Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hello, We've all seen the multitudes of stories here from people recounting thier experiences getting bitten by or run ins with centipedes. I've read probably close to a hundred.
Are there any people who live in Hawai'i, Oahu specifically, who have never been bitten? Never found one in your house or bed?
I live in South Carolina and we have small 4" and 5" centipedes but they stay outside where they belong. Never even thought about them 'till I started researching a move to Hawai'i. I was a video of Eddie Rothman with one crawling around on his torso. That seems pretty hardcore.
Also, what are the Hono county laws concerning chickens in the yard? I love chickens, grew up with them and will sing their praise when it comes to cleaning up bugs in the yard. We used to have a serious tic infestation. You couldn't walk to your car without getting a tic on you. Now you can roll around in the yard and not even see one.
Anyway, I'm in the military and really want to come out to Hawai'i at least once durring my career. I'm just thinking about my kids. Any stories about kids being bitten? How do they handle it? Any bad ER stories?
Hi there - I am not a local - yet - but am in the process. Your post made me chuckle although I know it is not a jovial topic...so here is my story.
After years of visiting Hawaii mostly Maui and Oahu, I had never seen a centipede nor had I ever heard of there being a centipede issue in Hawaii. My dad lived in Kona-Kailua for several years and again, not one mention! He did speak of large flying cockroaches and King spiders but no centipedes.
So 3 summers ago, we were staying in a rental in Laie (northshore of Oahu) and the *fantasy* ended! We were upstairs in this rental - sleeping - our second night there. The kids (2 of ours and their cousin) were in one large bed in a room and we were in another. About 4am I hear the girls yell and start to cry. My husband and I run in not sure what to think. My oldest, then 9, says she thinks see a large bug crawl of her then 6 year old sister ad scurry off FAST. My younger daughter is in tears and everyone is crying now. My husband chases after this bug and captures it afraid to show the kids what he has found - I was in shock when I see this 7 inch centipede! Talk about shock. Then we realize we cannot kill this thing! So meanwhile, as my daughter is in more pain, we finally decide to take her to the local ER in Laie. They give her an injection of lidocaine into the bite (which I think scared her MORE than the bug itself) but this make the pain better. The ER physician tells us this is common - and we are in shock - we call the owner now mad that they did not spray - and it turns out they had not...then the owner tells me how she has been bitten a few times - as if i were a badge or something...jeez. However, the area around this rental was a perfect centipede place and the timing was right. North shore home, lots of woods and greens aginst the house, no spraying in recent weeks, large cathedral wood beam ceilings, rainstorm earlier that night and loads of termites that had invaded the house...kids had blankest sprawling off the bed onto the floor...we had also found more than a few roaches in the home and centipedes like to eat them (meaning - food source).
At any rate, the wound never healed properly so when we began our stay in Honolulu the following week, we took her to the Queens Medical Center where they confirm it was infected so after a 10 day antibiotic treatment, all was well but the memory was not forgotten. But it did give her an interesting story to write about in her first grade class and she prided herself as the centipede warrior after that. What was REALLY amazing is that the kids were OK sleeping in that bed in that room after that - I have to say, I would not have been than courageous! As it was, I was checking the covers every night - even in HNL at the outrigger!
Fast forward to the past months when we decided to move to Hawaii for various reasons, this was a consideration. In the 2 weeks we were there getting cable and phone established, we had two nearly dead in the house (we had sprayed earlier in the week) - nearly dead but still scary looking! However, we decided it would not keep us from the move. There are bugs everywhere and although this one is particularly scary, we feel we can deal with it. Having said that, we are doing all possible to prevent these guys from entering our new house. We we will be in the northern shore of Kauai in the country so again - centipede land - but we are sealing our bottom area of the house as much as possible and spraying...and will use other pre-cautions like chickens. (oh and not sure about the chicken question)
So not sure if this helps but thought i would share our story. Hoping we can prevent another centipede episode. No having said that, I was bitten by a brown recluse years ago here in No CA - and that was nastier as I had nerve pain for months and months so again and once in Carmel, CA, I was actually attacked by a raccoon - lol - don't laugh - that was scary! So bugs and creatures everywhere! Just need to figure out what you are comfortable or *ok* with I suppose.
Hello, We've all seen the multitudes of stories here from people recounting thier experiences getting bitten by or run ins with centipedes. I've read probably close to a hundred.
Are there any people who live in Hawai'i, Oahu specifically, who have never been bitten? Never found one in your house or bed?
I've lived in Hawaii all of my life, and I've never been bitten and don't plan on being bitten by one! I've also never seen one in my condo, Thank God! LOL
In fact the last time I saw centipedes was about 10 years ago. I was walking with a friend towards the City and County of Honolulu Municipal Building and we were wondering why some school kids were hitting the tree trucks in front of that building with stones.
