# Dear House Centipede on my closet wall **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 22, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915 "2012-06-22T02:55:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/21 "2012-06-22T17:45:26Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > YES! > > Little bastards need to be killed with fire. I was at a cafe once minding my own business when one of those evil shits crawled on the wall beside me. I jumped up and screamed like an asshole, startling everyone inside. Sorry, guys! Crawly things scare me. _You_ are afraid of bugs? Man, that ruins my image of you. 🙂 I figured you’d be swooping down, killing them DEAD. > [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > A few weeks ago, my three-year-old daughter, sitting by an open (screened) window, started to whimper. “Daddy! There’s a spider and a bug here!” > > I went over to look. “Honey, it’s okay, it’s just a dead centipede and a dead daddy-longlegs. I’ll get rid of them. They’re dead, see?” I reached down to poke the dead centipede– > > AND IT SKITTERED ACROSS THE WINDOW TOWARD MY DAUGHTER > > Her mouth opened silently for about two seconds, and then the screams started. They didn’t stop for at least ten minutes. I held her and comforted her and reassured her, but inside I was screaming, too. :eek: :eek: Don’t know if I should feel more sorry for kid or for daddy. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/22 "2012-06-22T17:50:44Z")
Aren’t those thing an alien species in the U.S.? I know I saw a buttload of them in our very rustic (read: medieval) rented vacation home in France, and I was relieved that they were in Europe and not the U.S. Then I heard they had migrated here and were to be found in the eastern United States. I hope that by the time they expand to California that I’ll be dead of old age. I never want to see one skitter towards my feet as I sit on the john at 2 in the morning ever again. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/23 "2012-06-22T17:51:48Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > _You_ are afraid of bugs? Man, that ruins my image of you. 🙂 I figured you’d be swooping down, killing them DEAD. I wish! I am such a little bitch when bugs come around. It makes no sense, and I feel like a complete dingus for losing my composure when any crawl-y or fly-y thing is near. A man could approach me wielding a gun and I’d be all, “Eh,” but oh my god, if a spider crawls across my desk, it is over. _Over_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/24 "2012-06-22T18:06:35Z")
Give me all the spiders you want. No, really, please. I _like_ spiders (well, not crawling on me, but I like sharing living space with them). But house centipedes just give me the screaming heebie jeebies. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/25 "2012-06-22T18:11:03Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Good thing it wasn’t a human centipede. Gah!!! ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/26 "2012-06-22T18:13:43Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Aren’t those thing an alien species in the U.S.? I know I saw a buttload of them in our very rustic (read: medieval) rented vacation home in France, and I was relieved that they were in Europe and not the U.S. Then I heard they had migrated here and were to be found in the eastern United States. > > I hope that by the time they expand to California that I’ll be dead of old age. I never want to see one skitter towards my feet as I sit on the john at 2 in the morning ever again. Ummm we have them at my place near L.A. I rather like them, now that I know what they are, subject to almost all the caveats in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/27 "2012-06-22T19:34:27Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > I wish! > > I am such a little bitch when bugs come around. It makes no sense, and I feel like a complete dingus for losing my composure when any crawl-y or fly-y thing is near. A man could approach me wielding a gun and I’d be all, “Eh,” but oh my god, if a spider crawls across my desk, it is over. _Over_. Well, that makes me feel TOUGH. I’ll kill 'em for you, don’t you worry. I kill the spiders for my SO. I freaked him out a couple of weeks ago when I reached up to the doorjamb, just casually, and accidentally knocked a spider onto my chest. I was like “Oh, look, a spider. You can’t go there, spider.” And picked him off and killed him. My SO was all :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/28 "2012-06-22T20:22:24Z")
I refuse to go close enough to kill it. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/29 "2012-06-22T20:33:37Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > …I held her and comforted her and reassured her, but inside I was screaming, too. Hahahaa!! I love it. It’s like the chilling end to a short story. