Giant scolopendra - how poisonous centipedes live and feed. Is the domestic scolopendra dangerous for humans and how to remove nasty insects from the home

Many people are shocked when they discover in their home an oblong insect with many legs - a centipede (centipede). She can crawl on all surfaces, causing indignation among household members.

The domestic scolopendra is not a pest and is not dangerous to humans. But living under the same roof with a nasty insect is no pleasure for anyone. We have to take all measures to rid the home of uninvited guests.

General information about the insect

Scolopendra belongs to the family of tracheal arthropods. There are about 90 species of millipedes in the order Scolopendra. Most of them prefer to live outdoors, in places with high dampness (under fallen leaves, bark). Only the domestic scolopendra prefers to live in the house.

The insect has a body 2-4 cm long (sometimes up to 6 cm) with a yellowish-gray or brown color. On the back of an adult insect there are three bluish or purple stripes. Long antennae and compound eyes provide the centipede with good vision and orientation in space. The body is flattened, divided into 15 segments. Each of them has 1 pair of legs. The first pair in the process of evolution transformed into ticks. They serve to capture prey. Scolopendra injects paralytic poison into the victim and immobilizes it.

The house centipede is a predatory insect. She eats other insects as well. In houses, scolopendra comes out to hunt at night. She can catch several insects at the same time and slowly eat them one by one.

The female insect lays up to 35 eggs in the summer. To do this, she chooses raw and warm places in the house (behind the baseboard, in the bathroom). Young insects have only 4 pairs of legs. As they grow older, their number increases. Centipedes grow throughout their lives. If legs are lost, they can grow back.

Causes of occurrence in the house

In order for a centipede to appear in a house, ideal living conditions must be created for it. An optimal living environment is created thanks to the following factors:

sufficient food (i.e. other insects in the house);
high humidity and dampness;
comfortable temperature;
darkness.

If all these factors are present at the same time, the likelihood that a centipede will start is very high. The most significant criterion for choosing an insect habitat is humidity.

Is scolopendra dangerous for humans?

There are many types of centipedes, some of them are quite dangerous and poisonous. Basically, insects live in tropical climates and are large in size (up to 80 cm). In some individuals, the number of legs can reach 350 pairs. In addition to insects, they also eat small rodents.

The domestic scolopendra does not pose a mortal threat to humans. She can only bite when she senses danger. The poison that gets into the bite site can cause redness of the skin, swelling, burning, and slight pain. All these symptoms soon disappear. In case of an allergic reaction, an antihistamine should be taken.

House scolopendra:

does not tolerate dangerous diseases;
does not eat food in the kitchen;
avoids meeting a person;
does not settle in things.

Therefore, it can be called a safe insect. It is better to protect yourself from bites, especially for children, people prone to allergies and with weakened immune systems.

How to get rid of it: effective methods

The most global method The fight against the centipede is thorough drying. It does not settle in dry places. It is very difficult to destroy an insect mechanically. The flat body and dense shell reliably protect the scolopendra from blows.

Due to the peculiarities of physiology and lifestyle, many means that are used to kill other insects are not suitable for centipedes. For example, sticky tape may only leave the insect without legs. It will run away, and after some time the legs will grow again. Food baits are also not suitable, since scolopendra eats only live insects.

To combat the scolopendra invasion, first of all, it is necessary to use environmental methods.

General wrestling rules

To force an insect to leave its habitual place, you need to rid it of favorable factors of residence:

Reduce humidity levels in the home. To do this, you need to ventilate the room more often, install ventilation, and a dehumidifier.
Check the serviceability of all pipes, mixers and taps and the presence of condensate on them.
Remove moisture from other surfaces.
Seal all cracks in the bathroom and toilet with silicone.
Fill voids in windows and doorways with polyurethane foam.
Check the local area for the presence of various deposits and sewage. It is in them that centipedes can actively reproduce.
Get rid of other insects in the house by using effective drugs or folk remedies.

