I'm Completely And Utterly Terrified! Please Help!

[tabbysia]

Let me preface this by saying I absolutely HATE anything of the creepy, crawly variety. I had an encounter a few minutes ago that left my skin crawling. I was still awake at 4:00 am (insomnia is great!) and happened to look up and saw this creature crawling across the ceiling. I was freaking out and wondering what to do when it fell off the ceiling and landed on a chair near my bed--thankfully not on my bed where I was sitting. I found something to squash it with, but it took forever to kill it. It was almost as if it was fighting back! I was still not entirely sure it was dead when I swept it up and threw it away.

I took a picture of it on the dustpan before I threw it in the trash. It is slightly shriveled up from me whacking it several times, but can anyone tell me what it is? A millipede or centipede maybe? Also, can you tell me that some more of its little friends are not going to invade my house? I am shaken to the core and am probably never going to sleep again. I am terrified that some more of these things are still lurking in my bedroom, under the covers of my bed or somewhere else.

Whatever it is, it looks like it could pack a hell of a bite (or sting). I know this seems silly to some, but I have a terrible phobia. I smacked myself a few minutes ago, because I thought I saw one on me. It was just part of the design on my shirt!

When I first saw it was crawling right above the ceiling fan, so maybe it could have come from the attic and squeezed between the base of the fan and the ceiling?

I live in Texas, so I am unfortunately used to seeing all kinds of bugs, snakes and other awful things outside, especially during the summer, but I have never seen one of these things in my house--and I never want to again!

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ A lot of people have good results with room fogger insecticides. You make sure the cats are out , close the windows and open the closet door . Set the fogger on a chair in the middle of the room then close the door . Takes a few hours and you have to air out the room afterwards .
Good luck ...

 

[tabbysia]

Thanks, but what do you think it is? I hope there's not an infestation of some kind!

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ It does look a centipede. You can throw some moth balls in the attic - insects and rodents do not like the fumes . If there are no exposed electrical wires you can spray some insecticide also .

PEST CONTROL​

 

[di and bob]

You have a common centipede, utterly nasty looking, but really quite harmless. Some can bite, but it hurts much less than a bee sting, more like a pinch. I found one like that except it had a hundred really long legs in the middle of the night actually crawling on me! it was big enough (two inches) it filled my hand when I threw it off me. I killed it but didn't sleep the rest of the night. When I found another on my ceiling I sprayed the whole house. They are usually found under decaying wood, they like damp places. Especially crawl spaces. They won't really hurt you. they are just disgusting and scary. I would fumigate the house. Make sure all pets are removed, fish and birds especially. Follow directions carefully. All the luck!

 

[Katie M]

Yep, that's a centipede.

I know exactly how you feel. I'm a lifelong arachnophobe, and if I see even a *picture* of a spider, I start feeling like there's one crawling on me.

 

[tabbysia]

Are centipedes like roaches--if you see one there are probably hundreds more hiding out? I hope not. Fumigating the whole house isn't really an option for me. I have no place to put the cats or all of my stuff that I would have to move out of the way. Maybe I could just do something in my bedroom, since that is where I saw it. It is where my cats spend 99% of their time though, and all of their stuff is in there. I would worry about leftover toxic residue.

Are centipedes toxic to cats? I worry about one of the cats getting bitten by one or about them trying to eat one.

 

[Draco]

ugh! Anything with more than 8 legs I cannot stand. I flip out seeing a centipede too. And roaches, anything crunchy.

I don't think they're toxic.

 

[surya]

I have used diatomaceous earth to kill roaches and flea's in my apartment. It works really well. I do not like to use toxic chemicals, they can not be good for the cats. It is supposed to work for centipedes too. You could caulk up any cracks in the wall to keep them from coming in too. Do a search for home remedies to kill centipedes and you will find other things to use too. Just make sure they are cat safe. I have had huge tree roaches crawling on my ceiling. I knocked them down with a broom and then the cats just start playing with them. I totally get the heebie jeebies.

