I have a strong dislike of centipedes as well. One time years ago I had a terrible dream that a large centipede (one of those big jungle ones) was crawling all over my body. As it raced down my arm I slapped at it, with a jolt of pain my arm went instantly numb as it bit me.
I startled myself awake to realize I was laying on my arm and it had gone completely asleep and was numb. Still one of the scariest dreams I've ever had haha.
What? Why would it be? I think humans are scared of anything that surprises them or that they cannot immediately understand what it'll do. But why centipedes in general? I've never had any fear of them, unlike other arthropods that moved more erratically and faster.
Centipedes are scary because they have so many legs and they scurry very fast with incredible agility. In general I think we feel a revulsion to small critters with that kind of speed and agility. But if they’re too small (fly sized or smaller) then it’s more annoyance than revulsion.
The many legs thing is a real mystery though! I think it might be some kind of proxy for venomous critters, as spiders and centipedes have more legs than insects and also tend to be more venomous (apart from some Hymenopterans).
In a related story: I met with my new housecleaning service a few days ago and told them I had one very special request: DO NOT DISTURB THE SPIDERS IN OUR BEDROOM!! They are my mosquito-munching pets; just mop the floor under them.
I got stung by one of these once when I was staying at my high-school dormitory which was in the woods and away from city. Apparently it crawled into my slippers while I was sleeping so I had not idea this was going to happen. I wore my slippers and felt a certain pain afterwards. I still remember the hole it put into my foot.
It was not a house centipede but a regular wild one though.
my slovenly ass picked up my dirty t-shirt off the floor in Hawaii and some 30-cm monster came flying out and disappeared underneath the china cabinet, not sure why there was a china cabinet. took me awhile and some soothing from my unflappable lover to decide if I should be really freaking out.
Good idea. I may start one something at some point but I don't know anything about bugs so I learned a lot over there. All those ID subs were great. Thanks for the entomology suggestion. I'll definitely check it out.
No, I guess those subs I slowly got interested in but I really haven't been proactive about looking for other sources. I'll definitely check it out. Thanks.
I honestly wouldn't care if it stayed at one or two of them, but I know if I leave these things and treat them as pets I will get an infestation in no time.
And with each new one the chances of me feeling one of them walk on my arm increases, and I am not letting that happen.
They are also territorial and won't actually eliminate a roach infestation because they will kill each other long before they reach sufficient density to make a difference.
They are fascinating little creatures. They have a bunch of stripes on them, even across their legs. They eat dangerous house pests. They are venomous, but their "bites" are less irritating than a mosquito bite. They also don't technically bite, they envenomate using two modified legs.
When I found out that these guys ate spiders as a kid I was super upset I needed to pick sides in the bug war. I chose spiders specifically because I didn't trust anything that ran away from me that fast. The spiders didn't have anything to hide.
When I first moved to Taiwan, I rented an Airbnb for 3.months to find my footing in the city.
One night I slipped into bed and felt the most painful bite I have ever felt in my life. My entire leg then proceeds to swell up and puss on the site where the centipede bit.