Application of insecticides

Important! Poisonous drugs should be used in exceptional cases. Only those products that can be used in residential areas are suitable for killing insects.

Chemical remedies for centipedes:

Medilis-Ziper– concentrate for dilution with water. The prepared solution from a spray bottle is used to treat areas where insects are concentrated.
Starex– an effective spray for spraying cracks.
Raid– aerosol, non-toxic for people. After treating the room with it, you can stay in it. Has a pleasant aroma.
Henkel Combat– an aerosol with an applicator, thanks to which it is easy to inject the product into hard-to-reach places (cracks, ventilation). Has a strong odor.
Globol Original– paste with deltamethrin and diflubenzuron. Apply with caution and out of the reach of children and pets.

For those who prefer natural substances, you can purchase an aerosol based on natural pyrethrin.

Folk remedies and recipes

Most often, the use of chemicals in the fight against insects is abandoned due to children and animals living in the house. In this case, you can use traditional methods.

Boric acid

This substance has a neuroparalyzing effect on most insects. The powder should be poured in places where scolopendra can most often be found (ventilation, drains). How more area process, the better. Boric acid can enter the body of an insect, which will subsequently be eaten by a centipede and also become poisoned. That is, if you have it in the house, for example, you can prepare bait with boric acid.

Cayenne hot pepper, diatomaceous earth powder

Sprinkle pepper where the centipede enters the home. In order for an insect to interact with the powder, it needs to run over it. It would be better if the centipede eats a poisoned insect.

How and with what to remove and stop the proliferation of fungal colonies? We have the answer!

Effective methods for exterminating cockroaches in an apartment using chemicals and folk remedies are described on the page.

Help from professionals

Specialized services are usually contacted only if there are a lot of scolopendras, and all control measures taken independently have not had an effect. Professionals use different means in their work:

thermal effects;
microcapsules of synthetic pyrethroids;
chemicals.

Usually 1 treatment is enough for centipedes to leave the house forever. The only drawback is the high cost of services.

Prevention measures

To prevent centipedes from settling in a residential building, you need to take preventive measures:

Remove away from the house everything that could be a good environment for insects to live (firewood, compost, dry leaves).
If the toilet is located outside, regularly cover it with sawdust and ash.
Maintain order in the house. Remove crumbs, dust, moisture.
Dry and ventilate all utility rooms.
Seal all cracks and holes in the house.
Cover the paths of possible penetration of scolopendras with brown or boric acid.
Close bathrooms and sinks with special stoppers at night.
If the floor in the house is made of wood, it needs to be treated with parquet mastic.

Scolopendra is just an unpleasant-looking insect, but it does not bring much harm. Rather, on the contrary, it rids the house of other insect pests. If being around a centipede causes discomfort, you can get rid of it. The most effective way is to leave the insect without comfortable living conditions and food. To do this, it is necessary to remove other insects, ensure the premises are dry and clean.

The largest centipede on the planet: a fast, incredibly angry and very, very creepy giant centipede!

The giant scolopendra came to this planet, apparently straight from a nightmare. This centipede reaches a quarter of a meter in length, and its body consists of 21–23 sections, each of which is equipped with a pair of fast, dexterous legs 2.5 cm high. Scolopendra giant lives in South America, In Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

The head of the centipede is equipped with strong jaws filled with poison - thanks to this, it is able to hunt animals significantly larger than it in size, for example, bats. In addition, the scolopendra has an irritable and nervous character, which is facilitated by the lack of vision - the animal’s eyes can only distinguish between light and darkness. This makes the centipede rather suspicious, and in response to a threat, it prefers to attack by injecting a paralytic poison into the victim.

When hungry, the scolopendra becomes very aggressive, it is capable of developing great speed when hunting, and the agility and mobility of its body allows it to hunt even small birds. Scolopendra devours the victim gradually, as it digestive system it is arranged very primitively. For example, once researchers observed her eating a killed bat - in 3 hours she devoured and digested about 35% of the victim’s body.

