centipede

[wconan]

While repotting i found a centipede on my orchid. Should I worry about a centipede? and what kind of damages does centipede do to orchids?

[Miki]

Centipede! I think they have a venomous bite! I would be worried for the human species first!
Not sure if they damage orchids.
I would get rid of them ASAP.

[kmarch]

I have centipedes in my Cymbidium pots. If I see one I kill it but I make no effort to exterminate them. Their presence seems to have no effect on my orchids. I don't think they hurt anything. And to my knowledge the little common ones are not posionous, at least that i know of.

[BillC]

Some centipedes have the ability to bite and inject venom into their prey, but unless they are over two to three inches long it is unlikely that they could cause problems for humans.

Despite the poisonous bite of some species, centipedes on the whole can be regarded as largely beneficial, particularly around the garden and in farm crops where they often prey on root-feeding insect grubs. Even the odd one or two centipedes living indoors might be tolerated considering their potential value in keeping at bay cockroaches and other unwelcome domestic insects. Since they are by nature carnivorous they will not damage plant material so your friendly centipede might be keeping the bugs away from the plant!!

Bill

[sandra]

Can't offer answers here, just sending my condolences on your find. I just recently found a millipede in one of my cacti and flipped. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite as disgusting except for a potato bug.

[Fabolusus]

I'm pretty sure that centipedes are carnivorous. I had a problem with milipedes. They almost completely destroyed the root system of one of my favorite phals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipede

[Orchidflowerchild]

OOoh, helpful garden carnivores! I alowas love seeing spiders and centipedes and mantises and such in the orchids. I think the best was when a tree frog moved into my greenhouse years back. She discovered a nice, warm tropical oasis with daily waterings in the midst of one of our coldest winters in a long time. Eventually, I had a crop of baby frogs and the GH was like a symphony in the nighttime. Also had a mantis lay eggs in the GH, once...hundreds of liiiiitle tiny mantids! I had absoluely no trouble with aphids or mealies, that year.

-Cj

[Orchidflowerchild]

Just popped out to the back proch to check ont he 'chids, and look who I found hard at work....





Like I said, I love the helpful beasties!

-Cj

[BillC]

Hi CecilyJo, You have an Orb Web Spider (Araneidae family) with elaborate marking on the abdomen and those very unusual spiny points on the abdominal margin. The coloration of white with black oval spots suggests that this is Gasteracantha cancriformis; a very nice specimen. From the second pic I think that our pal has caught something ( can't quite make it out ) but there seem to be more than six legs in the pic. If you give it some TLC it will look after your plants.

Bill