Evening star., 1945-09-15
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceDell

u.
"'Dear Sir:
II have seen in the papers articles
from time to time on how 70 get rid Of
household insects, but have not been
able to get any information on the
centipede.
This is the most obnoxious to me of
all the crawlers. Recently we had a
bedroom done over in nice pink tone.
The walls are fresh and lovely, except
for one thing, and that is that they
seem to attract these vile centipedes.
my husband says they will not bother
you, but l hate to wake up and see one
of the things on the ceiling. He-my
husband-says they have so many feet
that they couldn't possibly fall down,
but when I see one of them-centipede
high above my head let out scream
Il remember that you advised the use
OF the tube on the vacuum sweeper, SO
the other night hitched up the vacuum
and went to bed.
About 3 in the morning, I think it
was, I turned on the bed light, and
looked around the walls. At first look
I failed to see any, but suddenly saw a
big one directly above my head
Il let out yell, and tumbled out of
bed. I caught my toe in the cord of the
vacuum sweeper, and fell on my head.
Il was yelling, There he is, there he
is!' when my husband walked out of
sound sleep.
II guess he was dazed, because he
grabbed gun and leaped out of bed,
yelling Where is he, where is hep
Il said, There he is, on the ceiling!'
He-my husband-looked up as if he
thought me crazy, but when he saw the
centipede, he began to laugh, and would
still be laughing, I guess, if he hadn't
tripped himself on the wire.
Il put up the tube, and turned on the
current. When I approached the CEN
tepede, the creature remained still, wait
ing a chance to dodge, but when 1
touched him with the rim of the tube,
before the air current had a chance to
draw him down, he leaped, positively
leaped forward and ran down my arm.
With yell, threw the tube from
me, and began clawing at the cent?
pede. The feel of those legs on my arm
was terrible.
THE falling vacuum tube struck my
husband on the head, and guess it was
fortunate that the safety catch was still
on his revolver.
by this time the centipede was out
of sight, and kept picturing him for
the rest of the night crawling around,
but he probably dashed off downstairs
after such a hullabaloo, determined
never to come back. hope he doesn't.
Yours truly, M. c."
The centipede, or thousand logger, as
he is commonly called, with popular
exaggeration, is one of the most clever
of all household intruders.
Coming in, along with his cousin the
millipede-who, despite his name, has
less legs than the centipede, or hun
dred-legger-the thing ascends the
stairs, seeking for insects in corners.
1t is fairly certain that light-colored
papers and paints attract him, probably
because they make his prey more visible
And being highly intelligent, he likes
nothing better than to find light on.
He can see very well in the dark, being
nocturnal In all his habits, but light
sparkles on his prey and gives him
something to go by.
1t is said that there will be no smaller
insects where centipedes roam, but cer-
tainly many persons would prefer the
small bugs" to the large black cent?
pedes, which attain size of 4 inches
long and at least an inch in diameter
counting, of course, the legs. Young
centipedes are about half an inch long,
and light gray, and are not very fear
some looking; but when they grow older,
they are black in color, and assume q
solidity Of appearance which is almost
reptilian.