They look awful but they hunt annoying bugs and they’re not really harmful to people, I don’t mind them too much>_>
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I saw my first ever “house centipede” (Scutigera coleoptrata) here in Taiwan last year. That thing was creepy as hell and moved like lightning. Freaked me out completely. But after calming down a bit and researching it I found out, as IbisWtf says, they don’t really want anything to do with humans, and are actually good to keep around because they eat other nasty pests in your house.
After reading that they’re basically harmless to humans, I cancelled my plans to buy a flamethrower.
I somehow had the nerve to take a photo of the beast…
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The huge scolopendra that came out from under our sofa was not harmless. I believe one like it killed my pet rabbit. TWo bite marks on the neck.
And they do bite people. One crawled up the leg of a school buddy at summer camp in Wanli. Yes, true it didn’t bite her, but that is too close for comfort.
Admittedly they may not be aggressive like some snakes but…not wanting one around inside the home regardless.
They’re similar to those giant fake-mosquitoes: they look dodgy af end collect a lot of hate, but at the end of the day they help us out.
NOT THE HEROES WE NEED, BUT THE HEROES WE DESERVE. Or viceversa.
What are the “giant fake mosquitoes”?
There’s an insect that looks exactly like a mosquito but it’s the size of a butterfly. The first reaction is:
But they’re harmless to us, and they actually kill other insects, including mosquitos.
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I think what Ibis is referring to is the crane fly, commonly known as the “mosquito hawk.”
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exactly those! I didn’t know their name
Thaaaanks, guuuuys. Yeah, I have seen those prehistoric buggers around. My friend calls them the “dengue special.”
That’s an awesome nickname! Unfortunately they don’t transmit any deadly disease.
YET.
Ah, those flies/fake mosquitoes…
The “home centipede” is something that I have seen a lot in GuanYingShan, along with milipedes and the other motherfucker. TBH, those creepies are cool bugs when they are creeping some wall in the mountain, but they make horrible room mates.
Mix dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Ratio depends but usually 1:20 does the trick. Slows down those fast insects so you can dispatch them or take them outside and kills insects if you spray them with a few hits. Works well on huntsmen spiders and centipedes as well as cockroaches and avoids having to spray poison in your house (especially in the kitchen and bedroom)
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Works on wasps too!
When I find myself in a hotel room with larger insects, I mix shampoo, bath gel or soap in a glass with water and douse the creatures. Make sure the soapy mixture is well mixed or it doesn’t work so well. Sometimes a little difficult to hit the fast moving ones but it works in a pinch. Hot water from the electric kettle is also effective.
to be fair millipedes tend to eat rotting dead stuff on the ground. Scavengers, not predators. totally safe. funny info if you google Madagascan giant millipedes and monkeys (or lemurs).
Only the really large scolependra are an issue, lots of small centipedes here which even if they bite are next to harmless. but the big ones are pretty freaky, and i love bugs. Used to keep them as pets, and they are pretty tough. they make quick snacks out of basically anything. if you do ever have a really close encounter, shake off with fast and repeated jerks, they can cling onto things REALLY well, which is how they can take down larger things like bats, birds, lizards etc. Seems like they rarely kill, kids might be a bigger worry but even then just makes for a shitty day or 2.
as a predator, few are better built. thank god they dont get much bigger than a foot…