Centipedes...ugh!

It does seem like a rather odd time of year to write about bugs.  I'll re-post the bunch next summer. With those final pre-winter chores outside you might encounter things like - centipedes. 

Even to folks who are bug-friendly or even bug-tolerant, the centipede seems to be one nasty fellow.  They appear out of nowhere, love to hang under things in your garden and look gruesome!  All those 30 legs flailing away and something in the back of our brain says 'this thing is dangerous'. 

Centipedes are swift and self-reliant.  They make their own way in the world and aren't going to hang around waiting to be picked up.  Centipedes are quite flat so will certainly make their way into your house at times under the door or while on something else.  Your house is not really welcoming to them, however. They need soil and debris, rotting plants and insect prey. 

Centipedes will not damage your house.  Even better, they will not seek to crawl into your ears.  In some parts of the province centipedes are mistakenly referred to as earwigs.  They do have a high squirm factor! 

These predators have poison jaws which they use to paralyze their prey.  They rarely bite people and are most apt to seek escape if you pick one up.  A bite would be painful.  There are about 8000 species of centipedes in the world, including the Amazonian Giant Centipede which is 12 inches long.  Ugh!

They'll be in your garden - might as well leave them to their work!