Nobody likes bugs in their house. Whether it’s spiders, cockroaches, bees, silverfish or any creepy-crawly, you want them out of your home, except for centipedes. Of course centipedes are far from attractive. In fact most people probably find centipedes to be among the most awful looking of all arthropods. Perhaps most people would prefer to get rid of house centipedes before any other type of creepy-crawly. However, if you want fewer bugs in your home, then it might be a good idea to let centipedes become your permanent houseguests. Centipedes are great at reducing insect pests within people’s homes. In fact, there are many benefits to keeping a few centipedes around your home, and doing so might actually be worth it for some people.
Just like insects and spiders, centipedes are categorized as arthropods, but they belong to the class known as chilopoda. There are quite a few species of centipede in the world, but a majority of them make a point to avoid humans. In addition to avoiding humans, centipedes do not damage structures, they do not carry or spread disease, and they won’t build nests within your home (usually anyway). Although centipedes may kill many house pests, there are certain ones that you definitely do not want to find within your home. Luckily, most dangerous centipedes exist outside of the United States.
In the country of Vietnam a centipede species known as Scolopendra Subspinipes is often found within people’s homes. These centipedes are highly venomous, and they can send people to the hospital. Although this centipede is native to Vietnam, they have established a large population in Hawaii where most residents know to avoid them. These critters grow to a foot in length or more, and they are not easily killed. If you want to kill one of these centipedes, you will have to do more than stomp on them, as they often survive stampings. Luckily, there are several insecticides that will do the job.
Have you ever spotted a centipede within your home?