Don’t Know Much About Centipedes...

I wasn’t going to say anything about Scolopendra subspinipes, the giant centipede. For sure, no one is going to write a song about one. As usual the Hawaiian word, kanapi, doesn’t make them sound too bad. But centipedes are generally hated in the islands. They really aren’t too much of a problem on the North Shore. When we used to visit Camp Barty on the Big Island, we were alert to centipedes all the time. It seemed they were under almost every log. We were picking up lots of wood to clear the place and saw them frequently. “They have large muscular modified front legs with poisonous fangs at the tips. They bite and paralyze their prey and use many of their legs to trap the unfortunate little morsel while they munch away.”  The bite of the centipede is extremely painful. Bart can attest to this. I believe he’s been stung by kanapi three times, once when he forgot to check his boot and got multiple bites, and another time when he picked up a chunk of log and was bitten on the stomach.
Linda and I avoided the bite even after finding a small one in our bed under the covers. After that discovery we tucked our mosquito netting around the mattress to create a centipede barrier. Our days of luxury camping on the Big Island are over. But, as it turns out, we can’t let our centipede guard down. Last year we were watching TV upstairs when a large centipede scurried across the rug. I broomed him out the door but he put up a struggle. A few days ago I was sweeping the garage and found a very large centipede by the car door.
Today, as I was leaning over the balcony railing painting, a centipede trundled into view from the direction of the house. I expect to see them in the flower beds but I wish they wouldn’t climb stairs. Linda has started turning the light on when she gets up at night. “Centipedes, like rattlesnakes, are predators. They hunt for most anything that is smaller than them, such as cockroaches, crickets, and even other centipedes — they can even devour geckos!” I have learned that centipedes are shy and will tend to run and hide if you discover their lair. It’s not like they are looking to attack. The bites come when you pick one up inadvertently or step on one. On a previous trip we were helping move a piece of equipment to our friend Scott’s house. We had to lift some old windows to make room and as we did a large centipede streaked out of his hiding place. Scott’s little dog was on the beast in a second and picked it up and flipped it. It flew through the air and landed on another friend, Rick’s shoe. “Centipede! On your foot,” I yelled at Rick and did a one legged dance trying to kick kanapi off his boot. He escaped without a bite. Here’s the worst centipede story I’ve come across. It may not be true.