# Insect eating Fruit Flies



## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Hi, I saw this bug, insect, centipede looking insect in my viv this weekend and as soon as I put fruit flies in the tank, it quickly starts eating them. It's just awful! I noticed my Veradero's are losing weight, and I believe it's because this bug and who knows how many more of them there are in the tank, are eating the fruit flies. What is it? Is it harmful for my frogs. Can they get a lot bigger? What should I do? 

I have a tank ready to place thumbs in, so should I move my frogs? And if I put tincs in this tank (auratus/azureus) will those types of frogs eat this type of bug? 

Thank you for your help. I did try to use the search feature and I did read the thread with the creepy crawly creature that no one can figure out what it is.


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Tried to get a crop of the bug so you can see closer:


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## fieldnstream (Sep 11, 2009)

Looks like some type of centipede


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## JeremyHuff (Apr 22, 2008)

Definitely a centipede. Centipedes are venomous and not sure how big it is in relation to your frogs, but you might want to get it out if you can.


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

It is about as long as a thumbnail I would say or just about. So, is it venemous to me? Are they common in tanks? How did it get in there? I'm in Houston,Texas, is this a normal bug for this area? I wish I knew more about bugs, I'm just very ignorant when it comes to this. Thanks.


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

I'm googling the bug now and definitely a centipede. I'll read more info there. I'm scared to death now. I think I saw one in my Tarapoto tank too.


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## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

yeah thats a normal bug for the area around you, but it didnt crawl into the tank. it probably hitched a ride in a plant or wood. KILL IT!!!! at some point it has the possibility to prey on your frogs.

this is a version found in AZ, maybe same sp.? they can get pretty big


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Whaaaaa!!! Why me? I really hate this. I hope it will be easy. It's really hard to get all the way down in this 29g tank.


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## SNAKEMANVET (Dec 14, 2011)

You might want to use twezzers to catch,they have a nasty bite.Some of the bigger species has a venomous bite to animals,like frogs mice etc.


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## mcaiger53 (Jan 3, 2011)

I would remove the frogs asap, centipedes are pretty roudy creatures. they have no problem taking down prey their same size or larger than themselves. I think that I saw you posted that it is the same size as your frogs, so if hungry enough, I don't think that it would hesitate to try froglegs. I would remove frogs and CO2 bomb the tank a few times, and then wait a while to confirm they are gone. check out centipedes on youtube and you will have much more respect for what they can tackle. 
I cant say if it is poisonous to you or not, I would try tweezers or sissors and kill it asap. good luck. 
mike


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

All I can say is I'm not happy at all that he's in my tank. I am more unhappy about it than I am the snails that have infested one of my other tanks.


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## ilovejaden (Jan 6, 2011)

Well if you ever have the time you could pull the frogs out of the snail tank and then get a milk cap and then put some beer in it..and put it in the tank..thats what I'm doing seems to be working quite well. just a thought when you have the centipede issue taken care of


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Really? And this just kills the slugs/snails? That would be awesome and doesn't sound hard to do. Thanks!


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## dfrmav (Feb 22, 2011)

ilovejaden said:


> Well if you ever have the time you could pull the frogs out of the snail tank and then get a milk cap and then put some beer in it..and put it in the tank..thats what I'm doing seems to be working quite well. just a thought when you have the centipede issue taken care of


yea I'd like to know how on earth this works...


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## Pumilo (Sep 4, 2010)

ilovejaden said:


> Well if you ever have the time you could pull the frogs out of the snail tank and then get a milk cap and then put some beer in it..and put it in the tank..thats what I'm doing seems to be working quite well. just a thought when you have the centipede issue taken care of


This does work, it attracts them and they drown, but just like using lettuce, it's only a control. It won't completely eradicate them because they are going to leave eggs behind.


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

You're either going to have to "nuke" your tank (look up CO2 Bomb) or pull your frogs and start over.

If/when you start over - make sure you clean your plants and your leaf litter thoroughly.

s


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## ilovejaden (Jan 6, 2011)

Pumilo said:


> This does work, it attracts them and they drown, but just like using lettuce, it's only a control. It won't completely eradicate them because they are going to leave eggs behind.