 

[orange&white]

I think it's a hellgrammite (larvae stage of a dobsonfly).
Dobsonfly

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

I have used diatomaceous earth to kill roaches and flea's in my apartment. It works really well. I do not like to use toxic chemicals, they can not be good for the cats. It is supposed to work for centipedes too. You could caulk up any cracks in the wall to keep them from coming in too. Do a search for home remedies to kill centipedes and you will find other things to use too. Just make sure they are cat safe. I have had huge tree roaches crawling on my ceiling. I knocked them down with a broom and then the cats just start playing with them. I totally get the heebie jeebies.

that's what i'd use too! i don't feel comfortable fumigating or using flea bombs or similar in our home either. it's those chemicals, that can be dangerous for cats (as well as other pets).

 

[tabbysia]

I think it's a hellgrammite (larvae stage of a dobsonfly).
Dobsonfly

Wow! You might be right. The picture of it does look very much like what I had on my ceiling. It does look like the dobsonfly larva had some kind of patten on its body though. I'm not sure if my little ugly creature had that or not. Of course, I was too busy screaming and panicking to get a really good look! The flies and bugs have been a real nuisance this summer, especially near the windows.

 

[tabbysia]

that's what i'd use too! i don't feel comfortable fumigating or using flea bombs or similar in our home either. it's those chemicals, that can be dangerous for cats (as well as other pets).

I know I hate using those kinds of things too, especially around the cats. I use a product called EcoSmart when I have to spray for ants. It is supposed to be all natural and safe to use around pets, but it does have ingredients like peppermint oil, which I heard is supposed to be harmful to cats. I do feel a little more comfortable using it though than the insecticides with the toxic chemicals. Even with the EcoSmart, I keep the cats away until it is completely dry and then sweep up the little ant corpses, in case the cats try to eat them.

 

[tabbysia]

All of you that suggested Diatomaceous earth read my mind! I do have some of it and was planning to sprinkle some around the baseboards and windows. I am not sure how effective it is with some pests though. I had an ant problem last summer and watched them crawl right through it and keep going. Maybe it kills them later? I routinely buy a big box of it at the feed store. I use the kind labeled Feed Grade. There is another kind that contains an insecticide and would probably work better, but I would be way too afraid to sprinkle it around the cats.

 

[tabbysia]

I have had huge tree roaches crawling on my ceiling.

What are tree roaches? They sound terrifying. I wonder if those are what we call "water bugs" here. Those things terrify me almost more than centipedes, and they can freaking FLY! It is the stuff of nightmares.

 

[tangers40]

I think it's a hellgrammite (larvae stage of a dobsonfly).
Dobsonfly

Only if you're living underwater.....hellgrammites are aquatic.

 

[furmonster mom]

I'm also a fan of diatomaceous earth. I packed it under the sheet rock when my floors and baseboards were pulled up several years ago... rarely see bugs in the house since. 'Course you don't have to go to that extreme, I'm sure just packing it down in the crevice of the baseboards will do the trick for a while. And yes, it does seem to be a delayed kind of effect, I believe it works by desiccating the critters, which takes a little bit of time.

If your curiosity really gets the best of you (and if you can handle it), WhatsThatBug.com is a great resource for identifying almost any kind of creepy/crawly/flying/etc. bugs.

 

[tabbysia]

Thanks, I submitted a photo and a question about it. Hopefully they will respond!

 

[surya]

What are tree roaches? They sound terrifying. I wonder if those are what we call "water bugs" here. Those things terrify me almost more than centipedes, and they can freaking FLY! It is the stuff of nightmares.

Maybe they are the same thing, I don't know. They are very big and they do fly sometimes, which makes me shriek like a little girl.

 

[orange&white]

Only if you're living underwater.....hellgrammites are aquatic.

They spend one to three years developing in water, then crawl out of the water to pupate. It would be odd to find one inside a house, unless there's leaky plumbing, air conditioner, roof or some other water source close by.

I'll be curious to hear what 'WhatsThatBug' website says. That's where I found the hellgrammite.