Anybody know what these things are, why I am finding them dead on my floor, and most importantly, are they likely to have a lot of friends living in my walls or something?
They’re maybe 2 cm long or so…
And while I’m at it, how about this one?
ugh, that one’s long dead and I still cringe when I look at it :s
Top ones are millipedes. Harmless. Bottom one is a scarab. They call 'em golden turtle beetles or something here.
Thanks for the quick ID!
Do the millipedes usually come in packs? I’ve found 3 in two days and had never seen them before that… and I’m up fairly high (7th floor), with no balcony and my only plant is some bamboo stalks in water. Oh well, I suppose it could be worse, millipedes are nowhere near the top of my list of bugs I don’t want find in my apartment.
That scarab sucker though, I’m glad I only found one of those. That thing looked like it would have made quite a splat if I’d smushed it. Fortunately it got stuck on its back and couldn’t get away from my bug spray 
I’m just waiting for the day I find the first cockroach in my apartment. I know it’s inevitable, but that won’t be a good day…
Yes, millipedes are often found in swarms.
But why kill those beautiful jewel-like scarabs? They’re totally harmless, they don’t live inside houses, they don’t create infestations like roaches. Just scoop it onto a bit of paper if you don’t want to touch it and throw it out the window.
Hey, maybe this should be in the other thread, but I’ll try here.
Doc 'Dacus (Curse you, webslinger!!)™ or anyone else, is there any way to predict exactly when Bug Night will be?
You know, that one night in June when those little tiny gold bugs with the huge wings swarm and infiltrate the house?
It’s always the first week in June, always Computex week, but I’ve never really checked the dates.
Last week in Tianmu there were a lot of those big brown flies that look like overgrown mosquitoes. They were swarming around the lights of the shop windows. They remind me of crane flies, but I don’t think that’s what they are.
[quote=“sandman”]harmless.[/quote] It’s good to know because up until now they scared me a little. Not like very scared, but scared enough that I would not touch one. I thought they were a mini version of the large centipedes found up north. These things have a really nasty bite from what I read, and I thought the little guys were the same except on a smaller scale. Like a bee sting or something, which hurts enough as it stands. Harmless? You sure?
marboulette
[quote]Centipedes and millipedes are distant relatives of lobsters, crayfish and shrimp. Unlike their marine cousins, centipedes and millipedes are land dwellers, but they do prefer moist habitats or areas of high humidity.
Centipedes and millipedes do not carry diseases to man or to his animals and plants. They are usually considered nuisances rather than destructive pests. Centipedes pose an occasional threat to man because they have poison glands and will bite. Millipedes occasionally damage seedling plants by feeding on stems and leaves [/quote]
How’s that for an answer?
Quoted from J. W. Stewart Extension Entomologist The Texas A&M University System
Millipedes are harmless, although some of the big forest ones can release a nasty smell when you pick them up. They’re veggies.
Centipedes are carnivores and they “bite” using specially adapted front legs. They have only one set of legs per body section, unlike your millipedes. The ones here are usually slate grey with orange legs.
A good nip from a big one will swell your arm up like a balloon and put you in the hospital. Nasty fuckers.
I think you mean the flying ants that come out en-masse every year during Spring after heavy downpours…for some reason they are attracted to light aswell.
I think you mean the flying ants that come out e-masse every year during Spring after heavy downpours…for some reason they are attracted to light aswell.[/quote]
I should have took a picture, but I don’t think these were ants. These are about the size of a 50NT coin.
Both good answers. Thanks, I’m feeling better about the little guys now. I usually killed them because I was afraid that they would either bite my dogs or me. In the old house I saw them all the time out the back door, but we had an open sewage right there. I haven’t seen them around this house yet. If I do, I’ll show mercy.
As for flying ants, I believe it’s something they do when their nests get too big. Some of them grow wings and become queens of new colonies wherever they land after their flight and after loosing their wings. Pretty cool stuff. And yes, they can be huge because they are queens.
marboulette
Actually I have observed them coming out about this time every year straight after thunderstorms and heavy downpours, they seem to sense the change in the weather and emerge almost immediately afterwards, usually more than once so let’s see if they come out after the next heavy shower. You are right that they are mating and looking for new nests.
I took a picture of the one Dr.Coy spotted last week…
I’ve been battling Weevils. These pantry pests get into my cereals, rice, bread, pet food and other dry grain and wheat products. They just appeared about a month ago. They can spread ecoli. They even invaded my parmesan cheese. 
Anyone had any luck getting rid of these little bastards? I don’t want my pets to get sick either, I can’t keep buying new pet food and human food because they just keep appearing.
My mom used to put a stick of Wrigley’s Spearmint gum in the flour canister and it kept all critters away. I don’t know why.
[quote=“whitetiger”]
I’ve been battling Weevils. These pantry pests get into my cereals, rice, bread, pet food and other dry grain and wheat products. They just appeared about a month ago. They can spread ecoli. They even invaded my parmesan cheese. Anyone had any luck getting rid of these little bastards? I don’t want my pets to get sick either, I can’t keep buying new pet food and human food because they just keep appearing.[/quote]
We had weevils 2 years ago. Didn’t have a clue where they came from, did a little research about them, checked everything we had bought recently and it turned out that they had came from the brown (whole) rice that I had bought. Apparently their eggs are laid inside grains and they hatch later. Although they had gotten into many things, by identifying their source it was easier for us to get rid of them.
Good luck with them, have a look through any rice/grains that you’ve bought recently.
BugNight is always scheduled around Computex, so I predict that it will be the fiorst week of June again this year.
Blame the Intelligent Designer.