The giant scolopendra is included in the list of the most dangerous animals. In addition, she has a repulsive appearance and has one unpleasant feature - it is not at all afraid of people. It is a cold-blooded predator that hunts not only small invertebrates and beetles, but also lizards, birds, mice and frogs.

Types of centipedes

There are about 600 species of these predators in the world. They belong to the genus of labiopods from the order Scolopendra. Prominent representatives These animals are the Californian scolopendra, ringed scolopendra and Lucas scolopendra. The first reaches 20 centimeters in length and is found in arid regions of Mexico and the United States. This species has one unpleasant feature - when disturbed, the animal causes inflammation of human skin at the point of contact with the limbs of this centipede. At rest, the Californian scolopendra is not dangerous.

The ringed scolopendra is found in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, in Southern Europe, North Africa and in the south of Russia. It is widespread in Crimea. The average body length is 14 centimeters, but some individuals reach 170 millimeters. This species has a beautiful golden yellow color. Like other members of the Scolopenridae family, the ringed scolopendra has venom glands.

The largest of the centipedes is Scolopendra gigantea.

The giant scolopendra, reaching an average of 25-26 centimeters, is the most major representative family Scolopendridae. Cases of catching animals 30 centimeters long have been described. The habitat of this predator is tropical forests Central and South America, the islands of Trinidad and Jamaica, Venezuela.

Lifestyle

Giant scolopendra, like all other representatives of the genus of centipedes, is thermophilic and lives exclusively in countries with warm or tropical climate. This is a nocturnal predator that feels uncomfortable in open spaces during the day. All scolopendras run very fast, but the giant one is especially swift.

Scolopendras live mainly underground or in shelters, since their body does not have strong protection and quickly loses moisture.

She prefers to hunt small underground invertebrates: larvae, earthworms and beetles. Giant centipede can catch and kill small lizards, frogs, birds, mice and even small snakes. The predator also catches bats. To do this, she climbs onto the ceiling where the victim sleeps, holds on to the surface with several claws, and attacks with her front legs, wrapping around bat and injecting poison into her.

Scolopendras are bright individualists and prefer to live alone. However, the meeting of two males most often occurs quite peacefully. Cannibalism occurs in this species of centipede. Most often this happens in captivity, when a hungry adult is able to eat the young. In nature, this happens quite rarely.

Anatomy

The scolopendra's body consists of two parts: the head and a long body. It is divided into segments. Their number varies from 21 to 23. All of them are equipped with a pair of light yellow legs that end in a pointed spine. Their average length is 2.5 centimeters. Each of them has a poison gland. Therefore, when the legs of a scolopendra come into contact with human skin, inflammation occurs.

The head is a plate with eyes, two antennae and a pair of jaws. During the evolution, the legs of the first segment of the scolopendra's body turned into poisonous claws.

The last pair of legs is also different from the rest - they are larger in size and directed backwards. The hind legs help the animal when moving through earthen burrows and during hunting, acting as a kind of anchor.

Giant scolopendra has a beautiful copper-red or brown color. Color can vary from yellowish to red, blue, green and purple. The color of an animal changes with age, and even among individuals of the same species it can differ significantly.

The predator's body consists of plates that are interconnected by flexible membranes and protected by an exoskeleton. Giant scolopendra is a soft-bodied animal. This type of centipede, like many invertebrates, has to shed its chitinous exoskeleton, which does not grow, from time to time. This process is called molting.

The giant scolopendra, whose bite is extremely painful for humans, is often kept in captivity by centipede lovers. She is interesting to watch, but needs to be kept with caution - she is a fast and aggressive animal. Inexperienced lovers are better off abandoning such a dangerous “pet” because of the very likely possibility of being bitten. Since centipedes are flat and flexible, they can squeeze into a small gap and escape from the terrarium. They live in captivity for a long time - up to 7 years.

Needs to be maintained relatively high humidity soil and air - animals are very sensitive to this indicator.

