House
centipedes differ from outdoor
centipedes for the obvious reason that
they are found indoors. In many parts of
the country, they are very common pests.
They are usually found in basements and
other damp places such as bathrooms and
closets. During warmer months, they can
also frequent attics. Although
centipedes generally measure
approximately 1"-1 1/2", they appear
much longer due to their lengthy 15
pairs of legs. The bodies of centipedes
are grayish yellow with 3 dark stripes
extending down the length of the back.
Centipedes develop through gradual
metamorphosis, which is made up of three
stages: the egg, nymph, and adult.
During development, the young, or
nymphs, resemble the full-grown insects
in all ways including food preference,
behavior and habitat, and physical
resemblance.
Centipedes are nocturnal insects and
therefore do all of their food foraging
at night. They like to eat small insects
as well as their larvae, and have a
special affinity for the taste of
spiders. In this way, they are
beneficial because they control the
population of other insects and spiders.
However, for most people, this fact is
of little comfort due to the centipede's
repulsive appearance.
Centipedes have the ability to bite,
despite their weak jaws. The worst
possible outcome of a bite is slight
swelling. If skin puncturing does occur,
treatment of the affected area with an
antiseptic is sufficient.
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