Can the house flycatcher pose a danger to humans?

To some people, flycatchers seem to be terrible creatures that can do a lot of harm. Others claim that these are the most useful creatures of nature and protect them. Let's figure out whether flycatchers are dangerous and what to do if you encounter them.

The common flycatcher is a predatory centipede of the genus Scutigera coleoptrata. It is also called the house centipede or the house centipede - it is important here not to confuse it with the real centipede, because there is a big difference between them.

The flycatcher hunts small insects and other arthropods, and does it very cleverly. Its diet consists of flies, midges, cockroaches, termites, two-tailed insects, moths, silverfish, spiders and other crawling and flying little things.

What does a flycatcher look like and where does it live?

The adult insect has an elongated, flattened body consisting of 15 segments. For each segment there is one pair of legs, the length of which increases from the head to the tail. The last pair of legs are so elongated that they look more like antennae (can be confused with the head). Due to the large number of long thin legs, scutigera looks like a hairy or shaggy centipede.

The first pair of legs are transformed into jaws, with which the centipede grabs prey and defends itself from enemies. When hunting, flycatchers inject poison into the body of the victim and then eat it. Flycatchers have good eyesight and a movement speed of up to 40 cm/sec. The antennae are whip-like, very long. The color is yellowish-gray or brownish, with three stripes along the body.

The flycatcher lives 3-7 years, growing up to 6 cm. You can distinguish an adult insect from a young one by the number of legs. The centipede that emerges from the egg has only 4 pairs of them. The number of legs increases after each molt, eventually reaching 15 pairs.

The range of flycatchers covers the distance from Southern Europe to North Africa. On the territory of Russia, it lives in the Black Earth Region, the Caucasus, Crimea and the Volga region.

What are the main symptoms of Omicron?

Compared to the symptoms caused by Delta, Omicron most often causes weakness and headaches in patients, and significantly less often the sense of smell disappears and taste is deformed. Symptoms of the omicron strain are more similar to the manifestations of seasonal acute respiratory viral infections; patients complain:

• temperature rise to 38°C,
• aches in joints and muscles,
• nasal congestion,
• runny nose,
• sore throat,
• sneezing,
• cough,
• decreased appetite.

Less common are low temperatures in adults and skin rashes in young children. In most patients, the new coronavirus has a mild form. But the distinctive feature of Omicron is not only its high contagiousness, but also the ability to more actively and quickly “descend” into the bronchi and lungs. This suggests that we should take the new strain no less seriously than the previous ones.

What attracts flycatchers to a person’s home?

In nature, flycatchers live in fallen leaves; in the winter they crawl into places sheltered from the cold. They penetrate into human habitation mainly in the fall, due to the beginning of their passages. Room temperature is quite comfortable for these predators. In the house they choose dark places: spaces under the bathroom, basements, and continue to lead a predatory lifestyle - they catch all the insects they can find.

How does a centipede get into a person's home?

In their natural environment, centipedes live in fallen leaves. They overwinter in warm shelters. Therefore, with the onset of cold weather, these insects can crawl into the house. Room temperature is quite suitable for comfortable living of flycatchers.

A centipede can only appear where other insects live, otherwise it will not survive without a constant source of food. If there is a place in the house for flies, spiders, and cockroaches, then you should be prepared for the fact that a flycatcher may move in there in search of food. She will simply come from the street or from a neighboring apartment.

Centipedes usually live in the basements of private houses and basements. It's all about the humidity of these places. And insects can go hunting, moving around all the rooms. The flycatcher's active period can be either during the day or at night. But still, she hunts more often in the dark. Having chosen a victim, the centipede motionlessly waits for it on the wall, showing mastery of endurance. Thanks to its ability to develop high speed, it can easily overtake a cricket, fly or cockroach.

The centipede infects its prey with poison, injecting it through its bite

In winter, even if they are in a warm room, flycatchers “hibernate,” freezing in some secluded corner. With the onset of spring, they awaken, leave the shelter and begin a new hunting season.

The house centipede can catch several victims at the same time. While one insect is eating, the other is being held in its tenacious paws.