Upon closer examination they were killing centipedes which had crawled up from the stones at the base of the trees to escape from drowning, because it had rained a lot that day. YUCK
Last edited by Honolulu21; 09-09-2010 at 01:21 AM..
Reason: too wordy
I've been here just over two years now, and I've never been bitten. Never had one in the house (major 'knocking wood' going on right now!). Never touched one (more knocking). I only saw one so far, and that was when I was cleaning out a pile of coconut husks. I took one look at the pile and said to myself, "that looks like a place where centipedes might be hanging out...". So I grabbed each husk gingerly and chucked it into the wheelbarrow. When I was at the bottom of the pile, I grabbed one, and lo and behold, a big (about 6" would be my guess) 'pede comes scurrying out from under it! Fortunately I was sort of prepared by my earlier speculation. I thought it was kind of cool. If it had been on me or in my house, not so cool!
Now here on Kauai I've heard that they are not as common, because of all the chickens. We certainly have lots of chickens, in our yard and all around the neighborhood, so I count myself lucky in that regard.
Hubby has had them ('pedes, not chickens) on him twice, once while helping his friend who is a coco-tree climber (climbs up and trims the coconuts and loose fronds off), and once while cleaning out a brush pile out back. They got on his hand or foot, I forget which, but did not bite before being shaken off or removed. He hasn't been bitten. Neither have my sister (been here 3 years and does lots of outdoor work, yard work and gardening), my niece, or my mom. I think if mom ever had one in her house she'd drop dead of a heart attack, I'm not kidding. She goes nuts when there is a stupid B-52 in the bathroom (but she's actually getting a little more used to them, I think - they haven't been around as much since it's been raining less, I think they come in to get out of the rain).
I sincerely hope that I never have a centipede on me. I would freak out. And I'm pretty tolerant of most kinds of creepy-crawlies (heck, I used to have a pet boa constrictor, and I usually try to capture the B-52s and gently carry them outside). But those 'pedes look like their bites would REALLY hurt!
I lived on Kauai for 2 yrs. Lived in a new condo x 6 mos, had medium-sized one in the condo. Then lived in a newer home x 18 mos, had a gigantic one in the garage. I sprayed both with bug spray and they died easily. Saw a few dead ones in the yard when I would mow. Never got bitten by one.
Five years in Honolulu (1 high rise, 1 low) and two years living next to a cane field on Kauai and nary a sighting and no bug issues either - maybe the insecticide spraying and burning kept them away...I'm surprised I'm still alive!
...Now here on Kauai I've heard that they are not as common, because of all the chickens. We certainly have lots of chickens, in our yard and all around the neighborhood, so I count myself lucky in that regard...
Wailua Homsteads looks like a place that would be perfect since it is wet and green but I think you have a point with the number of chickens around. Our new home is on a couple of acres so we have less chickens near the house I have noticed - more scattered than on a typical lot so I think it was hotcatz who suggested the bag of chicken scratch - kids will love feeding chickens (lol).
Our neighbors tell us they were each bitten once - one time due to bed skirts which are now removed (centipedes are blind & nocturnal so a skirt provides a way up to a bed-top at night). The other time one was shoeless I think and had toes under something at night in the dark. So don't want to be paranoid but just as you'd shouldn't stick your hand into a pile of debris in So. CA and risk a black widow bite, or put on shoes sitting out in the desert overnight and risk a scorpion bite, I think those of us in the areas where they live should probably take some precautions.
I do think HNL in general and large condo structures on any of the islands with monthly spraying are probably very safe overall. Those of us in the country, need to just take some precautions.
On the OP chicken question, I had not heard of ticks around chickens. I know my 6 years old just came hoe with one a few weeks ago after we did a day hike in Muir Woods - that was not pleasant - but what was worse - I first thought it was lice and lice in a house with 4 kids is truly a nightmare - I think I would take a centipede in the house anyway vs lice in the household!!!
Now here on Kauai I've heard that they are not as common, because of all the chickens. We certainly have lots of chickens, in our yard and all around the neighborhood, so I count myself lucky in that regard.
Centipedes are just as common if not more so here on Kauai. In fact, the north shore centipedes are infamous! The wet weather and more rural areas are perfect for centipedes.
My old house was in a very woodsy area and I would have centipedes a few times a month. I tried everything to get rid of them but nothing really worked. I eventually moved and my new house isn't as conducive of an environment as my old house, but I still see them outside and got bit here. It was horrible.
Centipedes (and other bugs) are a way of life though. Everyone gets them. I don't know anyone who hasn't seen them. It is so much nicer for me not to have to deal with them on a constant basis.
Location: Was in Western New York but now in Hilo Hawaii
1,234 posts, read 4,588,922 times
Reputation: 454
I thought it was the "Dreaded Jackalope"?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
