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Name that bug

  • Thread starter jhaluska
  • Start date
weirdbug.jpg


I've seen these guys running around on my walls, and they are too creepy to even feed to my plants. Anybody know what it is? I live in North New Jersey if that helps.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (superimposedhope @ May 16 2004,6:16)]centipede, I think

Joe
I think that is what it is too. But it has the longest legs and antenna of any centipede I've ever seen.
 
Well, I get these things here called Silverfish, that look similar but are smaller than a centipede.

Joe
 
*shiver* Please don't tell me that's to scale
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[b said:
Quote[/b] (Est @ May 16 2004,1:44)]*shiver*  Please don't tell me that's to scale  
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Ya, I almost had a heart attack when that picture popped up in me face...please don't make it so large next time
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How scary indeed...
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Just imagine being sound asleep and one of those crawling into your ear...and laying eggs.  
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Sleep well tonight.
 
I had one of them on my face in the middle of the night actually.....not pleasant...
 
  • #10
ewwww!!! i'm glad i went to sleep already, but then again an insect is the least of my worries right now so maybe it would have scared me but entertained me for the moment...
on second thought, that thing is pretty creepy so i better just stay out of it's way. how big is that thing, really? is it too big to feed to the plants?
 
  • #11
Generally they are around 3 inches long but I have seen larger ones outdoors. Nice plant snack, but don't let them bite you, similar venom to a spider and can be painful.
 
  • #12
Yes, they are for sure silverfish! They generally enter through drains and supposedly feed off of mold and mildew. How's that for a house guest? We used to have them everywhere, but I haven't seen any in a while... I don't think it's plant related, but just because I've never seen any in plants doesn't mean they don't/won't trap and digest them...

Just my two pennies with bugs all over them.

LM
 
  • #13
I suppose if you were fast enough and removed most of the legs they would make good food. The buggers are pretty quick though. Too bad in my house there's no place to run!
 
  • #14
That one was about 1.5-2 inches long, just a tad too big for my VFTs.
 
  • #15
yes tony, i think its a house centepede too. i dont need to see your link to be shure of it
 
  • #16
Silverfish?
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Tony's link says Centipede, and I agree. Silverfish around here are gray and wimpy, this guy shown here is bad@ss! I wonder if it would make a good pet.
 
  • #17
its not a silverfish..
its a "house centipede"
Scutigera coleoptrata
REALLY creepy!!
bugs dont bug me generally..I even like spiders!
but these things creep me out!!
I had a female (platonic!) roomate a few years ago, and we actually had to leave an apartment because of these buggers..she would see them several times a week in her room.
she just couldnt take it, we had to move!
(oddly, she saw them WAY more thasn I did! they must be able to sense fear! She was always calling me to come and kill them! and I must admit..I was a bit scared of them too!)
the big ones could be up to 2 inches long!
most are in the 1-inch range..
they are FAST!
my VFT's used to catch lots of them when we lived there..but they would always be sticking halfway out of the closed traps!
ugh..
I like insects!
but these guys are the one bug I really cant stand..
fortunately I dont see them anymore!
but they are quite common in older buildings..

someone made a webpage about their experience with these guys!
http://www.math.umd.edu/~schris/scutigera.shtml

Scot
 
  • #18
Such cool bugs! For you all "unfortunate" enough to have these, feel free to send them to me
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  • #19
Larry,
trust me, you dont want them!!
if you had them where you live, you would want to move!!

here is the silverfish:

silverfish.jpg


smaller silverish bug (hence the name)
no long legs, and a distictive 3-pronged "tail"
very different from the house centipede.

Scot
 
  • #20
Scot, I would keep them in a cage, not let them run wild in my house
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I think they'd make a great addition to my scorpion/tarantula area.
 
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