They will lay their eggs in the beer, or on the outside edges of the cap. At least thats what I was told by Tuckerim(Chris) Since I started doing it about two weeks ago or so ive seen a major improvement I was getting 10-12 snails a night in there now its down to about 2-3. Once again though I was told in order to get rid of them you have to replace the cap with the beer in it every single night so the new eggs wont hatch. This could be wrong though! But Chris seems to always be right 110% of the time. He did stat that it had worked for him..seems to be working for me so far. Also Scott, I thought a Co2 Bomb Wouldn't work to well with snails?? unless you were referring to the centipede?


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## Scott (Feb 17, 2004)

I was referring to the centipede.

Once you have one - it's pretty much a given you have more. 

I've got them in one tank (first one ever - I've been pretty lucky) and I know I'm going to have to break that tank down eventually to get rid of them.

I've been nuking my leaf litter ever since.

s


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## SmackoftheGods (Jan 28, 2009)

Just because you don't see the effects of snails doesn't mean they're not there. The beer method works. The cucumber/lettuce method works. But they're all just measures one can take to control the population. If you stop long enough eventually the population will reestablish itself. The only way to stop hitch-hikers it to kill them before they enter the tank. That means cooking your wood and leaf litter and bleaching your plants.


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

First off that big thing in the pic won't be in your viv lol. I hand pick my viv everyday, of centipedes, snails and slugs when I see them. I haven't heard of centipedes attacking frogs, but I head they eat eggs. Centipedes f'ing sink, and I noticed they just hand around wood. It really seems like bugs are inevitable. I really go through my vivs daily. I might get some sluggo for the snails and slugs. I'm not ready to be moving frogs out of vivs to CO2 bomb yet.


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## PoisonFrog (Jan 27, 2012)

motydesign said:


> yeah thats a normal bug for the area around you, but it didnt crawl into the tank. it probably hitched a ride in a plant or wood. KILL IT!!!! at some point it has the possibility to prey on your frogs.
> 
> this is a version found in AZ, maybe same sp.? they can get pretty big


That looks like a tiger centipede. They are native to Africa and their legs are extremely venomous (lethal). 

You likely don't have a centipede like this, but I do not doubt that it can be a deadly threat to your frogs. I recommend you isolate the tank and treat it accordingly.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Don't panic about the centipede, but you definitely should get it it out of the tank. Without positively identifying the species, it's impossible to say if it might attack the frogs or not. Best to remove it. 

As for the concept of having one leads to more, this isn't necessarily true. Two factors need to be true for this to occur. First, you must have at least one mature male and one mature female. Second, they must mate. It's very likely this was a lone hitchhiker and once removed your frogs will be fine. No need to nuke the tank with CO2 or other drastic means. Just follow the advice before on how to catch it and then keep a watchful eye out. 

Lastly, even if you did get mating in the tank, unless you let it go unchecked for enough time to establish multiple generations breeding, it's fairly easy to break the life cycle and eradicate them. You just have to prevent them from reaching maturity to continue the cycle. It might take some work, but doable.


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Ok, so I took the tank down from the rack onto a chair where I can work better from the top (29 Gallon = tall tank). I decided I would move my frogs, 3 veradero sub-adults, turns out, I could not find not one frog in the tank. I think they have been eaten.  Just kidding. I know I hardly see the frogs out. Only in the early mornings or sometimes in the afternoon only seeing one at a time. I know I've seen two of them in the last few months, the third I have not seen since I probably purchased him in June last year. I wonder if he's still living. Anyway, they can really REALLY hide, I nearly took the plants out with roots to try and find them and they were no where. Also, I found more than one centipede in this particular tank and a couple more in another tank. My husband helped me get them out and kill them with tweezers. 

Really bummed about this, but I'm hoping I can get rid of them by just keeping a watchful eye and killing them when I see them without having to tear the whole tank down. I do know they will come out to the banana peal where there are ff's, so I will do some of that to get them to come out.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Given that you've found more and in multiple tanks, I should elaborate on centipede life cycles. 

First, centipedes have a rather lengthy life cycle compared to insects. Whereas many insects can reach sexual maturity and start producing offspring rather quickly, centipedes can take more than a year to reach sexual maturity (some as long as 3-4 years), dependent on the species of course. 

