This is a house centipede. Unlike it’s larger, more disgusting (and lethal) family members, the house centipede has a shorter body and about 30 legs.
While they may induce a nightmare or two, these creepers are your best, most natural defense against unwanted house guests like spiders, bedbugs, cockroaches, silverfish, and ants.
Why, you ask? Because as disgusting as the centipede is to look at, it’s eating habits are even worse. Those little crawlers are like a gourmet meal.
Silverfish (like the one below) are especially relevant because they share the same environmental conditions, like your humid bathroom.
If you haven’t noticed any silverfish slithering around your bathroom, you can thank your disgusting little exterminator for its help.
Don’t get us wrong, we aren’t suggesting you let centipedes roam freely around your house, especially if you see a few of them (Ewww) darting across your floors at warp speed.
Instead of squishing it, do the humane thing and scoop the centipede into a jar and release it outside in an area with some nice damp leaves and rocks. Let the little bugger chow down and keep your outdoors a little safer from other nasties.
If you can’t stand the thought of them around at all, try reducing the humidity and moisture in your bathroom and basement to discourage your unwanted house guest. If you’ve only seen one or two, consider letting them stay.
Just remember, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. Besides maybe scaring the bejeezus out of you during your 2 a.m. bathroom ritual. A typical house centipede isn’t strong enough to bite you, so the worst it can do is scar you mentally. Forget we mentioned that.
If we need to really put this into perspective for you, think of it this way. The next time you want to squish a spider lurking in your house, you risk releasing hundreds of live baby spiders. Hundreds!
Just let the centipedes do what they do best. Try not to judge them too harshly, because all they really want to do is eat the spiders and roaches in your basement. They’re happy, you’re happy. Everyone is happy.
In other words, centipedes make you happy!
Credits: dailytrendsetter.com