Scolopendras in captivity feed on cockroaches, mealworm larvae and crickets. They eat slowly and infrequently. It is recommended to give them food 1-2 times a week.

What are the dangers of meeting a centipede?

The danger of these predators is greatly exaggerated. All centipedes have venomous glands that produce poison, but many of them are harmless to humans because they simply cannot bite through the skin. These are cryptops, or blind centipedes, and drupes. A flycatcher living in houses can bite only for the purpose of self-defense. Most often, her jaws cannot bite through the skin. But if this happens, the bite will be equal in strength to a bee.

What does a scolopendra bite look like? It depends on the type of centipede. When the animal bites through the skin, it releases poison, which causes burning, pain and swelling. The bite may also be accompanied by nausea and dizziness.

The venom of the giant scolopendra is especially toxic. It causes severe swelling (the arm may swell up to the shoulder) and high temperature. These symptoms persist for several days.

Video: Scolopendra catches and eats a mole cricket

The only documented case of death from a scolopendra bite is the death of a child from the venom of Scolopendra subspinipes. This species has several names: Chinese, Vietnamese or orange centipede.

Some species of these predators, when disturbed, secrete a protective fluid that causes burns when it comes into contact with the skin. For example, the Californian scolopendra has this feature.

After a centipede bite, you need to wash the wound, apply cold water and consult a doctor. Usually, analgesic drugs are prescribed and tetanus is prevented.

Female centipedes pose the greatest danger (they are more poisonous) to small children, people with weakened immune systems, and people with allergies.

How to protect yourself from being bitten in nature

You can't take scolopendra bare hands. In scolopendra habitats, it is not recommended to spend the night outside a tent. When putting on shoes and clothes, you should first inspect them. You need to be careful when turning over stones. It should be remembered that the centipede is not an insect, and fumigators do not affect it.

Facts: all the most interesting things about the predatory centipede

It is difficult to kill this predator. Firstly, all types of centipedes run very fast. Secondly, they are so flat that they simply press into the ground, and it is almost impossible to crush them.
Even the ancient Greeks called all types of centipedes scolopendras.
IN South Africa Rhizida lives - blue scolopendra.
In Thailand and Africa, these animals are eaten.

Nature is amazingly diverse. A huge number of bizarre, beautiful or terrible-looking animals and insects live on our planet. The ecosystem needs them to maintain a certain balance in nature. Centipedes also play their own role. They belong to the genus of labiopods, the order Scolopendra. Scolopendra is a carnivore, poisonous insect, which is not afraid of people, but prefers not to meet them of their own free will. They can have different sizes.

Habitats

A description and photo of scolopendra can be found on the website. It is advisable to do this for those people who are going on trips to warm or tropical countries. It is there that the centipede and tropical scolopendra grow to gigantic sizes and pose a real danger to humans. Their body length reaches 26-30 cm. There are individuals up to 45-50 cm. Therefore, the question of where centipedes live is interesting for humans. They can be found on the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, and in the north and west of South America.

Note!
These centipedes are usually distributed in the tropics and subtropics, as they are heat-loving. There are about 600 species of scolopendra and only a few varieties are found in Southern Europe, the Mediterranean regions, Transcaucasia, Central and South Asia, and the Far East.

Basically, real scolopendras are found in the upper layers of the soil, under stones, lying logs, in rock crevices and other secluded corners, where humidity is maintained during the hot season, and no one can disturb them. A natural question arises as to whether the poisonous centipede can be found in places with colder climates and, if so, where this predatory insect lives in Russia. There are different types insects, some of which live in the Russian Federation.

Types of predators

Typical representatives of this order of centipedes are the ringed scolopendra, Californian scolopendra and Lucas scolopendra. But there are other varieties of these predators, which are their closest relatives.

