House Centipede, we presume

bugman

November 22nd, 2008 at 4:52 am

Categories

Centipedes

weird bug in my office
Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 9:49 AM
We just found a bug crawling across the floor that is unlike anything I have ever seen. It was about 1″ long; had at least 8 legs; 2 black antennae on its HIND end; medium yellow, kind of translucent color with tiny black speckles. It’s body was covered in filaments, like a caterpillar only not as dense and only covering it’s back. It crawled on all legs off the ground, didn’t scoot like a caterpillar, and was more spindly and moved fast, like a spider, only longer. It kind of looks like a shrimp when it walks. I would take a picture and send it, but my student worker squished it, and then it disappeared. So I drew it instead. Don’t laugh! This is not a hoax. I really want to know what in the world this bug was!!! Can you help me?
Creeped Out
Northeastern Kansas

House Centipede rendering

Dear Creeped Out,
We believe you encountered a House Centipede. House Centipedes are harmless predators that will kill and eat much less desirable office inhabitants like cockroaches. Your letter is quite descriptive, and your drawing gave us a chuckle, so we decided it needed to be shared with our readership.