Centipedes react very sensitively to changes in microclimate. The long whiskers of the insect easily “read” even the slightest fluctuations in air temperature, and also sense a draft or any other danger. When such uncomfortable conditions arise, flycatchers immediately run away to a cozy place.

Are flycatchers harmful?

The flycatcher is a useful creature that exterminates many insect pests. She is a real helper in the garden and vegetable garden. Therefore, if a flycatcher is found in the house during the warm season, it is better to carefully catch it with a jar or box (not with your hands!) and take it outside.

In the apartment, she does not damage the furniture and does not touch human food. She is only interested in insects, and in a few weeks she can clean an apartment of them no worse than a vacuum cleaner.

The flycatcher does not tolerate any diseases, does not attack humans or animals, and generally tries to stay away from all household members. Despite the fact that the insect is poisonous, its disposition is peaceful. If possible, she will not enter into conflict - she will simply run away. Of course, she can try to bite, but only in self-defense.

In southern countries, centipedes are welcome guests in gardens and fields; here they are protected and their contribution to the fight against agricultural pests is appreciated.

How did the Omicron strain come about?

In the scientific community there are now 3 theories regarding how and where Omicron came from.

1. First theory. According to it, the omicron strain appeared in a group of people living in a separate territory, where it circulated for a large amount of time, the majority of members of the population quietly (asymptomatically) became ill with it, and tests did not show this. The theory comes from the fact that Omicron appeared somewhere in southern Africa during a winter wave. For a long time, this territory was inhabited by a large number of different infections, which exerted enormous evolutionary pressure on the formation of the omicron strain.
2. Second theory. Omicron could appear in a patient infected with a coronavirus infection who has chronic pathologies. It is also possible that the evolution of omicron occurred in an organism weakened by drug treatment and diseases. This could be a cancer patient or someone infected with HIV/AIDS. Because people with weakened immune systems have been sick with COVID-19 longer, the virus has extra time to mutate and develop a variant that can evade immunity.
3. Third theory. The virus could enter the body of an animal, mutate over time and be transmitted to humans in the form of an omicron. The argument in favor of this theory is existing evidence that certain animals can be infected with coronavirus. This is the reason why most scientists two years ago, during the outbreak of the epidemic in Wuhan, spoke about the animal origin of the coronavirus. Two years ago, a large number of minks were exterminated in Denmark due to a suspected mutation of the wild strain of COVID-19 in their bodies. Another argument for the third theory is that Covid in the body of a wild animal causes other evolutionary changes, which explains the new mutations of the Omicron strain.

What happens if a flycatcher bites?

Most often, the flycatcher fails to bite through the skin, unless we are talking about delicate children's or very thin women's skin. If she does manage to pierce the skin and inject poison, the bite will feel similar to a bee sting, and the symptoms will also be redness, burning, itching. The flytrap venom is not dangerous for people; it can only cause harm if there is an individual intolerance or an allergic reaction.

The flycatcher may try to bite domestic animals, defending itself from them. As in the case of a person, she will hardly be able to bite through their skin. But even if this happens, its bite and poison will not entail negative changes in the condition of the pets.

Much more dangerous than flycatchers are centipedes, another type of centipede with which, out of ignorance, they are sometimes confused. Although the scolopendra bite is not fatal to humans (with the exception of tropical species of scolopendra), it is very painful and can cause severe swelling that does not subside for several days. Scolopendra venom is especially dangerous for small children and can kill a cat or other small animal.

Poisonous centipedes

Vietnamese Scolopendra (lat. Scolopendra subspinipes)

Only scolopendras can harm humans. Their poison is quite toxic.

Symptoms of a centipede bite:

• pain at the bite site and redness;
• burning and itching;
• edema;
• hyperemia;
• lymphangitis.

If the body reacts strongly to the received dose of toxic substances, then the following are possible:

• dizziness;
• dyspeptic disorders;
• fear and anxiety;
• The muscular system is rarely affected and kidney failure is observed.

As a rule, the signs that are indicated in the first list usually develop, while the lymph nodes may enlarge, but tissue damage and third-party infection do not occur. It is extremely rare that negative signs last more than two days.

