Subject: Tropical Centiped on St. Kitt’s
Location: St Kitt’s, West Indies
January 15, 2013 10:25 am
I go to veterinary school on the island of St. Kitt’s in the caribbean. We have quite a few of these beasties here; they supposedly have a pretty painful bite and often get into people’s houses: I’ve had two in the last two days actually. Usually I put them back outside, especially since people say that if you cannot kill them instantaneously they will fight back! I don’t like killing bugs for no reason though so like I said I typically put them outside. Locals here use a chemical called BOP which is actually banned in the USA… I don’t use it because it is so toxic you have to leave your home for a few hours after spraying and the residue is quite persistent. Anyway, the centipedes are quite notorious around here for biting people in the night after getting into their beds. A professor here knew a student who was bitten on his unmentionables! Local folklore says that if you find a mother centipede with eggs or baby centipedes, you or som eone you know is pregnant!
Signature: L Rose
Tropical Centipede
Dear L Rose,
Thank you for your amusing anecdotes. We posted an email a while back from a young lady who found a Desert Tiger Centipede in her panties and we can only surmise that Tropical Centipedes like warm spots, hence their fondness for entering beds on St Kitts. The folklore about finding a mother centipede is also amusing since almost everyone knows of at least one expectant mother at any given time.
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I saw a few of these beasty beauties during our trips throughout south east Asia specifically in Thailand so I was well impressed to see another of their ilk here st kitts today. We arrived here just a few days ago and while on our way back home from the local watering hole I saw an 8 inches who crossed our path , or should I say we crossed her path! What an interesting denizen of the night…she quickly scurried off into the darkness as I took a closer look. If you tread carefully and RESPECFULLY these wonderful animals will pose no threat. That said , I haven’t had the opportunity to come face to face on her terms although I suspect she’d probably want to just leave in one piece…her wish would be granted and I hope you would all do the same. That said…any recommendations regarding the effects of an incidental bite?
The bite is reported to be painful, but not necessarily dangerous. Whenever there is a severe reaction, we would recommend seeking medical attention.
Hi Bugman, Once again, another Rhysida sp. You are probably thinking i just like the word “Rhysida” By now! XD