Californian. Has green and is classified as a giant, since its body size reaches 20 centimeters. Lives in arid regions of Mexico and the USA. Whether scolopendra is dangerous for humans in normal conditions can be seen by observing the predator in the wild. In a calm environment, the centipede does not pose any threat, but in case of danger, running its numerous legs over a person’s skin causes inflammation at the site of contact. For all time, only one death of a seven-year-old child in the Philippines has been recorded from the bite of this poisonous centipede.
Ringed centipede. Found in Mediterranean countries, Southern Europe, North Africa, southern region Russia. It is widespread in Crimea. The body length is from 14 to 17 centimeters. Scolopendra is painted in a beautiful golden yellow color, but is also poisonous, like its relatives.
Vietnamese. This representative is distinguished by its highlight glowing liquid, smelling of phosphorus, which severely burns the skin and causes inflammation. The bite of the Scolopendra subspinipes insect produces a wound up to 1.5 cm in diameter and 5 mm in depth. The toxin is similar in action to viper venom. The wound bleeds for a long time, since a special substance is injected along with the poison that prevents blood clotting. There is an increase in temperature to 39-40 degrees and an increase in the bitten limb several times. The injured person must be immediately given an antiallergic drug and taken to the nearest hospital.
African scolopendra. She can make noise with her hind legs in the form of chirping and crackling noises to scare away enemies. The individuals themselves do not react to this sound in any way.
Blind poisonous centipedes Cryptops live in the upper layers of the soil. They, like moles, practically never appear on the surface. These small yellow-brown scolopendras, 3–4 cm long, can be found in steppe regions and on garden plots even in Moscow latitudes. They do not pose a danger, since the weak jaw apparatus cannot bite through human skin. In the tropical region there are various species of these insects, which are colored different colors, ranging from green to purple shades.
Drupes (Lithobiomorpha) are small relatives of centipedes. They can accidentally get into the stomach with fruit or crawl into a sleeping person’s nose or ear, but this happens very rarely. Mainly found in cities near damp foundations.
The Scutigera coleoptrata has 15 pairs of long legs and long antennae. Scolopendra is a nocturnal insect, but this species can be seen during the day on the wall of a house. Preys on flies and other small insects. Tolerates dry air best of all species, although in the hottest daytime tries to hide in cover. Scolopendra of this species is capable of being active at more low temperatures, which provides it with advantages in hunting over other insects. Today it is rarely seen in Crimea. The black scolopendra also belongs to the scutiger class.

Appearance

You can see what a scolopendra looks like in colorful photos. It consists of the head and long body, divided into 21 or 23 parts. Each segment has a pair of 2.5 cm light yellow legs with a pointed spine at the end. A poisonous gland is located in each leg.

The back pair of legs is different from all the others large size and backward direction. This helps the centipede to move well in the ground and stay in in the right position while hunting.

The insect is often called the centipede and centipede. But how correct this is from a scientific point of view, it is difficult for an ignorant person to understand this issue. So what is the difference between a centipede and a centipede? Based on the popular name, it has forty legs. But in reality, these insects have from 15 to 171 pairs of legs.

Note!
Centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so real life centipedes are not found. Predators run very fast, they can even jump, trying to hide from the enemy.

The centipede's head is a plate with eyes, two antennae and front legs, which have turned into jaws, consisting of 6 parts. The extreme segment is a sharp claw, curved inward and connected to the venom gland channel. Through a hole in the claw, a toxin is released, which paralyzes the victim. A completely natural question arises about why scolopendra is dangerous. After its bite in a person, the poison causes severe pain, swelling, numbness and inflammation appear at the bite point. The pain syndrome lasts from two hours to several days.

Reproduction and nutrition

The centipede is a predator and a good hunter. Therefore, it is clear what scolopendra eats. Like any predator, it eats small worms, beetle larvae, flies, and insects. Large individuals are capable of attacking small lizards, frogs, birds, mice, snakes and even bats.

Interesting!
Scolopendras eat for a long time, thoroughly digesting their food and interrupting their meals several times during the entire process of eating. They can feed on large prey for several days.

Scolopendra reproduction occurs in warm time year. This period lasts from late spring to early summer. The male covers the entrance to his home with a web and deposits a sac of sperm called a spermatophore on it. The female then crawls over this sac, capturing it to fertilize the eggs. In Crimea there are species that reproduce parthenogenetically without males.