While you are concerned about the frogs, keep in mind that these will not fully become an established infestation. Remove the frogs, then search for and remove all the centipedes you can find. From there, just keep a watchful eye out for random remaining centipedes and remove. 

Oh, and I didn't mention it before, but centipedes reproduce in an odd manner. The males deposit something called a spermatophore that the females will pick up and use to fertilize their eggs. Just an interesting tidbit.


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## mcaiger53 (Jan 3, 2011)

@ xm41907,
It is very posible to have multiple #'s of a pest in a tank w o mature breeding adults. I think most often, pests like this centipede will come into a viv as eggs that are on wood, plants, or dirt around a plants roots. Usually insects lay way more than 1 egg, so usually when there is 1 there are more. It is much easier to miss some eggs than to miss a decent sized centipede when constructing a viv. 
Mike


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

Mike, yeah, you're right. I didn't word that part correctly. But my intended point was that they shouldn't be concerned about an outright infestation of centipedes due to their relatively long life cycle. Due to this, it is fairly easy to eradicate an emerging infestation such as this.


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## mcaiger53 (Jan 3, 2011)

Since andry said that the centipede was as long as their thumb, I think that it could easily predate on a subadult imitator and should be taken very seriously. Also, co2 bombing a tank (my choice via dry ice) is such an easy step, I don't know why one wouldn't do it. 
Mike


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

mcaiger53 said:


> Also, co2 bombing a tank (my choice via dry ice) is such an easy step, I don't know why one wouldn't do it.
> Mike


I always recommend following an integrated pest management approach to solving pest issues (using the least invasive measures to effectively control a pest). While CO2 isn't classified as a pesticide, it's still a form of chemical control, which has an increased risk of damaging the fragile nature of a vivarium. CO2 will kill the micro-fauna of the tank. A physical removal of the pests, although more time consuming, will be less harmful to the established balance.


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

If I can ever find my Veradero's to take them out of the tank I will bomb the tank. That sounds easy enough to do and hopefully save the tank because it's one of my best builds probably my favorite of them all. Thank you all for all the good information and tips. I will do everything I can to get rid of these nasty creatures.


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## Shinosuke (Aug 10, 2011)

I'd begin an extermination with extreme prejudice campaign against these invaders. If they were too hard to catch with tweezers I'd keep a long knife handy and start chopping the buggers (see what I did there?) in half whenever they showed their many-legged faces.
Oh, I'd make sure to keep one for questioning. Heck, it might even make an interesting pet (if kept away from your frogs).


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

You should see how they attack the ff's, it's really nasty. The picture I posted is actually blurry on one end because it was waving the ff around to it's death. Ew.


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## rodzz (Feb 6, 2012)

i got sumthing like this to mine very small i kill them every time i spot one havent clue how got here hope fuly they not breeding dont want be over run with those


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## motydesign (Feb 27, 2011)

PoisonFrog said:


> That looks like a tiger centipede. They are native to Africa and their legs are extremely venomous (lethal).
> 
> You likely don't have a centipede like this, but I do not doubt that it can be a deadly threat to your frogs. I recommend you isolate the tank and treat it accordingly.


No this is not a Tiger. this is a giant desert, ive actually seen these 4-5 inch monsters in the sonoran desert when i lived in kearny Az for 5 years. 
Sonoran Desert Arthropods - Scolopendra heros (Giant desert centipede)

and your right it isnt in texas, i thought that its range was in there but i was incorrect.


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Now does anyone have ideas on how to lure my froggies out of the tank??? 

All I can think of is wait until I spot one and try and get it out then. My husband and I spent a very long time carefully turning each leaf and looking through each plant in the viv (it's not that heavily planted) and can't seem to find not even one.


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## ConFuCiuZ (Jul 13, 2011)

Its seems that type of centipede is called a house centipede. Its common everywhere. I have some in my basement. They are really fast.

It can also be a garden centipede


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

I have to disagree about the house centipede. It doesn't have the characteristic extreme long legs that a house centipede has. Based off the photo, my guess would be a species in either the family Cryptopidae, or possibly Scolopocryptopidae, but it's too hard to tell based upon the photo.

