Three inch centipede makes it into the house.

[Baitball Blogger]

That's the downside of bringing patio items into the house whenever a hurricane blows in. You never know what else comes in.

I had seen my first giant centipede a few days ago when something had knocked over an orchid basket. I went to fill the basket with fir bark and noticed what had to be a large centipede all curled up. It was the first one I had seen around here and just made a mental note to research to determine if I should exterminate it, but then, things happened and I forgot about it.

So, when we began to bring in the plants, my husband took that particular orchid basket and put it in the outside bathroom. I warned him to be wary of the centipede when the time came to return everything back after the storm blows over. No point in doing that after the bathroom was already stuffed with plants and other garden items. And I wasn't sure it was still in the basket, but I had no desire to go looking for it. Plenty time for that later.

So tonight, my husband steps out of the room during a tv break (Yes, we're watching t.v! The power is still up! Dorian is a very quiet hurricane this far inland.) And I hear, "uh, baitball, your centipede is in the house." I go and see a three inch dark item on the floor, which I would have easily stepped on and I say. "That's not my centipede. Mine was longer."

Luckily, this was a very trained centipede and it voluntarily walked into the plastic cup my husband offered. He whisked it back (way back) to a wooded area and let it go.

No idea how I managed to live here for 25 years before seeing one, much less 2 giant centipedes. But it isn't even the yuckiest thing I have come across.

[hlthe2b]

1. I'm cool with centipedes, lizards, geckos, toads

Keep it at that and we've got no problems.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. One day a large centipede scurried across my living room floor

and my cat chased after it and pinned it with his paw, and then ate it. Crunch, crunch, crunch.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Aren't these dangerous to animals?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. Some of the larger ones are venomous but this was just an ordinary Minnesota centipede,

none of which are dangerous to people or pets.

[CentralMass]

5. Good kitty.

[applegrove]

6. Disease and bugs and critters are on the move due to climate change.

We now have line disease where i live.

[happybird]

7. We had lots of those freaky guys in our last house

Some were so large, they carried their hind end curled up and over their back, like a scorpion. Yikes.

Nothing quite compares to flipping on the bathroom light and seeing one of those giant hairy suckers sitting right next to the switch plate.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. It's possible I inadvertently brought it in with s

A plant purchase. It was s ten year old stunted cleyera in a huge pot that I plan to work into a bonsai. I have been manipulating the branches but won’t disturb the roots till Spring. Lots of insect life was on that plant including baby centipedes. Maybe even the two mature centipedes? Do they cluster in families?

[happybird]

15. Not sure if they live in groups?

We were in a house built in 1880 that had a damp stone cellar with a dirt floor. We think they were coming up from the cellar. When it rained we'd see more of them in the house.

Your plant sounds a likely suspect, especially since you saw babies on it!

Do you make many bonsais? I love them but have never tried to create one. Is it difficult?

[Baitball Blogger]

18. I am self-teaching. Just started this year.

I killed the first three attempts. You have to be patient, and I am not as patient as I thought I was. My mistake was that I know the size I want to end up with, so I looked for junipers with two inch trunks. (ten dollars a plant isn't too much to risk) I also had an idea of the shape I wanted and here is where I made my biggest mistakes. I tortured the plant and used every bonsai technique including branch splitting AND, I trimmed back the roots. Actually, I did it as a two step process but didn't give the plant enough time to recover. The plants looked like they were bouncing back from the first manipulation, but I only gave them a couple months before I tried to manipulate them again. That's where I made my mistake.

So, lessons learned.

(1) Look for young supple plants that you can manipulate. Most people start with junipers, but they are hard to keep alive when you take them indoors because they like full sun. Boxwood is better. (I just used plants I had around the house and I am having great success.)

(2) If you want to thicken the lower trunk quickly, wire the plant if you like, but only mildly trim back the roots. Then plant it in the ground where its roots can spread freely. Also, you need to put the roots in a strainer so the roots can escape through the holes. Makes it easier to pick the plant out of the ground and trim the roots without killing the plant.

If DU had a bonsai forum, I would take the trouble of learning how to easily post photos.

[Zambero]

8. If one allows that particular bug to take up residence in their house

After a while it would be the only bug in the house!

[pansypoo53219]

9. i will take snow + ice over bugs + hurricanes.

[zanana1]

10. I'm with you! nt

[Paladin]

12. They get up to the 7"-8" range in our neighborhood.

Word is that their sting can put you in the hospital---that may be hyperbole, but I'm doing my best to stay out of their way.

[Baitball Blogger]

13. Florida?

[Paladin]

14. Texas Red-Headed Centipede.

Google for a look---they're pretty colorful.

[Fla Dem]

16. This post definitely deserved a photo.

I live in NE Fla and have seen my share of centipedes. I occasionally will find one on my lanai deck. I'll remove it to the woods before my cat sees it and kills it.

I guess there are some venomous centipedes, but the common house centipede can be quite beneficial.
House centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) tend to lurk in the humid areas of homes looking for prey, including cockroaches, termites, spiders, and silverfish.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. I thought of taking a photo, but I was really creeped out.