House centipede bite
Bugs that look like centipedes with lots of legs
Seeing an insect with a large number of legs in the house or in the country, only one name comes to mind - scolopendra. Surely you have heard about its danger to humans and how difficult it is to take it out in the house if it starts to inhabit it.
We hasten to reassure you: centipede and centipede are not the same thing. These 2 types of pests belong to the same species of arthropods, but differ from each other both in appearance and in the strength of the impact. They are found most often in damp and poorly ventilated rooms - bathrooms, attics, closets. In a living environment, they live in beds, under the bark of trees, in fallen leaves.
Since this is a nocturnal insect, it is not visible in the house during the day. But this does not mean that centipedes do not live in your house. Despite all their benefits - they eat cockroaches, ants, flies, worms and moths, it is best to get rid of them as soon as possible. This will help you sleep more comfortably at night.
Are house centipedes poisonous?
Some large centipedes can cause a painful bite, causing swelling and redness. Symptoms rarely last more than 48 hours. They don't bite, but they can produce irritating venom, especially if you accidentally rub your eye.
The pain is usually relieved by applying a cloth-wrapped ice cube to the centipede bite. The milipede toxin must be washed off the skin with plenty of soap and water. If a skin reaction develops, a corticosteroid cream is applied. If the eyes are damaged, they should be rinsed immediately.
Symptoms of a home centipede bite
Some millipede bites can cause soreness, swelling, and redness of the skin around the bite site. Nearby lymph nodes sometimes enlarge, but no tissue damage or infection usually occurs. In rare cases, symptoms last longer than 48 hours. Centipedes, when bitten, can release a toxin that irritates the skin and, in severe cases, causes skin damage. Scolopendra bites are the most severe.
What to do with a house centipede bite?
To relieve pain, an ice cube is applied to the bite site. Toxic secretions of the centipede should be washed off the skin with plenty of soap and water; you cannot use alcohol. If a skin reaction develops, it is recommended to lubricate the skin with a corticosteroid ointment. If the eye is injured, it should be rinsed immediately with water and an eye ointment containing an anesthetic and corticosteroids (hormonal drugs) should be applied.
When to see a doctor:
With pain at the site of a millipede bite, spreading up the limb, with tissue necrosis at the site of the bite.
For pain, burning, redness of the skin, edema, swollen lymph nodes.
With nausea, dizziness, anxiety, feeling unwell.
When to call an ambulance:
With palpitations, arrhythmias, decreased blood pressure.
Loss of consciousness.
With the rapid development of edema of the bitten limb, rash.
with difficulty breathing.
House centipede bite marks
The pain caused by a centipede bite or silverfish house centipedehas been described as comparable to pain from scorpion stings and snake bites. However, unlike scorpions and snakes, in which some are more venomous than others, the toxicity of centipede venom is uniform across all species.
Therefore, the amount and intensity of pain correlates with the size of the insect. Large centipedes have large projections that can inject venom deeper under the skin.
The wound is accompanied by swelling, redness, and minor puncture injuries that can form a circle. The trauma is prone to local ulceration and necrosis.
Can centipedes kill you?
Usually centipedes bite when a person is resting in bed, but they can crawl into clothes and bite the moment you start dressing. But there is good news: scolopendra bites are not fatal! In order for a person to die from its poison, several thousand individuals need to bite him at the same time!
First aid with bites
