pigmentation varies depending on the habitat. The flattened body is divided into 15 parts, each of which rests on its own pair of legs.
The body length is usually within 4-6 cm, but in Australia and the southern states of America large species up to 30 cm are found. The front legs are claws adapted for holding prey. The jaws are equipped with claws through which poisonous glands pass.
A pair of dragging legs behind helps the insect to stay on uneven soil. Compounded eyes provide discrimination between darkness and light, thin whiskers transmit the slightest vibration. The hind legs are long, like whiskers, so it is often difficult to determine where the beginning and end of the insect's body is.
The scolopendra in the photo is a mystery to the uninitiated - it is difficult to figure out where the first and last pair of legs are. Insects grow continuously, going through stages of molting. If you happen to lose individual paws, they grow back.
The centipede's chitinous clothing does not have the ability to stretch as it grows, so the exoskeleton is shed at a certain time when the individual is ready to increase in size. Juveniles change their hard shell once every couple of months, adult centipedes - twice a year.
On the eve of molting, the centipede refuses to eat - a sign of readiness to shed its old clothes. The centipede is not afraid of people - it penetrates into any crevice of a house, tourist tents, or country houses. Individuals live alone.
House scolopendra , apart from being an unpleasant neighbor, does not harm anyone. Exotic lovers even keep insects in terrariums. But not all species are harmless. A small scolopendra, if it runs over a person’s body, does not bite for no reason, it only leaves behind caustic mucus, which seems to burn.
The insect's legs are armed with poisonous spines; they leave behind traces of skin irritation. In its normal state, scolopendra does not show aggression if it is not disturbed. The insect does not waste its poison in vain.
But if you accidentally crush a centipede, then in defense it can jump high and bite. The consequences can be expressed in different ways - from minor swelling, pain to a feverish state.
The brightly colored tropical varieties of centipedes are much more dangerous. In Vietnam and California, arthropods live that leave burns comparable to acid lesions. It is enough for a centipede to run across the skin to injure the skin. The bite of large individuals is similar in pain to the sting of a hornet or wasp.
How to get rid
Many people are concerned about how to get rid of centipedes in a private home, since they find them on their territory quite often. But there are also those who are interested in how to get rid of centipedes in an apartment.
Arthropodologists argue that it is not necessary to immediately resort to aggressive methods. To begin with, it is advisable to use simple, non-toxic methods.
Folk remedies
When flycatchers appear in an apartment, experienced housewives will tell you what to do. They tried folk remedies from personal experience.
These methods are popular:
- Keeping clean and dry. Centipedes are attracted to moisture. If the room is warm and damp, then arthropods will willingly live there. To remove them, try to wipe dry all wet places in the apartment or house. They also carry out regular cleaning and get rid of fungal growths on the walls.
- Freezing of living space. Family members leave the house or apartment and leave the room without heating for 2-3 days in winter. During this time, not only centipedes die, but also other pests. But since many residential premises use a central heating system, not everyone will be able to use this method of control.
- Use of boric acid. This inexpensive pharmaceutical drug gets rid of insects and rodents. Arthropods such as the centipede are also afraid of it. Fragments of boric acid, when they come into contact with the body of the flytrap or inside, cause a strong burning sensation, causing death.
Experienced housewives also recommend installing fine-mesh grilles on all ventilation openings, which must be cleaned regularly. In addition, it is advisable to make a classic cosmetic repair when peeling wallpaper, cracks in the plaster or fallen tiles appear.
Mechanical methods
Centipedes are interesting arthropods. Some claim that they have a good memory and are able to compare certain events. If you catch several centipedes and then release them on the street far from the house, then the remaining arthropods will also not claim this living space.
But not everyone is so humane towards such creatures, so most often they get rid of them using a fly swatter or slippers.
Chemicals
When resorting to the help of chemicals, it is important to think carefully about how to poison centipedes, since not all the usual poisons that kill harmful insects act on them.