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/30 "2012-06-22T20:46:13Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > House rules here are to stay off the ceilings. If I think you’re gonna fall on my head, I’m gonna go after ya. Walls are OK. I don’t like it but if we leave each other alone it’s all right. I don’t recommend the floors. Depending on which cat gets ya, you’ll either be dispatched quickly and made a snack, or have each leg removed one at a time over an unknown period, and I can’t guarantee which one will get to you first. Thank you soooo much. Now I am going to be constantly looking at the ceiling. People are going to think I am nuts. AND I am going to have nightmares > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > A few weeks ago, my three-year-old daughter, sitting by an open (screened) window, started to whimper. “Daddy! There’s a spider and a bug here!” > > I went over to look. “Honey, it’s okay, it’s just a dead centipede and a dead daddy-longlegs. I’ll get rid of them. They’re dead, see?” I reached down to poke the dead centipede– > > _ **AND IT SKITTERED ACROSS THE WINDOW TOWARD MY DAUGHTER** _ > > Her mouth opened silently for about two seconds, and then the screams started. They didn’t stop for at least ten minutes. I held her and comforted her and reassured her, but inside I was screaming, too. Since my daughter came to me at the age of six and is DEATHLY afraid of all bugs, I truly sympathize. What I say: See, honey? It’s just a spider. Do you know how they make their webs? Yadda yadda. See? he’s not scary at all. He is just hanging out and doing his thing. We don’t need to kill him. What my brain says: Ahh! Ahhh! Get this thing away from me! Ahhh! Why are you not running away? Run away! Ahh! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/31 "2012-06-22T20:53:28Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Aren’t those thing an alien species in the U.S.? I know I saw a buttload of them in our very rustic (read: medieval) rented vacation home in France, and I was relieved that they were in Europe and not the U.S. Then I heard they had migrated here and were to be found in the eastern United States. > > I hope that by the time they expand to California that I’ll be dead of old age. I never want to see one skitter towards my feet as I sit on the john at 2 in the morning ever again. Apparently they are Mediterranean but now in the US. They’re in the far west of Nevada so I’m sure they’ve gotten into California. To the coast Wikipedia says. _Canada_ has them apparently. So, maybe you haven’t seen them, but **they’ve seen you**. I have found two of them in my house. And also a green, “regular-style” segmented centipede. I am gracious: I imprison them in a large glass, then take them outside. And by that I mean drop them out the second story window. They’re arthropods, they can handle it. I get rid of them because they’re freaky, but also because they’re fast and have a venomous bite. I have posted about this before, but I found a [solfugid, aka “camel spider”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solifugae) as well. Now I know those aren’t venomous, but they get evicted for the freaky factor alone. It wasn’t anywhere near as large as the ones shown. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/32 "2012-06-22T21:02:49Z")
We have them. I’m in Toronto. I used to call them demon bugs, because they frigging are. They’re a good argument against the existence-is-good philosophy. Aargh, I know we have many in our basement and they kill other bugs and they’re top predator but they can _live for seven years and see better than humans do!!!_ Only bug that makes me completely nuts. Hate them. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/33 "2012-06-22T22:28:06Z")
They might see UV when we can’t, but that doesn’t mean they see better. Their acuity can’t be very good, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/34 "2012-06-22T22:51:21Z")
I can’t imagine any roach or spider problem so bad that I would welcome a centipede in my home. It seems a problem far worse than the one it’s supposed to solve, on the level of “boy, these rotting corpses in the front yard sure do keep the door-to-door salesmen away.” ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/35 "2012-06-23T00:45:56Z")
I don’t care! I refuse to be rational about centipedes! They keep them for pets in Japan. Bleh. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/36 "2012-06-23T00:50:34Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > I hope that by the time they expand to California that I’ll be dead of old age. I never want to see one skitter towards my feet as I sit on the john at 2 in the morning ever again. I saw one in California (LA burbs) a couple of years ago. A big guy, it was just standing there on my wall, cool as you like. yes, I was a bit freaked out. I went to get something to squash it with and when i got back it had gone. I never saw it again. I had lots of spiders. I didn’t mind them. If you haven’t seen one in California, it is probably just because you are lucky. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/37 "2012-06-23T00:57:43Z")
> [@2gigch1](#): > > House Centipede? I immediately wondered if it’s name was Dobby. Have you considered offering some clothes? My first thought was that perhaps it had an injured leg and walked with a cane. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_C](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/38 "2012-06-23T01:10:21Z")
I think it is telling that I didn’t know what these bugs were called, and several years ago I found the answer by googling “Big fucking scary bug many legs” ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/39 "2012-06-23T01:16:42Z")
I never saw a non-pet congoree(local name) in the USA ever. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915/40 "2012-06-23T01:29:08Z")
Late one night I was awakened by something biting me as I slumbered in my comfortable bed. To make boring story short, it was a house centipede that bit me. First time I’d ever seen one and the fucker bit me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-house-centipede-on-my-closet-wall/625915.md?page=3)