In North America, the most commonly reported bites are the fifteen-centimeter desert centipede. This causes severe redness, muscle damage in the affected area, and even the development of kidney failure. Severe pain lasts for several hours, it can be eliminated by taking simple analgesics.

Bites from tropical scolopendra species can be fatal. The ringed scolopendra lives in Crimea, which does not pose a threat to life, but its poison causes a strong pain effect. The maximum toxicity of these insects occurs in autumn and spring.

The symptoms in this case are similar to a hornet bite:

• at the beginning the bite site swells, and by the end of the day the entire limb swells;
• high temperature appears;
• the person has a fever.

This clinical picture persists for a couple of days, then begins to subside. As a rule, no serious deviations in the functioning of human organs and systems are observed.

The note. The only recorded case of death in a child was after being bitten by the tropical scolopendra subspinipes.

The table shows the most common species of centipedes found by humans.

Table. Types of centipedes and their toxicity:

What to do if bitten by a centipede (flycatcher, centipede)

When bitten you need:

• Wash the wound with soap and water.
• Disinfect with any suitable means: for example, alcohol, vodka, cologne, boric acid or calendula tincture.
• Apply a cold compress for 40 minutes if the burning sensation is severe and swelling has formed.
• Take a pain reliever or antihistamine if necessary.

Next, you need to observe changes in your well-being. If alarming symptoms appear (severe malaise, nausea, confusion, vomiting), you should consult a doctor. As a rule, nothing like this happens.

In the case of scolopendra, everything is much more serious - the result can be severe swelling (if a limb is bitten, it will swell entirely), an increase in temperature and a sharp deterioration in well-being.

If you are bitten by a scolopendra, instead of a cold compress, you can apply a heating pad with a temperature of 45 °C. Under the influence of this temperature, the scolopendra venom is partially destroyed, and the person feels better. But still, in this case, it is better to immediately seek medical help, and if a child or small pet is bitten, it is imperative to seek help from a doctor.

Testing and diagnostics of Omicron

Standard PCR tests from the DNAOM laboratory (including urgent ones) detect all variants of coronavirus, including Omicron.
The fact is that the mutations did not affect the proteins of the virus, to which our test systems are specific. 10.306 PCR RNA Study SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) /SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) RNA Test The test for COVID-19 becomes positive at the end of the incubation period, before the first symptoms appear, that is, 1-6 days after infection.

PCR is the gold standard for laboratory diagnostics, which allows you to detect the presence of the virus in the body. Two days before the first symptoms of the disease appear and two weeks after, RNA of the virus can be detected in the respiratory tract, after which it becomes undetectable.

You can find out about all coronavirus tests here.

Why are people afraid of flycatchers?

The fear of centipedes and the hostility towards them on the part of people is explained mainly by two facts: disgust for their appearance and fear that they might get into the ear. The last statement is more related to the common myth about earwigs, which, according to some people, are able to get into the ear of a sleeping person, bite through the eardrum and penetrate the brain. Flycatchers are confused with earwigs, so they are just as feared.

In fact, neither the flycatcher nor the earwig has any intention of getting into human ears, much less capable of gnawing on the eardrum and brain. Besides, they don’t need it at all; they don’t feed on the brain.

It happens that small insects get into people's ears (most often these are flies, midges or cockroaches). Under no circumstances will a flycatcher climb into the ear canal - there is nothing attractive there for it and with its long legs it is completely inconvenient.

Is Omicron really not as dangerous as Delta and other strains?

The fact is that Omicron bypasses immune defense much better than the delta strain, therefore the percentage of those infected with it is significantly higher than among those infected with the delta strain.
And since the percentage is much higher, the infection on average is not so severe - since the vaccine largely retains its effectiveness against severe disease even in cases of omicron infection. An important clarification: in the case of infectious diseases for the entire human population, the severity may not be as important as the speed of spread. Increased contagiousness (and Omicron certainly has it) can lead to overload of the medical system, even when on average diseases are milder than before.

