Stupid bugs

[Shangri-laschild]

On the plus side, the new place I'm living does not have huge crickets. There have been very few bugs in general really which is nice since it's only across the street from the other one. This week it turns out that bugs are still an issue though

Early this week I saw one of those smallish (relatively) centipedes with the really long almost feathery legs in my bathroom. That's what my dad said it was when he saw the picture anyway. Then yesterday morning when getting ready for work one ran out of my closet, hit my foot, and then veered under my dresser and man was it super fast. Last night I found a dead one outside of my bedroom door. I'm hoping that it was the second one still. A friend's house got infested by earwigs right before he was supposed to move a couple of years ago and it left me very twitchy.

By the end of last night I was slightly jumpy about even hair landing on my arm which is a problem given that my hair is down to mid thigh and prone to shed so even if I put it up, hair happens. Might not be so bad except that I'm already stressed about my car and my motorcycle both throwing fits this week as well. The car won't work at all and the bike is being choosy about when it will work so I've been on time for work maybe once this week.

I'm planning on cleaning a bunch tomorrow and then using an indoor/outdoor spray stuff that seemed to do very well against the earwigs. Hope it works because these bugs are one that I always found creepy to even look at pictures of and that was before I had to deal with any in person so I'm not thrilled with the idea of having to look up info online and all the pictures I'll end up seeing. I am definitely ready for this week to be over and a better one to start!

[Pixilated]

This is one reason I have no intention of ever following sis's example and moving somewhere that's always hot (e.g. Texas) -- at least when you have winter, the bugs go away for a while ...

Crossing my fingers that you get rid of the pests. Roaches for me are a lease-breaker, but I wouldn't be all too happy about centipedes either. Heck, I got twitchy the other night when I looked out my living room window and saw a fair-sized spider web with its owner busily working away at it ... and it was outside.

[Crossbow]

Based on description and speed, I'd say centipede is the right answer. My first thought was silverfish, but they don't move as fast as you were describing. Yellowish gray in color?

If that's what they are, they aren't any sort of threat (other than being creepy as hell. I tolerate them in my basement, but not upstairs.) They're actually rather beneficial, as the eat other household bugs like ants, spiders, and silverfish.

Easiest way to get rid of them is to make sure the environment is dry and has no other bug population for food. Other than that, the usual insect spray or show works just fine.

[Andara Bledin]

I prefer to go with dust over spray in drier non-traffic areas as it stays active longer and is generally doesn't have the same dire warnings regarding use as sprays do.

^-.-^

[Pixilated]

Or you could go with an eco-friendly method ... e.g. a cat.

Only problem is they tend to proudly present their 'catch' to you -- and it's not always dead.

[Food Lady]

Ew--hate centipedes. The more legs it has, the more disgusting it is. And, sidenote--your hair is mid-thigh?? Jealous. My intermediate goal is waist-length, and then I'll see. It's harder to grow out curly hair, with the shrinkage. Also, mine's heavy. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

[Dreamstalker]

My campus apartment in college had centipedes, ants, spiders (a friend found a black widow in her unit!) and the horror known as cave crickets.

Although once I did find (and 'care for') a millipede. He kept the other critters down for a while and got a new home in the earth science lab menagerie when I moved.

[Shangri-laschild]

Based on description and speed, I'd say centipede is the right answer. My first thought was silverfish, but they don't move as fast as you were describing. Yellowish gray in color?

More brownish and the dead one I found was possibly almost black and a little yellow. But it had been slightly smooshed so I don't know if maybe it was originally just almost black. The color was evenly distributed though so not sure.

Or you could go with an eco-friendly method ... e.g. a cat.

Can't have pets due to our lease and the short instance of cat sitting for my roommmate's sister showed us that while we like pets, we are currently not pet people.

And, sidenote--your hair is mid-thigh?? Jealous. My intermediate goal is waist-length, and then I'll see. It's harder to grow out curly hair, with the shrinkage. Also, mine's heavy. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Yeah, honestly it was mostly due to habit and then laziness. For a long time I've been growing it to just about my waist and then cutting it a little longer than shoulder length. This time around I just never got around to cutting it and now it's been so long that I don't know who I would have cut it and figuring all of that out and how I would have it cut and such is much more hassle than just letting it grow

Well I am still working on the house and haven't sprayed yet. On the plus side, I haven't seen any more yet.

[Crossbow]

More brownish and the dead one I found was possibly almost black and a little yellow. But it had been slightly smooshed so I don't know if maybe it was originally just almost black. The color was evenly distributed though so not sure.

Brownish certainly sounds like a "house centipede." I'll be nice and not link to a picture. They give me the creeps too. Not sure on the black one. It could be the same species. I'm certainly not an expert....

[SongsOfDragons]

I don't know, my bathroom has a mild silverfish infestation, and mine are browny-black and move damn fast. Up walls too. O.o

[Crossbow]

I don't know, my bathroom has a mild silverfish infestation, and mine are browny-black and move damn fast. Up walls too. O.o

Is your bathroom wallpapered? Silverfish like wallpaper, and the damp environment is perfect for them.

[wolfie]

Although once I did find (and 'care for') a millipede. He kept the other critters down for a while and got a new home in the earth science lab menagerie when I moved.

Doesn't seem logical. Millipedes (4 legs per body segment, sticking down) are herbivores, while centipedes (2 legs per body segment, sticking out to the side) are carnivores. I can understand a centipede keeping other critters down by eating them, but how could a millipede keep the others down?

[Dreamstalker]

Some millipedes are carnivorous, according to what the earth science prof told me. I can't say for sure that's what kept the other bugs down, but my various other infestations did seem to go down after it moved in. Maybe one of the centipedes was helping and wisely staying hidden (didn't seem to do much about the cave crickets though...good lord those things are scary).