Here is a photo of a house centipede for comparison.


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## glass frog (Dec 19, 2011)

If you get the frogs out you could use a pet mouse to eat the buggers then catch the mouse. I my world it sounds like it would work....


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## josh_r (Feb 4, 2005)

Your centipede is most likely a lithobius. A harmless stone centipede. And to clarify some things. Centipedes don't have ready legs or feet or whatever. In fact the bite of the worst known centipedes (subspinipes group) would most likely not kill you. I know first hand as I've been bitten. The centipede pictured eating the lizard is scolopendra heros arizonensis. There are 6 different morphs of this centipede in the US and 3 to 4 of them are found in Texas, but don't worry about them, they are virtually harmless too. Just look at the pic.... I'm not dead despite all the venomous legs 

Scolopendra heros arizonensis 'banded morph'


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Scolopendra bites are NaAaAastyyyyy!!!! Probably not lethal, but a lot of people react very badly to them. 

And by the way. Slugs/ snails DO NOT lay their eggs in beer . They fall in and drown, and if you keep up the baiting you eradicate the breeding population


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

Scott said:


> I was referring to the centipede.
> 
> Once you have one - it's pretty much a given you have more.
> 
> ...



I think you might be confusing millipede with centipede


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Why would you say that? Centipedes can enter a Viv just as easy as a millipede, if not more so. And centipedes wreak far more havoc on a Viv than millipedes do


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## thedude (Nov 28, 2007)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> I think you might be confusing millipede with centipede


Doubt it...
Millipedes = Slow moving Detrivores
Centipedes = Fast as hell Carnivores


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

frogparty said:


> Scolopendra bites are NaAaAastyyyyy!!!! Probably not lethal, but a lot of people react very badly to them.


Scolopendra bites are not considered lethal, however, they can lead to infection and the possibility of a severe allergic reaction does exist. Oh, and trust me when I say that an 8 inch Scolopendra bite hurts like all hell... And oh dear god the feeling of one of them waking you up by running up your leg in a sleeping bag... "Shudder" 
Although I doubt the one in this tank would do a person much harm. Too small. 

It doesn't look like a Scutigera (commonly known as house centipede).


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

motydesign said:


> No this is not a Tiger. this is a giant desert, ive actually seen these 4-5 inch monsters in the sonoran desert when i lived in kearny Az for 5 years.


Ha! I'm from Australia... We laugh at your 4-5 inch monsters


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

frogparty said:


> Why would you say that? Centipedes can enter a Viv just as easy as a millipede, if not more so. And centipedes wreak far more havoc on a Viv than millipedes do


Never really heard of a viv being overrun by centipedes, but seems to be a rather common problem with millipedes


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## Erikb3113 (Oct 1, 2008)

Brotherly Monkey said:


> Never really heard of a viv being overrun by centipedes, but seems to be a rather common problem with millipedes


Tough to say that when we've heard a couple accounts on this thread alone.


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

Erikb3113 said:


> Tough to say that when we've heard a couple accounts on this thread alone.




Really, care to quote them?


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## Brotherly Monkey (Jul 20, 2010)

thedude said:


> Doubt it...
> Millipedes = Slow moving Detrivores
> Centipedes = Fast as hell Carnivores


While I understand the difference, and you understand the difference, how many people do you think just see a bug with a bunch of legs?


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

The bugs in my tank are just like this one which is called a garden centipede. So is it harmful or not. Do they still bite? I don't care if the bit isn't harmful, if it bites, I'm scared of it. lol











And can I put the caps of beer for the snails even if there are frogs in the viv? What if the frogs absorb it and get drunk and die? How do people handle this? Thank you.

NOTE: Last night, one of the Veradero's was out and I managed to get him out of the thank. I say him because as soon as I moved him to his new viv he was singing like crazy. So, at least I know which one is my male now.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

jacobi said:


> Scolopendra bites are not considered lethal, however, they can lead to infection and the possibility of a severe allergic reaction does exist. Oh, and trust me when I say that an 8 inch Scolopendra bite hurts like all hell... And oh dear god the feeling of one of them waking you up by running up your leg in a sleeping bag... "Shudder"
> Although I doubt the one in this tank would do a person much harm. Too small.
> 
> It doesn't look like a Scutigera (commonly known as house centipede).


