Not as tough as I seem

[coastal]

I second @dayna's suggestion. Get yourself a few chickens. Once we did, the amount of centipedes and roaches we saw went way down. I'll take chicken poop, and having my car scratched because the chickens want to roost on it during the day, over centipedes and roaches any day.

[Kapohocat]

Here are my centipede tools:

BBQ tongs and zip lock bag.

I grab centipede with tongs, put centipede in zip lock and toss into deep chest freezer. When I get up in the AM, he has frozen to death. Throw him in trash.

[missydog1]

Good one, Cat. []

When we moved here, and went to paint, all the cover plates came off for prep and centipedes common in the outlets.

My understanding with the pairs thing is they do mate and act as a "couple" while the nest is active. Once all is hatched they go back to single mode. When they travel, they put down some sort of pheremone or something along their trail, maybe to follow it back. Anyhow, the mate seems to follow that scent trail and there are way too many stories of the second one showing up the next night for it to be imagined. I've seen it too.

If one comes in and you get it, keep an eye out for the other pede to drop in.

The little blue ones are just juvenile forms. They turn reddish brown as they grow. But there is an orange and blue adult form. I don't know about its bite.

The juveniles have bad bites because they can't regulate their dosage yet, similar to young snakes. They inject more venom than an adult. But the adults are faster, scarier, and much harder to kill.

[dayna]

I have been bit on the foot by a blue footed variety. Lets just say I don't wear slippahs out into the livestock/jungle area anymore.

Owie.

Dayna

http://www.FarmingAloha.com
www.E-Z-Caps.com

[missydog1]

I wear slippahs but I don't step where I can't see clearly. Which eliminates "jungle."

I know more people who were bitten in bed sleeping than other times, and after that it's common to get bitten if you throw clothes on the floor and put them on without shaking and the foot in the shoe or boot or house slipper, and I know people who've been zapped putting on garden gloves and hats where they were hiding in the band. I don't leave gloves, hats, or footwear outside, and I actually do check my inside slippers. It's second nature now.

Also if I move a plant not or a barrel or anything that's been sitting in one place, I grab the Home Defense before I move it and I don't put my toes that close.

Chickens are great but they can't get under pots and stuff.

[Lee M-S]

They're definitely more common in lower Puna, where it's warmer. I killed over 20 of the big ones during the 6 months I lived in a slab house in Hawaiian Beaches--including one that came up out of the drain when I was brushing my teeth (eeeeeeyah!). We kept BBQ tongs and a pair of scissors handy. I've only seen one here in Mt. View, and that was in a stack of flower pots I had just gotten from somebody in lower Puna.

><(((*> ~~~~ ><(("> ~~~~ ><'> ~~~~ >(>

[Carey]

We are on a slab, in Keaau town... we remodeled & found the carcasses of many giants, but have only seen a few of the smaller guys out side while gardening & have had 2 cat introduced ones inside...(note: chickens better than cats for keeping the buggers OUTSIDE!)

We added a concrete lanai apron around the house, & that has really helped reduce the heebie-jeebies type critters wanting to share our space...

Also have conduit running through all of the walls now, really seems to reduce some of the surprises in the outlet boxes.. baby geckos were another common thing in there!).

We are not allowed to own chickens in town... but luckily have a slew of really good mama feral chickens that bring the hungry chicks for snacks in our yard.... do wish we could have a couple of egg layers, but that is not legal here...

[MarkP]

I once scared some wasps out of the cab of an old truck which I then drove around for a good 10 minutes or more, a mile away from the parking spot and completely out of sight. I returned and shut off the motor and was instantly buzzed by several angry wasps. I didn't know that wasps were that smart. They held a grudge and lay in wait for me. Well, probably not but they were able to keep track of where home was in an abstract sense even when home completely disappeared for a while. Course maybe they were chasing after me the whole time and only caught up with me when I stopped.

[Guest]

Could it have been your scent ?

[Opihikaobob]

I have been poked only once by these critters ( when I came here in 1981, and it was a small one)as I lay on a carpeted floor in vacationland. I was on a little twin mattress with my arm stretched out resting on the carpet. The pain was maybe a little worse than a bee sting.
More recently when I was in the shower,I felt something crawling up my leg , and bascially jumped in sudden surprise, and this time it was considerably bigger than the first time, but this time the bigger fella didn't put the squeeze on me, and I escorted him out in an empty yougurt container.
I would prefer to live and let live, and really all they want to do is get away from you as fast as they can. With me, I will place them outside and free, which I understand is not an option when young kids or infants are present (maybe), or other possible variables.