Centipedes are distinguished by their worm-like bodies, numerous legs, long, sensitive antennae, yellow to dark brown coloration, and small mouths with venom glands. Centipedes, in fact, can have anywhere from fifteen to seventy-seven pairs of legs, which they use to scurry across the ground and climb vertical surfaces. Will a centipede bite if it comes too close? Centipedes can bite and inject venom, but they are rarely dangerous to humans or animals.
Centipede bites can cause mild soreness or redness, but no serious health problems have been linked to them. But that doesn’t make centipedes something to look forward to. Learn more about centipedes, their natural predator, and why you should never attempt to kill a house centipede on your own, as well as the advantages of South Portland centipede control and pest control, in the sections below. Here are five facts about those mysterious centipedes in your basement that you may not be aware of:
1. The age of a centipede is directly proportional to the number of legs it has. This is due to centipedes’ ability to recover lost legs during molting. By molting more frequently, they can increase their leg count. If a centipede loses some of its legs during this stage, it may take several molts for it to regain use of all of its legs. 2. Centipedes, one of the oldest animals, can trace their ancestors back more than 400 million years.
3. A centipede isn’t as slow as you might think when it’s determined to catch prey or flee from a predator. Because of their segmented body, numerous pairs of legs, and waxy outer covering, centipedes can cover more than a foot of floor in less than a second. 4. Centipedes eat a wide variety of animals. Larger centipedes can easily consume far larger prey than smaller species, such as worms, insects, roaches, and mollusks. 5. Some centipedes, such as the common house centipede, can live for up to six years.
Regardless of their potential allure, you probably don’t want these unknown beings skulking around in your cellar. What causes centipedes to die? Centipedes are eaten by a variety of animals, including birds, spiders, mice, frogs, beetles, and snakes. Larger centipedes eat a wide range of animals, including frogs and spiders. Frogs and spiders that hunt centipedes for food usually target the young or weaker ones who can’t flee.
Why Should You Never Kill A House Centipede? Is it possible to get rid of a house centipede if you find one? It may be tempting to handle this annoyance on your own, but you should not. The presence of a few house centipedes is not always undesirable. They not only keep spiders and roaches away from you, but they also get rid of them. Centipedes, on the other hand, do not build nests or webs, so you won’t have to worry about them driving away more serious pests.
Centipedes, on the other hand, can quickly shift from benefactor to villain. While a few house centipedes here and there may help keep the rodent population under control, a full-fledged colony can be a major annoyance if not eradicated and may attract other unwanted pests. A centipede can live for up to ten years, so you don’t want one around your house. Even if the centipedes in your home have not yet become a major issue, contact a professional. House centipedes may not be completely effective at preventing harmful pests like cockroaches, and their presence may indicate a larger pest problem.