house centipede

6160   Location: Valleyfield, Quebec, Canada.  Place fund: book store, build on a concrete slab.  We had the insects showed in post 5612.  But they evolve into this and they still move really fast.   They now measure about 5cm long and when they flee they’re about 2cm tall.   We would like to know what are those bugs and can they bite or damage any goods in the store ?   There is no food, it’s a book store.  Thank you.  Rachel O.

This is a house centipede, Scutigera coleoptrata (Chilopoda: Scutigeromorpha), a peridomestic species having a very wide distribution. They cause no damage, but feed on other arthropods that they happen across. Although the house centipede is capTable of biting a human, this seldom occurs, and the effect of a bite reportedly is no worse than a minor bee sting. See https://tinyurl.com/mn7mzf for more detailed information.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.