When I lived out west and I captured my first one and had it in a large jar, I gently poked it with a number two pencil and it whipped around and bit the pencil... I could feed it bite the pencil and when it let go, I could see the grooves in the pencil wood where it grabbed it.. I was extremely impressed and took care to not offend them in the future. 

Ed


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## andry (Jun 15, 2010)

Ed, are you saying this creature in my viv can leave bite marks on a pencil???


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## ckays (Jul 26, 2011)

Solution: Mechanical Pencil. 

Tweezers might be a better option. I'll be curious to see what eradication methods you employ and their results. 

Good Luck.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

I was a a reptile show sever many years ago when I saw my first Scolopendra. The guy selling it opened its container, and prodded it with a raw chicken leg. In the next 15 minutes we watched the centipede strip the bone clean of meat! I've wanted one ever since


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

I get these nasty stink joints in my vivs. They are slow, and they freaking stink.
Can I get a name? Why do they have such a odor?


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

The smell is their self defense


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## B-NICE (Jul 15, 2011)

They are crunchy......


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

andry said:


> The bugs in my tank are just like this one which is called a garden centipede. So is it harmful or not. Do they still bite? I don't care if the bit isn't harmful, if it bites, I'm scared of it. lol


I got your back! 

And I doubt it'll bite you.


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## xm41907 (Nov 26, 2007)

andry said:


> So is it harmful or not. Do they still bite? I don't care if the bit isn't harmful, if it bites, I'm scared of it. lol


I'm an entomologist and have worked with all kinds of insects and other Arthropods, but I am not fond of being bitten/stung by something. Even though I know it's unlikely to be bitten by a spider when handled correctly, I still have that innate sense of danger and am cautious when dealing with anything that bites/stings. I am not near as crazy as Justin Schmidt, an entomologist that spent years "testing" out the level of stings/bites, and went on to develop the Schmidt Sting Pain Index (Schmidt Sting Pain Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

It's not just about the pain though. Needlessly subjecting oneself to venom is not a good thing. Allergic reactions such as anaphylactic shock are unpredictable. You could be bitten by something hundreds of times, but then all of a sudden develop a reaction. 

The same can be true of handling certain insects. Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, for example, can quickly become irritating to the skin if you handle them too often. When I feed our hissers/millipedes, I always wear gloves for this reason. 

The one exception to this for me, are my colonies of bed bugs, which I feed out once a week. I am documenting my progression of reactions and may publish an article relating to them.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

andry said:


> Ed, are you saying this creature in my viv can leave bite marks on a pencil???


 
No, one of the large species similar to the one eating the whiptailed lizard that is found in the south west... I cited the discussion to keep it in context.... 

Ed


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## jacobi (Dec 15, 2010)

xm41907 said:


> I'm an entomologist and have worked with all kinds of insects and other Arthropods, but I am not fond of being bitten/stung by something. Even though I know it's unlikely to be bitten by a spider when handled correctly, I still have that innate sense of danger and am cautious when dealing with anything that bites/stings. I am not near as crazy as Justin Schmidt, an entomologist that spent years "testing" out the level of stings/bites, and went on to develop the Schmidt Sting Pain Index (Schmidt Sting Pain Index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
> 
> It's not just about the pain though. Needlessly subjecting oneself to venom is not a good thing. Allergic reactions such as anaphylactic shock are unpredictable. You could be bitten by something hundreds of times, but then all of a sudden develop a reaction.
> 
> ...


I know an entomologist who always has an epi pen on him in case of an allergic reaction... And I've been stung/bitten enough to know that Schmidt's research is fascinating but he's OUT OF HIS FREAKING MIND!


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

jacobi said:


> I know an entomologist who always has an epi pen on him in case of an allergic reaction... And I've been stung/bitten enough to know that Schmidt's research is fascinating but he's OUT OF HIS FREAKING MIND!


I always go out of my way to avoid being bitten and/or stung if at all possible... so I can totally understand the sentiment.. As a kid I actually had gotten stung enough that I developed a hypersensitivity to honey bees (no longer have it)..... 

Ed


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