The flycatcher insect (photo below) has a rather frightening appearance, in some it is terrifying, especially if it is an adult 6 cm long. Despite its appearance, the millipede, in general, performs useful work. Flycatcher - an insect that destroys fleas, moths, scaly, cockroaches, spiders and other insects that can inhabit the house. Moreover, it is calmly controlled simultaneously with several victims: eating one insect, the second flytrap holds one of its many legs.
Home scolopendra (flycatcher) - an insect with an external skeleton, which consists of sclerotin and chitin. This is a centipede with a yellowish-gray body, along which three bluish or reddish-purple stripes stretch. The same stripes are on the legs of the insect. A flycatcher is an insect with a body consisting of 15 segments, and each of them has its own pair of legs, with the help of which this body is kept on weight. Moreover, the last pair of legs is very different in size: they are much longer than all the others, and sometimes can exceed the length of the body itself. Very often they are confused with a mustache and, accordingly, cannot determine where the head of the scolopendra is. But the first pair of legs of the scolopendra is transformed into the maxilla; with them she defends and captures the prey. On each side of the head are faceted, well-developed eyes. The antennae are whip-like and very long. They consist of 500-600 segments.
The natural habitat of domestic scolopendra is North Africa, southern Europe and the Middle East. In our country, they are often found in the southern regions. These are very active insects that can reach speeds of up to 40 cm per second and hunt around the clock. A flycatcher is an insect with excellent vision, and if you add its speed of movement, you get an excellent hunter. They can often be found sitting on the wall of the barn or at home, where they wait for crickets, flies and other insects. When the centipede moves, it lifts its torso on its long legs and rushes forward. Then she freezes for a few seconds and with agility runs away to cover.
In nature, flycatchers live under trees, live in fallen foliage. If they settle in a person’s house, then they choose the wettest rooms. Most often they can be found in the basement, in the rooms on the ground floor or in the bathroom. In the winter, centipedes spend in secluded places, and with the onset of spring they again become active. Flycatchers are not aggressive and can only bite humans in self-defense. Usually their jaws are too weak to bite through human skin. And if nevertheless the scolopendra bites, then it feels like a bee sting, only the swelling will come off much faster.
Despite the benefits, not everyone can tolerate such a centipede in their house as a flycatcher. The insect (how to get rid of such a neighbor will soon find out) is too unattractive. And the likelihood that she can bite (or rather sting) does not make her a pleasant neighbor. That is why they are trying to get rid of millipedes. I must say that it is easier to eliminate the reason why it appears in the house, namely the presence of a large number of insects and damp rooms. In principle, flycatchers do not settle in large colonies, and if you saw one of them, it is advisable to catch it and take it out to the street, although this is a rather difficult task. And for those who do not want to do this and do not tolerate the presence of any creeping, there is only one way - to use a toxic agent, which is aimed specifically at the destruction of millipedes. For this, it is best to turn to pest control professionals. However, it should be noted that in some countries they try to protect this insect.
