Things that will Bite in the Night

Last night was my first night back from house sitting and low and behold there was something waiting for me besides Kove. I started to doze off and to get more comfortable I started to extend my leg out from under the covers to get a little temperature regulation going. When I slid my foot under the comforter I felt a sharp snap on my foot. My immediate reaction was to say "ow" and then "something just bit me!" We flipped on the side table light and for a moment I thought maybe I was overreacting, maybe I just caught my foot on a zipper or something sharp. That's when Kove pulled back the covers and there it was . . . a centipede, and a big one at that. Thank goodness I wasn't wearing my contacts or glasses and could only see an outline of it or I would have lost it worse than I did!!

Kove got the bug out and disposed of it. I looked at my foot and sure enough I had two small puncture marks there, like a tiny vampire had bit me. And my foot began to sting and burn around the marks. So we got to work looking it up online and in the field guide we keep handy. We identified it as a Blue-Legged Centipede and when I saw pictures I was glad I didn't see the thing up close! We read a little more that implied it was not likely to kill me, but to keep track of my symptoms. So we put an ice pack on it and went back to bed, soon as the ice wore off it burned like crazy but I managed to fall asleep. I was interested to learn that they are indeed venomous and the common term for their maxillipeds is "poison claws" Wonderful. That made me feel a lot better.

On the flip side, I haven't experienced any of the other symptoms of a serious reaction, and I woke up feeling fine this morning, so i think I'm in the clear this time. Kove said it was a freak accident and we don't get those around very often, let alone in the house, but it's certainly giving me yet another thing to obsess over! And it will definitely change my bedtime routine: 1) brush teeth, 2) wash face, 3) set alarm, 4) check sheets for venomous blood-thirsty insects.

Centipede Bite