[Music]
this is the reason why you should never
stand on a centipede if you find one in
your home with their multiple legs long
bodies and twitchy feelers centipedes
aren't the prettiest bugs indeed these
critters can scare people so much that
their first reaction is to reach for the
bug spray before you do that however
there's something about centipedes you
should know they may not be winning any
beauty contests but these little
monsters are actually pretty incredible
and not just because they can turn grown
men and women into shrieking banshees to
start with a single fascinating fact
they actually have no backbones the
centipedes that is not the screaming
humans otherwise known as scoot Agera
coleoptrata no matter what they deal at
NIH's dydt the common house centipede is
an arthropod this means that not only
does the creature have jointed legs and
no spinal column but he also has thick
skin incredibly thick skin in fact one
of the defining characteristics of
arthropods is their exoskeletons the
solidified shell casing or chitin makes
them as tough as a tank in their world
so despite being widely hated and feared
by humans centipedes have a lot going
for them diversity for one yes so called
house centipedes aren't in fact just one
species they're actually a group of
similar species though most of them have
a yellowish tint to their segmented
bodies what's more their bodies are
designed to confuse not only our
centipede legs long in comparison to
their torsos but so are their antennae
as a result the critters may appear to
be double the length that they actually
are and those legs aren't just for show
either yep a centipede can really move
their little limbs can take them across
surfaces and up to 1.3 feet per second
from a standing start furthermore it
isn't just floors that they can scurry
across walls and ceilings won't stop
their spread ziza as these creepy
crawlies can cling to sheer surfaces
centipedes are more than used to
traveling to technically the little
stowaways are on permanent vacation
since they originally come from the
Mediterranean region moreover this
detail explains why they make their way
into homes and it's not to scare humans
despite what you may think centipedes
like humid environments and they love
the fact that you keep your home warm
for them they often come out of hiding
from their compost heaps or piles of
garbage debris when the weather cools
humans aren't the most hospitable Bunch
though we get these hellacious suckers
in our apartment like clockwork
around the change of season one Ars
Technica forum user wrote back in August
of 2001 I'm sorry but nothing that big
with that many legs should have any
right to be anywhere near a house die
die die and it would seem that many
people agree with this opinion I'm so
afraid of centipedes that if I see one I
will literally burst into tears hey
Chicago now blogger wrote in February of
2014 then I start looking for a can of
hairspray or bug spray and I go to town
actually a lot of people with chilla
pata phobia a fear of centipedes think
the arthropods will pose a threat to
them some people even believe that the
critters have a venomous bite yet while
it's true that centipedes have venom how
centipedes can't really hurt humans they
can sting but only do so as a last
resort and the effect is no more severe
than that of a bee sting in fact the
creatures struggle to even pierce human
skin they'd rather run in the opposite
direction since a human is like a living
Mountain to them centipedes are smart
enough to recognize danger yet while
humans have no need to fear centipedes
the same cannot be said for other bugs
and insects how centipedes are
insectivores they eat other household
pests and it's this that actually makes
them good houseguests they pay rent by
eating your spiders and unwanted squishy
squatters plus not only do they make a
meal of the things that you don't like
but they're very good at it too and
that's another time when their longlegs
come into play they hold their food
sometimes including several victims at
once
while they deliver their venom
incidentally one other thing that people
get wrong about how centipedes is that
they don't actually bite rather they
sting yes their venom is injected with
force appeals which are adapted lat
found close to their mouths they have
also been observed kicking their prey
with their legs and if their table
manners haven't won you over to their
side yet consider this house centipedes
are awesome self-conscious yep
you might think they're hideous but they
do their best to look good for you they
even use their force appeals to groom
their legs that said if you still prefer
a less leggy roommate there are several
ways to discourage house centipedes from
bunking with you if you keep your house
dry for example by using a dehumidifier
then they'll be less interested in your
abode moving any piles of wood or leaves
away from your house will also make
centipedes less frequent guests if they
don't live close they're less likely to
visit furthermore spicy cayenne pepper
is said to be a good natural deterrent
so spreading it around your house may
prove effective well they may not be the
most glamorous of lodgers then at least
house centipedes help around the house
indeed they're only a real problem if
you have an infestation so the next time
you go to step on a centipede think
about it it might help you out more to
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