The female exhibits maternal instinct by guarding the laid eggs for several weeks by wrapping her legs around them. At this time, it releases substances that protect against the development of mold. After the young offspring appear, the female leaves. Scolopendras are born white and soft, then they molt several times, darken and begin an independent life. Centipedes live 1-2 years, large relatives can live up to 7 years, usually in captivity.

Scootigers

In Russia there are centipedes that do not pose such a threat as tropical representatives. The domestic scolopendra, which lives in human homes, is practically harmless. It even brings benefits by eating flies, moths, cockroaches, bedbugs, and ants. It reaches a length of 2-6 cm. The scolopendra bites only for self-defense. Its jaws are very weak and cannot bite through human skin. But if this does happen, then the predator’s bite is as painful as that of a bee.

To prevent infection from the centipede's paws from getting into the wound, the bite site should be treated with ammonia, a solution of manganese, and an antiallergic drug should be taken.

Ways to fight

Scolopendra domestica, a photo of which can be seen on the website, thrives in humid, warm, dark rooms with enough food, suitable temperature. mechanically is very difficult, since the flat shape of the body and shell reliably protect from external influences.

To combat domestic scolopendra, modern broad-spectrum insecticides, folk remedies, such as boric acid, cayenne pepper, and the help of professionals are used. But the most important thing is to remove the reasons why centipedes appeared:

get rid of mold and moisture in the house;
seal all cracks in windows, doors and floors;
clean up the living space;
remove other insects.

Some exotic lovers want to have a home. Those wishing to purchase one pet need to know everything necessary information before you dare to do something like this:

how much does scolopendra cost?
under what conditions should it be kept?
what precautions to take;
what to feed.

Then the owner and the centipede will coexist comfortably and safely side by side.

Despite the fact that in lately Scolopendras are gaining popularity as pets; for most people, these creatures are extremely unpleasant.

The sight of a scolopendra is truly frightening. This is not an ordinary centipede, but a creature with long legs and a segmented chitinous skeleton.

Centipedes that live in houses and apartments are more correctly called common flycatchers. In a sense, flycatchers are even useful in everyday life - they catch flies, cockroaches, fleas, moths, and spiders.

Such centipedes are not too dangerous for humans, they can rather frighten. An angry flycatcher moves very quickly, and if it comes into contact with a person’s skin, it can sting, but this sting is no more dangerous than a bee sting.

In the southern regions there are also ringed scolopendras, which can reach 10-15 cm in length. These are much more dangerous guests that can cause unpleasant burns.

If you are not happy with such guests, then first of all you need to remove all the cracks in the walls, reduce the humidity, which attracts these creatures, try to better ventilate the room and better illuminate it. Centipedes themselves can only be caught mechanically. The problem is that their chitinous layer is very strong, so it is not easy to kill a centipede. It is better to catch it in a jar and release it as far from home as possible.

Dangerous exotic

The giant scolopendra can be truly dangerous to humans. This creature can reach 25 cm in length. Not only is the bite of a giant scolopendra poisonous, but also a simple touch to human skin. Its body consists of 21-23 segments; it can be conditionally divided into the head and torso.

Each of the scolopendra's 36-40 legs contains poison, so a disturbed creature running across a person's skin leaves serious burns.

A person who has had such contact with any tropical scolopendra is guaranteed severe swelling of the contact site, fever and temperature above 38. The swelling can last a week or two; upon contact with the most poisonous specimens, tissue necrosis may begin. There are also cases where scolopendra venom caused paralysis, muscle spasms, vomiting and interruptions in heart function.

There is a scale for the pain of insect bites, with a bee sting taken as the starting point on the scale. So, contact with scolopendra is about 20 times more painful.

Scientists have already refuted the idea that a scolopendra bite can cause death. However, if you come into contact with the venom of this creature, you should immediately consult a doctor.