Any bug experts here? There's a centipede in my house!

[Admiral Archer]

...at least, I think that's what it is. I named him Noodle (don't judge me, or Noodle for that matter).

But seriously, I am not sure if he's dangerous or not, or if I should consider him a pest, a pet, or just one of those bugs that keeps the nastier bugs away. He's very small, maybe three or four inches long, and is a bright reddish brown copper colored. Here's a picture of him:

I've done as much research as I can. I THINK (but I'm not sure) that Noodle is a Minor Blue Leg, or African Long-Tailed Centipede. Wikipedia says they are used in some countries as pets, but other than that the article is practically a stub. I can't find any other information. If anyone knows anything, please get back to me! Thanks!

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Sorry, I don't know much about them but...

 

[Velocity]

Could be a millipede. The house centipedes around here have much longer legs.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Sorry, I don't know much about them but...

You know, that's exactly how you end up with insects with more legs.

Could be a millipede. The house centipedes around here have much longer legs.

Googling centipedes, they come in all sizes and with all lengths of legs. Millipedes seem to be more worm-like in the body with the legs underneath.

Here are a few tips to spot the differences: Millipedes have two sets of legs per segment positioned directly under their body. Centipedes have one set of legs per segment positioned on the side of their body. ... If looking from the side, centipedes have a flatter body while millipedes are more rounded.

 

[Timewalker]

If anything like that appeared in my home, it would be stepped on thisfast, as long or hard as it took to make it dead, and then it would go in the garbage.

The maximum number of legs any lifeform in my home is allowed to have is 4.

 

[Worf factor9]

Phasers on Kill !!!

btw, I once helped a guy that kept Bees, and caught a swarm once by myself.

 

[Worf factor9]

Ohh...wait, here's an idea.

https://www.cricketflours.com/chocolate-covered-crickets/

 

[Doom Shepherd]

Definitely centipede. And yes, they are a bug that will eat other bugs. Including roaches, moths, silverfish, and termites.

Though that one looks more like an “outside” centipede than a “house centipede,” which is the kind with the long legs.

 

[Worf factor9]

Definitely centipede. And yes, they are a bug that will eat other bugs. Including roaches, moths, silverfish, and termites.

Though that one looks more like an “outside” centipede than a “house centipede,” which is the kind with the long legs.

Phasers on stun.

"I'm a doctor Jim, not an insectologist."

 

[Admiral Archer]

UPDATE: Well, the poor thing died later on the same night as my original post anyways, so it's no longer a threat (if it ever was one). I'm actually a bit sad about it, and I have no idea why.

RIP Noodle.

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Sorry Noodle.

 

[Malicia]

I couldn't sleep in a room with that in but at the same time I couldn't kill it even though centipedes are not known for being friendly so I would have to catch it and put it outside. Same with spiders because as much as I'm not keen on them I know they are our friends and it's not their fault they wandered in to my domain. I keep a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off under the kitchen sink to use in those situations.

Centipedes bite and but millipedes can't bite or they can bite but can't inject venom because of the difference in mandibles. Or something like that.

 

[Velocity]

In my house, bugs and arachnids who potentially bite are turned into squish and then go for a ride in the water tornado in the bathroom. No mercy, no reprieve. I have had 3 stinkbugs in the house lately, however, and I gently catch them and toss them outside where they belong.

 

[Timewalker]

The only time I actively saved an insect was over 25 years ago, when one of my cats caught a really big beetle-shaped one. It was flipped over on its back and couldn't get up. The cat was playing with it, and I had no idea what might happen if the cat bit into insect (it was too big for the usual gulp-chew-swallow of smaller beetles).

So I got a pole, let the beetle wrap its legs around it, and carried it over to the fence (that the cat couldn't get through). I lowered the pole outside the fence and let the beetle escape.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

In my house, bugs and arachnids who potentially bite are turned into squish and then go for a ride in the water tornado in the bathroom. No mercy, no reprieve. I have had 3 stinkbugs in the house lately, however, and I gently catch them and toss them outside where they belong.

Exactly what you need to do with stinkbugs, because....they live up to their name. I had them all over the patio the last warm day and a few inside the apartment since then.

 

[Malicia]

The only time I actively saved an insect was over 25 years ago, when one of my cats caught a really big beetle-shaped one. It was flipped over on its back and couldn't get up. The cat was playing with it, and I had no idea what might happen if the cat bit into insect (it was too big for the usual gulp-chew-swallow of smaller beetles).

So I got a pole, let the beetle wrap its legs around it, and carried it over to the fence (that the cat couldn't get through). I lowered the pole outside the fence and let the beetle escape.

I like beetles and they are the kind of insect I can imagine is cheerful and carefree among the insect community. The kind of insect that whistles to itself while it strolls along.

I once threw bath water over a moth when it flew in and surprised me when I was about 10. It fell to the floor incapacitated and I felt bad so I tried to gently dry it out before releasing it hoping it would make a full recovery but I'll never know. The funny thing is that since then I don't have a problem with moths. Even the giant ones don't bother me but I don't hang around under street lights much so don't have much contact with them.

As for spiders I usually only see the house spider and always catch them and put them outside. They seem quite dopey so I would feel guilty hoovering them up and they are only seen one or two months a year around September. I used to live somewhere that became infested with False Widow spiders and ended up being bitten on the hand by one which took a few weeks to heal and was still itching a year later. Very interesting to watch them but I ended up having to kill any I found because there were so many of them.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I used to clean spider webs out of dragonfly wings when they came inside a large warehouse I used to work in.

Dragonflies are cool.

It was a really big building and we actually had a young blue heron in there once We turned off the "Big Ass Fans" so it wouldn't fly into one.

 

[Worf factor9]

a young blue heron

Got a pond outback where blue herons "dive in" once in awhile.

Dragonflies are cool.

Yes they are, and fun to watch while I'm fishing. I also love to watch bats going after moths and such.

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/attract-dragonflies-35729

 

[Gary Mitchell]

Don't look at this if you're squeamish.

Spoiler: Yuck

 

[Worf factor9]

Don't look at this if you're squeamish.

Spoiler: Yuck

Another set of little "bastards"

https://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/spider-crickets/

I take the view of Teddy Roosevelt, "Speak softly so they don't hear ya, and carry a big-ass fly swatter."