Centipedes are easily identified by their long, segmented bodies, numerous legs, long antennae, varying colors from yellow to dark brown, and small mouths containing venom glands.
In fact, centipedes can have anywhere from fifteen to seventy-seven pairs of legs, which they use to quickly move across the ground and climb walls.
So, will a centipede bite if it gets close to you? While centipedes can bite and inject venom, they typically don’t pose a serious threat to humans or animals. Bites might cause mild pain or redness, but there haven’t been any major health risks linked to their bites.
Despite this, centipedes are not creatures you’d want to greet happily. Read on to discover more about centipedes, their natural predators, and why you should avoid killing a house centipede, along with the benefits of pest control in South Portland.
Five Surprising Facts About Centipedes
Here are five things you might not know about those elusive centipedes in your basement:
- A centipede’s age is related to how many legs it has. This is because they can regenerate lost legs during molting. As they molt more, they can increase their leg count, and it may take several molts to fully recover any missing legs.
- Centipedes are among the oldest living creatures, with a lineage that stretches back over 400 million years.
- Centipedes can move much faster than you might think when they need to. Thanks to their segmented bodies, multiple pairs of legs, and waxy exteriors, they can cover more than a foot of ground in under a second.
- Centipedes have a varied diet and are capable of eating a wide range of animals. Larger species can even consume prey much larger than the insects, worms, roaches, and mollusks that smaller centipedes typically target.
- Some types of centipedes, such as the common house centipede, can live for as long as six years.
Despite their fascinating history, you’d likely prefer not to have these creatures roaming around your basement.
Who Are Centipedes’ Natural Predators?
So, what eats centipedes? Birds, certain spiders, mice, frogs, beetles, and snakes are all known to hunt them. Larger centipedes, in turn, feed on other animals, such as frogs and spiders. These predators usually target the younger or weaker centipedes, which are less able to escape.
Why You Shouldn’t Kill A House Centipede
If you spot a house centipede, you might be tempted to get rid of it, but it’s best not to. Having a few centipedes around isn’t necessarily bad. They help control pests like spiders and roaches, feeding on them and preventing them from becoming a problem. Plus, centipedes don’t build nests or webs, so they won’t contribute to further pest issues.
However, centipedes can easily go from helpful to bothersome. While a few centipedes might assist with controlling rodents, a large number of them can become an annoyance and might even attract more pests.
Since a centipede can live up to ten years, it’s probably not ideal to let one stick around in your house.
Even if centipedes haven’t caused significant problems yet, it’s worth calling in professionals. House centipedes may not be fully effective in eliminating harmful pests like cockroaches, and an infestation might indicate a larger pest issue.
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