What kind of bug is a house centipede? Get to know this common many-legged little creature in the home

The house centipede is a common arthropod belonging to the class Chilopoda, and it is a close relative of the centipede. Its body is slender, mostly grayish-white or yellowish-brown, with more than a dozen pairs of thin, long legs along the sides of its body, and it moves very agilely. Because it has so many long legs, many people mistake it for a spider or a centipede the first time they see it, and in some regions it is also commonly called a "coin string".

This little bug likes dark, damp environments. During the day it often hides in wall cracks, floor gaps and piles of clutter, and comes out at night to move around and forage. In the home, it is relatively easy to spot in humid bathrooms, basements and kitchen corners. The house centipede is a carnivorous animal, mainly preying on small insects such as cockroaches, mosquitoes and moths. From this point of view, it can objectively help people reduce some indoor pests.

As for toxicity, the house centipede has a pair of venomous jaws on its head, and when hunting it secretes venom to paralyze its prey. For healthy adults, its toxicity is relatively weak; even if pinched or bitten, it generally causes only mild local redness, swelling or stinging, which can ease on its own after a while. However, people with sensitive skin or children may react more noticeably, and if persistent discomfort occurs, they should promptly wash the area and observe and deal with it.

Since the house centipede prefers damp environments, the key to preventing it is to keep the home dry and well ventilated, frequently clear away clutter, and seal wall cracks and floor gaps, so as to reduce its hiding and breeding conditions at the source. If house centipedes appear repeatedly in the home in large numbers, more targeted eradication measures need to be taken; for specific methods, you can learn more by referring to related articles on this site.