Centipedes

I think some places have them worse than others. We used to spray ourselves monthly but now we have a pest control company do it. Since then we see very few. I only see them in the house now when it is dry and then we find them in the pool, bathtubs and in the planters. When we do see them in the house they are usually dying. Awful creatures.

Centipedes are definitely all over stx, can't speak for the rest of the islands. You will see different and more bugs closer to the rain forest, but the whole islands has plenty to go around.

Just get a good bug guy and you will hardly see them. Gongolos (millepedes) are another story. Nothing kills them but they are harmless. Those do seem to be worse in different areas. I'll sweep up about 5 to 7 over the coarse of a week.

Its a humid tropical enviroment, critters love it!

I don't think you can live here and see them...just the way they move crawls your blood....we bought that big thing of bug spray from Gallow's Bay Hardware...like the 17 dollar one...i just go through the house and spray all the corners and doorways etc...Thank God so far the only ones we find in the house are dead...fortunately they don't hold up well to any kind of bug spray....saw one outside and it ran under some boxes...all I could find was mosquito spray...so i sprayed around the boxes like crazy...he came out and died.

Nothing on the island makes people "get up and go" like a centipede. I once saw a an entire band (The OutLaws at Full Moon) clear the stage for one. People of all ages will jump up, holler, and run like a bat out of hell.

Centipedes have a lot of spunk and can be pretty aggressive. I have seen them cut in have and both ends will still chase you down.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who hates these creatures. My ex husband once thought it would be funny to chase me with one of these. I ran from the top of Maho, down ALL the stairs and in to the water. He brought it all the way down there and still thought it was funny. I stayed in the water for at least 30 min before deeming the situation safe. I should have known then that he wasnt the man for me!!:-X
Just the appearance creeps me out never really had a bad run in with them to justify the fear.

I hardly ever see them where I live. Once in a great while, I'll see one on the road when I walk the dog but I've never had one inside (knock on wood.) I live on the dryer side of STT if that makes any difference.

I killed a scorpion in the house last night, but I seem to be the only person here with a persistent scorpion problem. I haven't had much trouble with other creepy crawlies. I've seen the small fuzzy fast -pedes and the large smooth ambling -pedes, but I can't count their feet so I don't know which are the ones with bites to worry about. Any advice is appreciated -- photos and/or links are welcome too.

If I remember correctly, Big Beard's used to have a contest once a year. Awards were given for the biggest, ugliest and so fort. They would place pictures of the winners in the Avis and keep the winners on display in their store.

These are the ones I dislike. All those legs! Closeup video taken at Maho Bay...

http://vimeo.com/155005

So is that a video of a centipede or a millipede? And is that the -pede with the problem bite?

Nannerz,

I don't have a picture (only in my mind), but the ones on STX that I remember are a lot meaner looking. They are reddish/brown. Their bodies were thick and round. Almost looked like a braided rope. Guaranteed to make Forrest Run!!!

Yikes, these are the only ones I had the pleasure of trying to avoid. I called them centipedes, as did everyone there, but we are no bug experts. At maho, I woke one morning to find a huge trail of blistered skin on my belly. I know these things secrete some sort of fluid that causes the skin to blister. So, I had a had time getting over the fact that one of these most likely crawled over me at night. Yuck. But that was Maho, and maho is really among the elements compared to most places on STJ. Now that there is a possibility if uglier and meanier centipedes:-o...I'm sticking the the "Things I love about the USVI" thread.

Out of sight, out of mind...

Didnt think centipedes really did chase you until the other night i swear one chased me. i ran out of my flipflops and so i didnt have any defense left. had to call the calvary to come and kill it. IT WAS AFTER ME!!!! for tru

Chickens seem to help keep them away from our house. use bug bombs once in awhile also and that seems to kill them.

I know someone who sprays with strong vinegar. She said it is safer for pets and plants and the smell does not linger long.

....Centipedes have a lot of spunk and can be pretty aggressive. I have seen them cut in have and both ends will still chase you down.

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT FOR TRUE !!!!:-o

That video is of a millipede...the bad one....the one that causes the rash (from a cyanide like substance)....not the ones harmless ones (black and yellowish) that Betty described

....Didnt think centipedes really did chase you until the other night i swear one chased me. i ran out of my flipflops and so i didnt have any defense left. had to call the calvary to come and kill it. IT WAS AFTER ME!!!! for tru....

dixie chick.....NOW you believe me when i say they chase you............they really really do

the centipede youngsters are more REDbrown.....
the elders are of a more brownish red.....

JAH i am getting duck bumps just thinking about them.

if i were to make a list of the 10 things i disliked about st. croix when i lived there.....1-10 would be centipedes.

guidance

I wonder if this is a St Croix thing, because I have seen gongolos, but never centipedes on St Thomas. I have seen exactly two scorpions, both in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn. Maybe they all moved over to dnt's house! 😉

I chopped a centipede in half with a machete and the front end grabbed the back end and carried it off. My son JJ is a great centipede spotter. I always take him outside when I am gardening. Last Saturday he saved me 3 times. The last one he saw was huge and crawling right up my shovel. He said, "Look out mom. There's a great big stripped one coming right at your hand". It is amazing how far I can throw a shovel.

I'll be back in STT in August. Maybe we should start a Centipede Fearing Support Group. haha. At least there aren't snakes or bears or alligators!

Um...Nannerz...We DO have snakes...

I'm with EE. I see gongolos all the time but they're harmless. Only have seen one little scorpion in my place & he was easily disposed of. Might be more creepy crawlies on the north side where it's damper.

Thanks for the clarification Yearasta. This year for the first time I have lots of the small fuzzy little -pedes, but I don't think they're the problem -pedes, and they're easily squashed.

EE, I don't know why my place is party central for the island's scorpions. 😀

nanners pic is a millipede. Harmless as far as I know.

Centipedes are much nastier looking!! Not fussy black, more redish brown/black and FAST. The only time we see any is digging in the dirt. Never in the house.

Scorpions? Have not heard of much problem with those.

One area on STX has Tarantula spiders. I had heard this a few times and once while driving up Rust Op Twist rd I saw a huge one cross the rd. They seem to like the swampiness of the area and maybe the ruins. We were once interested in a parcel of land behind the mill until we were told the ruins were the old slave quarters, "hospital", and burial grounds. Permitting would have been a nightmare to build!

East Ender,
It's been a while since I lived on STJ, has there been an increase in no legged creatures? I can deal with a mild snake population, but it's one of the reasons I originally picked STJ/STT over other tropical homes.

Im starting to think I might be a bit wimpy.