Outdoor
centipedes (different from house
centipedes) are, as their name suggests,
an outdoor pest. They can be found in
damp places such as under leaves, in the
bark of trees, in mulch, and under
assorted yard and lawn debris. Outdoor
centipedes vary greatly in appearance
from house centipedes because their legs
are not nearly as long. Occasionally,
they do invade homes and become a
problem.
Centipedes are brown in color,
flat-bodied, and have many body
segments. One pair of legs is attached
to each of these segments. This is
different than millipedes, which have
two pairs of legs per body segment and
have rounded bodies instead of flat.
Centipedes mainly live outdoors, but
wander indoors occasionally. When they
wander indoors, they may be found
anywhere at floor level. They thrive in
damp conditions, so are more likely to
be found in bathrooms and near or in
sinks. Centipedes are not a threat to
food supplies or household furnishings.
For food, centipedes like to eat
insects, spiders, and other arthropods.
In this way, they are beneficial. The
homeowner, however, would not be so
likely to agree, as they are unsightly
pests.
Centipedes can grow to lengths of
anywhere from 1 to 6 inches and have the
ability to run very rapidly. The larger
centipedes may bite enough to penetrate
skin, while the smaller ones aren't a
threat. In actuality, bites are not
caused by jaws, but are a result of the
pinching that occurs from the front legs
of centipedes, which have evolved to
look and function like jaws. The
jaw-like legs also contain venom glands.
If a bite occurs, swelling is the usual
outcome. Antiseptic can be used on bite
wounds and a physician should be
consulted in cases where the skin is
punctured.
back to top
