Apr 02 2008
Centipedes in Hawaii: I Was Stung Today
Here’s a picture of the culprit. I was making the bed today and felt something large crawling on me. After a loud yelp and shake of my leg, this 7″ long centipede fell off me and quickly made its way across the room.
The centipede managed to sting me in the process. This Aloha hurts!
We’re careful to use insecticidal spray at the perimeter of the house every few months in case one of these guys walks in. In our tropical environment, however, it’s still possible for something like this to happen.
I always tell friends visiting the islands to check their bed linens at night for any unwelcome guests. This is especially true when staying in a private home or small B&B.
How a centipede stings:
Centipede venom is injected by a pair of sharp, specialized, hollow legs located just behind the head, which are attached to muscular venom glands. The sting is considered comparable to that of a wasp.
What should you do if you get stung?
Wash the area first then apply ice to reduce swelling (although others suggest a hot compress, which didn’t work for me). Take ibuprofen for pain and apply a topical antibiotic cream, followed by cortisone cream (if needed for itching). Most stings are self-resolving.
Where you’ll find centipedes:
These nocturnal, carnivorous arthropods are usually found outdoors in moist areas, under leaves, stones, bark and compost. When disturbed, centipedes run away quickly.
In a house, condo or even the occasional hotel room, they will conceal themselves in things like bed linens, shoes, laundry baskets, boxes and damp towels/clothing left on bathroom floors. They aren’t aggressive towards people, but will sting when threatened.
If anyone else is a member of the “Stung by a Centipede Club,” feel free to share your experience.
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Ouch! I’m not a member of the SBACC, fortunately, but I’ll be more careful to check for them in the future.
I also am not a member of the SBACC, but I have a friend whose son is in the Army and stationed in Hawaii where my son is also stationed. When her son first moved to Hawaii with his family, one of these centipedes crawled out from under the couch, and this strong “Army of One” soldier jumped up on a chair and screamed like a girl! His wife had to come in from another room to save him! I still laugh when I think about this story! When I visited last year, I wasn’t *fortunate* to see a centipede, but we did see some giant cockroaches (ewww!), a praying mantis, and a cute little gecko!
Sheila and Shauna: I’m glad you’re not card carrying members of the “SBACC” too! A friend of ours had a small blue centipede in his swim trunks. It stung him but I’ll spare you the details. Let’s just say he’s our unofficial club president.
YIKES! Can’t say we’ve been stung but we’ve seen ‘em and it gives ya the heebie jeebies for sure! We always check the shoes and linens for pests and lil geckos.
Owwee! I just got stung today july 27thm raking up shrub in the yard,had no shoes for protection. All of a sudden I felt this sting! Looked down and this big sucker the size that you mentioned made it’s way across the yard. The first thing I did,I put vinegar to kill what ever had left. Than I cleaned the wound with alcohol and peroxide. I still have an Ice pack cause it’s stinging I also took benadryl.called my physician and all what I did was okay.
Hey Brian,
Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it won’t be too bad. Ice seemed to help the pain a lot. If you’re like me, the Benadryl will knock you out for a while, after which it should be feeling a lot better. Let us know how it goes okay.
Aloha, Jeff
I wasn’t stung, but i was surprised! At first i thought it was a snake. I walked outside about a half hour ago in the garage to smoke and heard something stirring around. Well it wasn’t Saint Nick! That thing was one of those red ones and it was about 7 or 8 inches long. I still got goose bumps. I live in Eva Beach, Hawaii. I am Army Strong but that ugly little worm made me scream like a girl too!
Knock on wood, I have not been stung by a centipede however I found a huge one in my car in May. I freaked out and would not get back into my car until it was gone. I wrote about it on my blog but could not bring myself to post a photo as they are so disgusting! The comments from friends on the mainland compared them to earwigs or little millipedes. After a second post with links to photos, they got the picture. They are so creepy! I also used to find them in my classroom all the time when I taught in Ewa. The custodians were on call for me.
I just discovered your blog through Pauline’s blog. Great blog!!