Modern methods of combating centipedes include the following::
- Glue traps. Some try to catch centipedes using this product, which has proven itself in the fight against cockroaches or ants. But doing this is pointless, because even if the centipede falls into a trap and sticks with several legs, it will lose them without regret. This will not prevent her from running, and the damaged limbs will grow back.
- Medilis-Ziper. This toxic agent has proven itself well in the fight against arthropods. It is sprayed using a spray bottle in those places where centipedes run most often. This product is good because it does not harm pets.
- Global Original. The product is available in the form of a paste. It has a toxic effect on many pests. The product has an unpleasant odor, but it is faint, so the paste is used in apartments with pets. The insecticide is applied in a thin layer along baseboards and where centipedes often appear.
If you decide to fight centipedes with toxic drugs, you should take care of your personal safety by using gloves and a protective mask. And before returning to your apartment or house, they should be thoroughly ventilated.
Nutrition
Nature has provided millipedes with anatomical adaptations for successfully catching prey - jaws, a wide throat, poisonous glands, and tenacious legs. Domestic arthropods are called flycatchers for their ability to immobilize insects and then eat for a long time.
It is difficult to escape from a dexterous and agile predator. The ability to run on horizontal and vertical surfaces and quickly respond to any vibration gives her an advantage. Cockroaches, bedbugs, and spiders become food.
The centipede is capable of catching several victims at a time, holding them in its paws, and then eating them one by one. Saturates slowly and for a long time. The bite of the centipede is fatal for most small creatures; cutting up immobilized carcasses is not difficult for the arthropod predator.
Animals living underground are of main interest to forest centipedes. These are earthworms, larvae, beetles. When hunters come out of hiding, they catch grasshoppers, caterpillars, crickets, ants, even wasps.
A developed sense of touch helps predators provide themselves with food. The primitive digestive system requires constant processing of food. Hunger makes the centipede aggressive. Large species of tropical centipedes feast on small rodents, snakes, lizards, and attack chicks and bats.
Those who like to breed centipedes in terrariums need to know that different species cannot be planted in the same container. Predators are distinguished by cannibalism - a strong individual will eat a weak centipede.
Amazing natural flexibility allows these creatures to crawl into the narrowest and most winding places to hide. Therefore, escaping from the terrarium is not a problem for her. The maintenance of arthropods has its own characteristics.
The soil must be moistened so that it is suitable for digging minks. You can add crustacean wood lice to the centipedes; their centipedes will not be touched. Feeding arthropods should be close to nature - crickets, mealworms, cockroaches, insects. The temperature in the terrarium should be maintained at approximately 27°C.
Lifestyle
A centipede is an arthropod that has a unique lifestyle, habitat and food preferences.
Where does it live?
The common flycatcher is found where the climate is temperate. Millipedes can live in Europe, the Middle East and northern Africa. They prefer to hide under stones, fallen leaves or plant debris. The house centipede primarily hunts at night.
Common flycatchers flock to people's houses and apartments with the arrival of cold weather.
Choose dark and damp places to live:
- basements;
- bathrooms;
- restrooms.
Despite their appearance, centipedes are not the most harmful living creatures trying to live near humans.
Video
Flycatcher eating
Reproduction and lifespan
Centipedes reach sexual maturity in the second year of life. The breeding season opens in mid-spring and continues into summer. After mating, the female begins laying eggs a few weeks later. The place for laying is selected damp and warm. There are from 35 to 120 pieces in one clutch; not all embryos survive. Females take care of the clutch, covering it with their paws from danger.
As the larvae mature, tiny worms emerge. The new creatures have only 4 pairs of legs. During development, each millipede molt opens up the possibility of a new stage of growth.
The mother stays with the offspring for some time. Small scolopendras very quickly adapt to their environment and begin an independent life. Among invertebrates, arthropods are truly long-livers. Observations of centipedes in captivity have shown that 6-7 years of life is normal for them.