Until now, there was no reliable data on whether omicron causes a milder disease than previous strains of coronavirus - there were only assumptions. Over time, such data began to appear, and on their basis it can be concluded that the risk of hospitalization for people without immunity to covid, the risk of hospitalization in the case of Omicron is 25-30% lower than in the case of Delta.

For vaccinated people, omicron is more dangerous than delta: this variant evades immune defense well, and accordingly the risk of infection and hospitalization is increased.

At the time when the wave of the delta strain began, many were not yet vaccinated and had not recovered from the disease. Now most of our compatriots have recovered from the disease or have been vaccinated. Therefore, when comparing two variants of covid, a distorted perception arises - that omicron is “softer” than delta. In fact, this is not so, it’s just that acquired immunity helps to tolerate omicron more easily.

Flycatchers in the house - how to get rid of them

There are not many flycatchers in a living room, because this is an unusual habitat for them, and they are unlikely to breed in an apartment. Therefore, flycatchers can be easily caught and sent outside.

If you decide to get rid of flycatchers in your apartment using radical methods, that is, destruction, you need to take into account the peculiarities of their nutrition, body structure and behavior. For example, if sticky traps are removed, they are ineffective in combating insects - the insect tears off the stuck legs and runs away. Baits for cockroaches and ants also have no effect on them, because flycatchers are predators; they feed on live insects.

You can kill a flytrap with any hard object, boiling water or insecticide (it’s more convenient to use sprays). Any insecticide will do; flycatchers are not resistant to them.

You can make the flycatchers leave the apartment on their own. For example, if you get rid of all the insects in the apartment, they will have nothing to eat and will have to go in search of a more suitable place.

They love humidity, so you can often encounter them in the bathroom. If you do not allow moisture to accumulate in the bathroom and ventilate it regularly, the flycatchers will soon become uncomfortable here and will leave.

You can block access to the house for flycatchers, as well as various insects, by caulking all the cracks in the walls, floor and basement, as well as installing mesh on the ventilation outlets.

Why do centipedes appear?

A centipede in an apartment can appear from anywhere: climb up a ventilation system, into a gap near a pipeline, into an open window or door. In high-rise buildings, arthropods most often come from the basement or attic.

In the wild, the animal prefers moist places where it hunts insects. As winter approaches, the centipede tends to move into heated rooms where it can comfortably wait out the cold season. But it won’t take root everywhere.

Centipede

If centipedes appear in an apartment, it means that the living conditions are ideal for them and there is enough food supply.

• First of all, they need high humidity. Most often they can be found in the bathroom, toilet, basement.
• Secondly, they don't like sunlight. These are nocturnal predators, trying to hide in a dark shelter during the day.
• Centipedes breed and live in places where they can hide. Crevices in the floor or baseboard, undisassembled trash in the basement or attic - all this will be carefully examined by flycatchers and adapted for shelter and breeding. After high-quality repairs, even with high humidity, they leave the apartment.

Centipedes that live in houses are exclusively carnivores. Their menu includes cockroaches, flies, mosquitoes, and ants.

Are Crimean centipedes dangerous for humans?

One bite is not enough to kill a person or child. This fact is encouraging, especially considering that this insect may accidentally settle in your home. The venom of the ringed centipede is not a threat to humans, although the bite itself is frightening and causes pain and unpleasant symptoms. Victims associate this pain as being stung by several bees at the same time. The poison becomes especially toxic in spring. First aid after a lesion should be immediate. The wound should be thoroughly rinsed with water, if possible. Next, it must be treated with any antiseptic (alcohol, chlorhexidine, miramistin). Apply a bandage, preferably sterile, and change it every 12 hours. It is also recommended to drink plenty of fluids (to quickly remove toxins from the body), remain calm, and not drink alcohol (it enhances the effect of toxins in the body).

The bite of the Black Sea scolopendra is manifested by the following consequences:

• Where the centipede bit, traces of tentacles are clearly visible - two punctures.
• Immediately after the bite, a burning sensation is felt, and then a sharp pain occurs.
• The skin around the affected area takes on a red tint.
• Swelling occurs and lasts for several days.
• There may be an increase in body temperature, a feeling of weakness, nausea and dizziness.
• Allergy sufferers most often experience a severe allergic reaction.

