Houseguest has 15 legs

Today's Bug of the Week is an odd-looking critter to say the least.

A reader recently snapped a picture of a 'house centipede' at a home on Acland Road near the Kelowna Airport.

With 15-pairs of long legs and even longer antennae, the house centipede is a unique-looking bug.

And while it may look creepy, it is completely harmless – unless you are afraid of creepy-looking bugs, that is.

But if you spot one in your humble home, consider yourself lucky.

They do not bite and they do not make webs.

They do, however, eat other insects including spiders, bed bugs, silver fish and more.

According to Wikipedia, the house centipede comes from the Mediterranean region, and has spread to other parts of the world, such as the Okanagan.

The centipede can grow to more than 3.5 cm, but looks bigger when the antennae are taken into account.

House centipedes prefer to live in cool, damp places outdoors, primarily under large rocks, piles of wood or leaves, in barkdust and especially in compost piles. They often emerge from hiding during the watering of gardens or flowerbeds.

But they can also find a cozy spot inside a house, hence the name.

They are usually found in dark or dimly lit areas such as basements and garages as well as bathrooms which tend to be humid, something they seek out.

House centipedes can live up to seven years and start producing younglings at three years old. They lay an average of 63 eggs in the springtime.