Centipedes/Gongolas

Gongolos do not bite. They secrete an acid that burns the skin when touched. You were more likely bitten by a centipede. I would say "bitten" rather than "stung" because they have a mouthpiece that releases the venom. Pictures of centipedes can be easily found by doing a search on Google.

My suggestion - get a broom.
Although, in the short time I've been here - at 2 different houses - I've been awakened by having a gongola fall on me -
I have never moved so fast - cursing the whole way - going back to bed with covers pulled tight.
After checking the entire room and ceiling for more.

Tell mom and Warthogmech I send my love! And to hurry up and come back down! Although I will be stateside next weekend.

Hello Alix,

There are pictures of a couple animals & critters in the fauna section at http://vinow.com/general_usvi/flora_fauna/.

🙂

--Islander

Thanks, everyone.....Islander......I was looking for that link and couldn't find it to save my life.....now I know. Appreciate it.

And btw, LINDA....I HAVE a broom!!!!!!!!!

Smart-butt.

I'll tell everyone hi for you.........going to the beach today, I think, with Norfleet and Katherine....girls day....if you are off, you may join!

Big Hugs to all.....

Centipedes pack a powerful punch - my husband, the medic, suggests ice on bite IMMEDIATELY, followed by swift seeking of medical attention. Especially if red and swollen.
The ice slows the spread of the venom.
Word to the wise - apply ice immediately to any kind of bite or sting (mosquito, bee, jack spaniard etc. ) if you get an ice cube on fast enough it will prevent the reaction and prevent sewlling, itching etc. Frozen peas make the best ice pack and you can always fish an ice cube out of your long tall drink.

I had a bat in my house last night.

When we lived at the condos at Carambola golf course, we had bats inside quite often if we left the doors to the gallery open at night. They come swooping in following the bugs that swarm at night and then get confused once inside. We kept a broom handy to sweep them into a dustpan and put them back outside. We found some in the bathroom sinks in the morning now and then. They never did any harm, but they did make us lose some sleep now and then, because we really didn't want to go back to sleep until we got the bats out of the house.

to anyone interested

there is a product on the market called "Bengal", it is an aeresol that you spray in your house and it really works at killing roachs centipedes, and gongolos(?) for up to three months. no joke. finally a wonder spray that actually works. we live in a board house and have had terrible problems with all of the prementioned critters. it seems to work on roachs for the shortest period
of time. but three months after our first application i would still see the occasional curled up dead centipede on the floor. our problems were so bad that i got stung twice in one night by centipedes. But since using "bengal" our problems have gone away.It may be hard to find, but if yhou caLL AROUND YOU WILL PROBABLY find it at a local hardware or nursery. I usually dont stand behind products so strongly but this stuff works really,really,good.

GET SOME

What is a Gongola? Thanks.LA

Gongola schmongola. They're all bugs. Get some raid.

Gongolas are millipedes. There is a huge hatching season each spring and you will see them crawling on the floors, walls, ceilings, etc. You can't sweep them up as fast as they multiply. There have been a couple additional hatchings this summer and fall, fortunately not as abundant as the one in the spring. They crunch under foot in the night and you hope they don't fall on you when they are crawling on the ceiling. They don't hurt anything, they just startle you. Happy sweeping!

They're actually spelled/pronounced "gongolos"

Hello, DL,
I've also heard "gung-go-low".

PT

Yeah that's the pronounciation I was referring to.