Centipedes - IslandJoan?

Lookin' forward to IslandJoan's story!

My bite was in the middle of the night and the centipede was just a little fellow, 2 and a half inches long. It hurt like heck and when we discovered what it was, I called the hospital to find out what to do! They told me if you start having trouble breathing come in.........I WAS AFRAID TO GO BACK TO SLEEP! Thought I might not wake up agian!
I have seen HUGE ones here in STT! They hide like the scorpions do!

Pass on the 3 cures or remedies too if anyone knows!

OK....centipede bites....HURT LIKE HECK!!!!

I've been bitten only once and I sure hope it was the last. Got bit on my big toe, whilst walking on paving stones thru the grass, at dusk. Never saw the 'pede but sure felt it. Felt like two hot pincers searing into my flesh. I shook my foot and I guess that got rid of him. Went inside, the pain was really the worst I've ever felt from any insect bite. Took some tylenol and also some antihistimine. The pain lasted, no lie, for about 3 hours. It started as a bone deep pain and then after about an hour started throbbing on and off. The next day you would never know I was bit, except for two tiny pinpricks. The day after that, though, my toe started itching like crazy and clear yellowish fluid oozed out all day long. Someone told me to put a salt poultice on it, to draw out the poison. It seemed to help.

Fortunately I did not have an allergic reaction, which I've heard some people have, and that requires medical help. I've heard a story that the one legged homeless dude downtown lost his leg due to centipede bite.

I've heard of folk remedies but cannot remember what they are!!!

This may sound weird but I understand one of the best remidies is WD40. Spray the bite area. I know... I know... I can't believe I'm even suggesting it but I have friends who swear by it.

I've never had a centipede bite and hope I never do as everyone says they are extremely painful.

But Hey.. if I do get bit, I'm trying WD40.. along with the aspirin and antihistimine.

As long as you're going to try WD-40...might as well throw on some Windex, too! (Haha! My Big Fat Greek Wedding reference)

I'm a lurker here, but you guys are really scaring me now. How common are these bites? Centipede's have alwasy freaked me out, but i don't think the ones around here bite...maybe they do?

Where do they hide?

I dunno where they hide, but I've seen maybe three in the last ten years here on STT....

We always put out batches of the "lemon fresh Joy" and water mix for the no-see-ums and at least once a month I'll find a centipede floating in it. Some as large as five inches but usually smaller.

So, last night my husband and I were sitting on opposite ends of our sofa. We both had our legs pulled up, comfy style. I had on long pants with very baggy legs. My husband was wearing shorts. Anyone know where this is going yet?
I felt a little "something" along the inside of my pants leg and just kind of flicked at it. Out came running a centipede, down my leg and up my husbands shorts.
Picture this...he jumped up, and I'm screaming "Drop your pants!" (kinda funny NOW)
The centipede dropped to the floor and scurried around and disappeared. We started moving the sofa back and forth like madmen, and finally I saw it on the arm of the sofa. It was a happy ending for all except the centipede. Our maintenance man is spraying the house inside and out as we speak. I imagine all the rain yesterday had him looking for a dry spot.

I hate centipedes

I moved to StX in September and my 3rd week here I was cooking the dinner rush when I felt something tug at the back of my knee (kneepit). I thought maybe a leg hair snagged on my pants so I just shook my pants a bit. It intensified so I shook the hell out of my pants. Out dropped a 1 1/2 inch centipede baby. The thing was tiny but damn that hurt! Something like a bee sting x 2. I didn't have an allergic reaction but it throbbed, hurt, and got my heart racing. Nothing I could do, just kept on cooking.

Everyone I worked with enlightened me with their "I've lived here for 25 years and never been bit" stories. Loved it.

A lady I work with told me that if you put a dead centipede in a bottle of rubbing alcohol that it leeches the poison out and the mixture remedies the pain that comes with a centipede hit.

Noah

hey Connie and Marty

Centipedes lurk under things - they like dark, cool places. So it's just about guaranteed that any brick, stone or paver that you lift, will have a centipede lurking underneath. They esp. like rotting wood, so if you have wood piles or stuff under a deck or house, that's where they'll be. They come out at night to hunt so you will rarely find them in the daytime. When it gets hot in the summer, they come indoors seeking cool places to beat the heat. People with houses flush to the ground (ie. not raised) and with basements (there are a few out there) will have more of a problem with centipedes than will those who live in second or third floor condos (like me!)

They're just a fact of life here. Get used to killing them cuz you certainly don't want to leave them roaming in your house! And they are fast so walk LIGHTLY if you see one. They actually don't see very well but they feel vibrations. So if you see one, walk slowly and calmly, get your preferred weapon handy and then walk towards them slowly, size up the best approach, and then act decisively! (easier to do with the small ones; if you're faced with a big, thick 8 inch mother you've got your hands full)

You can all see I've researched this topic extensively! Gotta know your enemy!!!

It depends a lot on where you live.
We have had our condo for 3 years now, but have only spent 28 weeks there. Our condo association has an exterminator spray every month and have yet to see one. The condo is at the end of condo row, just before Judith's Fancy. Some call this the North shore, and technically I guess it is, but I consider from Salt River to the light house the "North Shore".
Our friends live in the rain forest, and have them all of the time.

for the big ones, I pick them up with tongs and put them into screw top diet coke bottles so I know they can't get out and take revenge. Just cutting them in half usually means both halves try to crawl away and I don't know how long they can continue to sting. Another option is to drop them into a jar with some rum in it and save them for the "largest centipede contest".

We see lots more of them after heavy rains as they come up from their cracks in the ground and try to find a dry place. One of my sons was stung once on a toe by a small one and he said it hurt pretty badly for a couple hours. My dog has been stung a couple times and she yikes steadily for about 15-20 minutes and limps for half a day.

Or you just MASH the heck out of them. Beat they on the head until they are flattened and their juices are seeping out, and they're done for! Then throw them outside for a lizard or bird to eat.

Crikey, I think I'm just gonna let my girlfriend deal with them from now on!!

Yup, she's got lots of experience 😉

Thanks for the thread Marty. I have been kind of preoccupied and when nobody answered on the other post I kind of forgot about my question.

Wow! Did not expect these answers. I figured they would be compared to mosquito bite or at worse a wasp sting. Shows my ignorance towards centipedes. I'll have to watch out for the little devils.

Here is a picture of a centipede that I took. He was in our garbage can!
Thank goodness he didn't get me!

Nasty creatures. I find several a week at my house.

And they taste like chicken!

So I am guessing these are the cockroaches of the islands? LOL!!!

sherri, you gotta warn us when you post something like that. I almost karate chopped my monitor. God, I hate centipedes.

no they have those as well

Do they serve any useful purpose? Do they eat other things that you don't want around?

I found this during a quick research online (since I am now curious as to whether centipedes serve any useful purpose!):

A centipede is useful in gardens because it feeds on slugs, snails and insects. Another centipede that may be useful around the house - especially for those who dislike spiders - is the House Centipede. They can be seen occasionally scurrying from closets or other hiding places and they will happily eat any spiders and other insects they find. Rather different to the large centipedes found under rocks, this creature is small with very long legs and even longer antennae and final pair of legs.

I'd rather have the slugs, snails and insects!!

And Marty, if you're gonna eat the centipede you'd better make sure it's dead first! YUM!!!!

Sherri: that sure was a scary specimen!!