Amazing places to live, but nerves of steel are sometimes needed. Just an hour after my foot was bitten I was home looking at gory centipede pictures in my bedroom while barefoot, my swollen foot had an odd tingle - I looked down to see huge centipede next to my foot. It taks a LOT of bug spray to kill one of those things. I can understand how you have a slightly different feeling toward Hawaii now. Sprayed it with alcohol, but it ended up disappearing behind a baseboard. In most cases, your symptoms should improve within a couple of days. Or at the very least get a pesticide company man in there today to spray your whole place and all around the perimeter of the house. I must have killed it when I leaned against the rock. So "Blue Legged Centipede" could mean any centipede that has blue legs, or a little blue on the legs, or a tiny bit of blue on one leg, or no blue on it at all if it's a color variation with no blue on the legs ..lol. Centipedes usually live outdoors in damp areas such as under leaves, stones, boards, tree bark, or in mulch around outdoor plantings. Pamela Dapples (author) from Arizona now on July 03, 2010: GarnetBird, yes these creatures are truly enough to keep a person awake at night -- if one is spotted some time in the day lurking out the door. Holle Abee from Georgia on June 10, 2010: Awesome job! Luckily I haven't seen too many here in Laie where I live, because I go bonkers when I see them, they are so big and scary looking. I gained that feeling after seeing the first centipede of many. Having a cat is always good. 1961. But its ok, the centipedes out here would make a quick meal for those monsters on Maui, yikes! There are two other common but One of the dead ones was found in the drain by the hot water tank in a closet. The horror, the horror,... the horror. Linda. It was under the fridge. The rangers became very concerned because we were so far from medical help. requires the elimination of damp habitats such as those created Gloria Siess from Wrightwood, California on July 02, 2010: I would be more afraid of these centipedes than of the rattlesnakes I encounter, as these things come into your home and can hide more easily!O, wow--I never knew of these creatures getting so LONG and alarming looking.Very creepy. Now I am no wimp, but when it comes to these monsters all bets are off. And there are those people around who actually really find bugs fascinating -- like your former corporal. The very next day it exploded into an even more burning, swollen, red area that involved my entire upper arm. Pamela Dapples (author) from Arizona now on July 09, 2010: JulieBull, that's how I feel, too, and last week we had our first one ever in our house. But in general I have to say I felt very safe there. Tree roaches with claws? We all gasped and the ranger started to beat it with a shoe. I'm glad it didn't ruin you for life. entering the home, seal all openings (cracks and crevices) such 1971. Joy Campbell from South Florida on January 12, 2013: Ugg...thanks for sharing. This is a medium-sized centipede. I, also, enjoyed the comments. Then on the last night, I walked into the bathroom, to find one winding its way along the floor. I can't remember the man-kind of tool they'd use, but it would throw fire at them. mating. The pain lasts anywhere from a few days to weeks. I was happy to see it go and so very glad that I didn't have to be the one to pull it out and kill it to get it's DNA! centipede of medical importance. Epilouge: Ironically, the day after I got bit we went geo-caching. Pamela Dapples (author) from Arizona now on December 06, 2020: I can hardly believe you survived the whole ordeal mentally -- I mean watching the head and the body separately stay alive for days and even having initially planned to do an art project with it! Zoysia is also salt tolerant, but it handles salt in a completely different way. insecticide may be sprayed on the ground around the perimeter of In the UK, before I went, I felt far more nervous driving 60 miles a day on the busy motorways, whereas in the Serengeti there was nothing to crash into! This type of centipede grows to around three inches in length and is described as aggressive. I WONDER, ARE THERE ANY ON FORT SHAFTER? Best bet is smash their darn heads first if your fast enough...@#$%& are prety quick. we'd been out walking a few days earlier and had seen a dead one, about 6 inches long. One day I came meandering back from the beach across that field, barefoot, not long after it had rained. There is nothing that invokes such a Darwinian flight or fight instinct than having a big Hawaii centipede appear in your home. These things are the spawn of satan. They give me the creeps. I had just let the cat out and closed the screen. To prevent centipedes from I don't see why people here are so scared of them, although I would freak if one dropped onto the bed with me. That would put some of us temporarily, at least, in a downward dive. I'll have nightmares now! Daniel has pestered a sliced-up centipede after the execution and by poking a pencil at the pinchers has found that a centipede can keep up the attack mode for six minutes after being sliced into four pieces. Pamela Dapples (author) from Arizona now on March 18, 2012: I can feel your anxiety. I would definitely leave the house until someone could come home and kill it. several growth stages (molts) before reaching the adult stage. Thanks for stopping by. Finally, she came back on the line. They fight to the end. The centipedes I used to encounter in British Columbia were only about 1.5 inches to 2 inches long. My favorite Hawaiian island is Molokai. areas with high humidity such as bathrooms, damp closets, and Our daughter did find the smell of the dead centipede attracted new visitors. It might have been de-fanged, though. Dear Mary, This submission poses some perplexing possibilities. This morning I picked them up and threw them on my bed, then took a shower. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he could not put any weight on his butt. According to Insect Identification, Hawaii has approximately 174 different varieties of bugs lurking in forests, jungles, gardens – and even in your home. I highly recommend shoes at night. I am glad you didn't have any pain the next day. I did. are labelled for the control of centipedes. Chris Montgomery from Irvine, CA on April 23, 2011: We had forgotten about those painful buggers until we moved to Arizona.