However, if she was bitten while on vacation in Crimea, there is no need to be afraid; all symptoms after the bite will go away within a maximum of 2 days. If the affected person has an immune deficiency or is allergic, he should contact a medical facility for help. It is also necessary to visit a doctor if your health worsens - body temperature increases, malaise increases, and swelling occurs. After a poisonous centipede bite, you can take an antihistamine to relieve itching, swelling, redness, and apply special ointments or gels that relieve swelling and irritation on the skin.

Each maxilla consists of 6 segmented sections, the latter pointed and curved inward. They contain poisonous glands, the mouths of which open at the ends. When biting a victim, the centipede injects the main portion of poison through its jaws. Each section of the body also contains two venom glands, their ducts extending to the edges of the scutes. When it senses danger, it curls up into a spiral, and a secretion with a distinct odor pours out from the poisonous glands.

Main components of the Crimean scolopendra venom (DL50):

• acetylcholine;
• histamine;
• hyaluronidase;
• kininase;
• cholinesterase;
• serotonin;
• BAEE-esterase.

Bitten insects and arachnids quickly die. In small animals, mobility decreases, excessive salivation (salivation), constriction of the pupils, muscle twitching is observed, and death is possible.

Are spiders and cockroaches the enemy?

Lifestyle and nutrition

What does the centipede flycatcher eat? It’s not for nothing that they called her that; she is a real predator and feeds on everything she can catch. Most of her diet consists of flies, since there are a very large number of them. In our homes she feeds:

• cockroaches;
• spiders;
• flies;
• woodlice;
• bedbugs;
• ticks;
• mosquitoes;
• ants.

This list can be continued indefinitely, because it can consist of all the boogers that end up in our homes within the range of the flycatcher.

How to poison, remove a centipede from a house or apartment forever: means of control, poison

You cannot poison centipedes; throw them into wet leaves outside the window.
You cannot kill or poison centipedes with various means because of their small number on our Earth . Usually one or several centipedes can wander into a home, and their reproduction occurs in nature.

If you are uncomfortable with a flycatcher, you can catch it in a jar and release it outside in the spring or summer.

How to Avoid a Bite

Most often, people can get a bite from the ringed centipede in the forest, in the mountains, or on their own plots. She often likes to crawl in uncovered tents and hide from the heat in the clothes and shoes of tourists. But they themselves will never attack a person, only in case of danger to their life. As such, there are no safety measures against defeat. The insect is not afraid of repellent sprays, ointments and creams. Therefore, it is worth limiting her contact with humans by other methods. Since it is activated especially in the dark, it is necessary to close the doors to the home tightly, in the forest, zip up the tent even during daylight hours, there should be mosquito nets on the windows and doors. She is afraid of the light and will never go where there is light.

She only bites a person when she feels threatened. Therefore, when you notice a centipede on your clothes or body, the first rule is no sudden movements, shaking off or attempts to slam it down. You need to try to let her go away on her own, or carefully help her with something at hand. Tourists should carefully check their belongings and shoes before putting them on, for example, shake them. You should also inspect your backpack, tent, and sleeping bags.

The bites of the Crimean centipede, despite the pain and threatening appearance of the wound, usually pass without consequences. Doctors recommend immediately washing the bitten area with baby soap and treating with an antiseptic. To protect against an allergic reaction, you can take an antihistamine tablet (Tavegil, Suprastin) or apply ointment to the bite (hydrocortisone, Fenistil, Striptoderm).

Alcohol should not be consumed “for disinfection”, since the poison will spread faster and its effect will intensify.

Video

Centipedes in a private house, apartment, why they should not be killed: folk signs

According to folk superstitions, you cannot kill a centipede; if it bothers you, throw it out into the street.
Folk superstitions arose as a result of observations of various incidents in people’s lives over the centuries.

If you believe the signs:

• The appearance of a centipede in the house foreshadows some news or letter.
• To see a centipede running during the day means heavy rain.
• If there are many centipedes in the house, you cannot kill them, but you need to catch one centipede and throw it outside, the rest will run away on their own.