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Out you go, little buddy; I'll find you in the spring
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Published: November 1, 2008
Just when you thought the horrors of Halloween were over, it's -- centipede, the beast from beneath the flowerpot. It's an ancient 100-legged creature from before the dawn of the dinosaurs, and it's in the house.
Sounds like science fiction but, in truth, science-fiction writers couldn't dream this stuff up. They don't have to. It doesn't get any more bizarre than the truth.
A common consequence of the procrastinating gardener is a period of frantically running about, trying to bring in all the tender house plants before that first frost-glazed morning. Unexpected guests often come in along with all those potted plants. Three of these creatures that regularly turn up share a lot in common -- an ancient lineage, a propensity for hiding in moist spots and an inordinate number of legs. They are centipedes, millipedes and woodlice.
You probably know woodlice by one of their more common names -- roly-poly, sowbug, doodlebug and pillbug. Most of us have spent at least a little bit of our young life messing with the roly-poly, so named because when bothered these gray, shell-like creatures roll into a little balls. Most species of woodlice don't have this ability, but those that do are an endless source of childhood fascination.
First in line
Back when creatures began to leave the water and inhabit the land, woodlice were among the first in line. As a result, they took with them a weird method of keeping themselves sort of semi-aquatic. They have a system of water-carrying tubes that run around the undersides of their bodies and feed-gills beneath modified legs. Through a combination of recycling their own urine and water gained through capillary action, they have found a way to stay wet yet be out of the water.
The roly-poly also recycles its own droppings. Copper, an element commonly found in both their droppings and the sea, is not so readily available in land environments.
Recycling is a big part of what woodlice do. They are at the top of the chain when it comes to recycling fallen leaves and rotted wood, an important first step in the process of building humus-filled, healthy soil.
Centipedes and millipedes might both be found scurrying from that moist spot between plant pot and saucer. They are usually dark or reddish brown and composed of linked chains of legs and body segments. Their names are derived from centi, meaning hundred, and milli, meaning thousand, and pede from the Greek podos -- foot. In fact, there can be nearly 400 pairs of legs on a millipede and as many as 175 on a soil centipede.
There won't be time for leg counting though. The centipede is quick and nimble on its many feet, and the millipede has a kind of rolling gait. When frightened, it will sometimes curl into a ball. Millipedes are the first land creatures in the fossil record, dating back to the Silurian era, 420 million years ago.
Creature comforts
Both creatures protect their nests and vigilantly guard their eggs. The centipede will lick its eggs to prevent them from being attacked by fungus. Millipedes are not born with all their legs. They acquire new segments and legs through each moult as they grow older and can live as long as six years.
The two differ in several important ways, but probably most important is their feeding habits. Centipedes are predatory; millipedes, much like woodlice, are decomposers that eat leaf litter. Both have their own defense strategies. Millipedes exude an offensive odor when disturbed. Although it is generally not dangerous, it may produce allergic reactions in those sensitive to insect venoms such as bee stings.
Centipedes have a pair of poisonous claws just beneath the head that they use to capture and kill prey. Some centipedes have a toxin, which they can exude from glands at the top of each leg. The sharp claw at the tip of each leg punctures the skin, and the toxin is dropped into it. Centipede prey can include such harmful pests as beetle grubs, which are found in the soil.
Given the important role that these three creatures play in the garden and the wider environment, they should be considered beneficial and treated with respect. If they come into the house, scoop them up in a dustpan and return them to the garden, where they can do some good.
Anything that has been around for 420 million years deserves a little respect, no matter how creepy it is.
■ If you have a gardening question or story idea, write to David Bare in care of Features, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-3159, or send e-mail to his attention to gardening@wsjournal.com.
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