Centipedes - how do you kill them???? (Hilo, Kaneohe: condo, house)

[micro.boyraisedinhawaii]

as for the bite, my mom got bitten on the finger and the swelling lasted painfully for a month. as for killing it, i was taught all my life that the only way to kill it is to hack it into many pieces until it stops moving, cuz if you cut it in half, you'll have TWO centipedes to deal with as the two body parts will squirm away.

[KimoJimo]

Originally Posted by micro.boyraisedinhawaii

as for the bite, my mom got bitten on the finger and the swelling lasted painfully for a month. as for killing it, i was taught all my life that the only way to kill it is to hack it into many pieces until it stops moving, cuz if you cut it in half, you'll have TWO centipedes to deal with as the two body parts will squirm away.

I lived on Kauai for several years and that was the preferred method of killing centipedes... cut 'em up! But you are supposed to go one step further... squirt 'em with lighter fluid and set 'em on fire! (This only worked outside, of course...) Some years later I lived in Prescott Valley, AZ (WHAT was I THINKING?!?) and they also have centipedes. One night I caught one, squirted lighter fluid on it after having swept it outdoors onto the front walk. I set it on fire, and scared the hell out of the neighbors. They always looked at me strangely from then on....

[ssxa]

I've killed a lot of centipedes, in and out of my house. Both the little purple ones and the very big red ones. Do not cut one in half, they will squirm away in alternate directions. Here is what I do, I have a large needle nose pliers that I "grab" them with, take them outside, then smash the head and when it's dead, I smash the whole thing then discard of it. No bad luck by killing one beliefs for me, I got bitten on my toe by a little purple one and it hurt and swollen for about a week. My cousin got bitten on her hand by a big red one and ended up in the Emergency room due to the severe swelling.

[kani-lehua]

i've never heard of centipedes being "'aumakua" (family or personal gods). my kupuna wahine (female ancestor) says to send them back to their owners. we believe that they are not a postive sign but represents jealousy. i don't know about sending them back, i'd just assume killing them to get the job done.

my family's 'aumakua is the lizard and shark. other forms of 'aumakua include owls, hawks, mudhens, octopuses, eels, mice, rats, dogs, caterpillars, rocks, cowries, clouds or plants.

a symbiotic relationship existed: mortals did not harm or eat 'aumakua and 'aumakua warned and reprimanded mortals in dreams, visions and calls.

ref: hawaiian dictionary, mary kawena pukui and samuel h. elbert

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by kani-lehua

i've never heard of centipedes being "'aumakua" (family or personal gods). my kupuna wahine (female ancestor) says to send them back to their owners. we believe that they are not a postive sign but represents jealousy.

Now that you say that, I believe I've heard that before, although I don't recall where I heard it.

We had one in the house, my BF killed and I've seen 3 outside. They really creep me out and I am scared of been bitten (both me and the dog).

[kani-lehua]

i'm with you! i don't like the things at all. i've never been bitten and have only known of two people that have been bitten. until, of course, this thread. yikes!

[cynmkolohe]

I got a bite once when I stepped close a refrigerator with bare feet....Was getting something out of the fridge and must have put my toes under and disturbed the darn thing...It was not pleasant! Stinging lasted a few hours.

Just saw one last week in my downstairs. We have parts of the up and downstairs bathrooms torn apart for the remodel of the upstairs....we've disturbed a few creatures, I think! I let him crawl onto a piece of cardboard, then I flushed him. Not the best method, I'm sure, but at 6am, it was about all I had in me at the time!

[Jungjohann]

I haven't seen one around my place for months now. (I know, that's really begging for it!) An old local friend of mine, of Japanese ancestory, had the old Suda's Store here in Kihei, claimed you shouldn't kill them because they always travel in pairs, you might get #1, but sooner or later #2 would get ya.
A good buddy of mine, member of the Moikea family, claimed the centipede as his aumakua, even had one tattooed on his arm, and would scold anyone who killed them.
Maybe I've been here for too long, but I just accept them as a part of life in Hawaii, they used to freak me out as well, but now I just catch the little bugger and put him/her, (how do you tell the difference?), back outdoors.
However, my now resident io'le is starting to make me a lolo iki.


Io'le-mouse, lolo ike-little crazy, okolemaluna, take a guess
Aloha and okolemauna

[MsHell]

Originally Posted by kani-lehua

i've never been bitten and have only known of two people that have been bitten.

Funny enough, I only know of 2 people who gotten bitten too. ((knocks on wood))

1. My girlfriend at work gotten bitten twice in their home. Once when she was 9 months pregnant.

2. My old boss left his baseball cap on the beach while he was in the water. One had crawled into the cap, when he put it on, it when into his ear. He kept biting him in the ear-drum and he had to go to ER to have it removed. Freaky ~ creepy!!!

[cynmkolohe]

Originally Posted by MsHell

2. My old boss left his baseball cap on the beach while he was in the water. One had crawled into the cap, when he put it on, it when into his ear. He kept biting him in the ear-drum and he had to go to ER to have it removed. Freaky ~ creepy!!!

EWWWWW....

Again...EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.