Okay, to the reason for the post: Yuck. I was lying on our couch earlier this pm watching Harry Potter 3 when I noticed out of the corner of my eye (yay for peripheral vision!) an odd-colored blob that normally does not reside on the basement wall above the couch. A full glance reveals this hideous monstrosity:
(Okay, that's not the actual creature, Zac took the camera with him, figuring he might see some stuff worthy of shooting while in Germany, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. This photo is courtesy of a guy named Imarsman on the Flickr website. But, this is exactly what my basement bug looked like, if bigger, of course...)
Now, this is the second time in the last couple of weeks that I've come across one of these things. Zac's been gone for about 3 weeks now, so he wasn't around to get rid of the first creepy fellow trapped in the kitchen sink! I'm not afraid of bugs, but that doesn't mean I don't get the heebie-jeebies when I have to go near something with that many legs and crazily waving appendages. Bravely, though, I just trapped him in a glass and tossed him outside. Never in my entire life had I seen a bug as (shudder) crawly and icky as him/her/it.
My more recent guest was even bigger. I lugged the three of us upstairs, got a tupperware container and promptly discovered that the tupperware was too small. I would trap an antennae or leg or something, probably severing the end part as I firmly held the tupperware against the wall, as was my plan. Not only would the bug not like that, but I wouldn't. Who wants a section of bug leg drifting down to lose itself on your couch cushion? Anyway, went back upstairs, got a bigger tupperware, balanced myself firmly on the couch, trapped Mr. Monstrosity, finished watching HP3 with him by my side, then got on the computer to find out what the heck he was.
So...he's a house centipede, scutigera coleoptrata. And apparently he's a good guy. He eats other yucky little bugs. To tell you the truth, though, I think I prefer yucky little bugs that I don't see to big leggy bugs that insist on exposing themselves. AND, house centipedes live up to five years!!! Sigh. I know there are more, crawling around, just waiting...
I couldn't bring myself to squish him, but I surely didn't want him finding his way back in. Usually I just toss bugs straight out the front door, but as an extra precaution I snuck outside and flung him smack in front of my neighbor's house. Hee, hee, hee! We all know house centipedes take the easy road, right ;)
2 comments:
HaHaHa I don't internet talk for laughing. That bug was very ugly!! So far I am dealing with just Daddy Long leggs...everywqhere. I want to take a shower and just saw one in the upper corner over the shower. I think I will just get the vacuum out and suck him in.Love Favorite Mother in law
PS Have you taken a look at Sari and Andrews blog yet? Mathais is growing very fast.
Think about how your neighbor is going to feel when while laying on her couch a creepy bug appears and it is so big she has to find a large dish to trap it and, not wanting to kill it she takes it outside and tosses it in front of her neighbors house hoping the bug will take the easy road... and the bug moves back in with you d0 you see how this plan backfires....
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