3451 Centipede thing and squeaky thing!

[QUOTE=trullomartinafranca]Centipede or millipede with big scary looking pincer thingy’s on the end of it. Light brown and about 4-5 inches long![/QUOTE]

Millipedes are usually very dark coloured and have loads of tiny legs. They're pretty much harmless: their diet is rotting vegetation (although they have been known to occasionally munch on living plants). Apparently some species do produce a substance which can be irritating to skin, but I assume you're not wanting to play with them. Some species also produce a nasty odour if squashed, so maybe best to do a Manopello and escort them gently to the garden.

Centipedes tend to be red or brown and have legs that are roughly spider-sizd. They're carnivorous and venomous and you are right to be wary of the pincers: some of the larger species can deliver a bite that's as nasty as a wasp sting. Obviously, people will vary in how they react to the toxin, but it's probably wisest not to experiment.

As far as what to do with them, well, they do eat other bugs and the odds are that most of them are the sort that would be chewing on things you'd rather they left alone. So again, probably a good idea just to catch them in something and deposit outside in your garden.

Locally applied ice is apparently the recommended treatment. Antihistimines should also help.

[QUOTE=trullomartinafranca]Also in our trullo was something that made a squeaky noise not a mouse or rat, no sign of them in the main trullo. All we could see were lizards, gecko and wood lice type things. Anyone know if these make a squeaky noise?[/QUOTE]

I'm sure some lizard are knowns to make squeaky noises. Possibly particularly so at this time of year when all the boy lizards are wanting to let the girl lizards know that they're around.

I think it's highly unlikely that a woodlouse would make any sort of sound audible to human ears.

Al

This sounds exactly the same as three we have had in our Trullo. We showed one to our Italian neighbours , their son-in-law is a nurse and he told us if in the unlikely event we were bitten by these pincers we should attend the hospital immediately.

Sandra

Thanks both of you, have confirmed our thoughts on both cases, pincer centipede beware and squeaky noise is a horny lizard! Lizard noise didn't exactley enhance our romantic evenings in our Trullo, I kept worrying what it was! ;) :D

[QUOTE=trullomartinafranca]Lizard noise didn't exactley enhance our romantic evenings in our Trullo, I kept worrying what it was! ;) :D[/QUOTE]

Being serenaded by lusty lizards isn't romantic enough for you?

No pleasing some people.

Al

I think I shoulld clean up this thread by discoursing on a - non dangerous, but unnerving - habit of the larger lizards we have in Umbria. These chaps are about 150mm long - locally called "raganacci" - emerald green back, turqoise blue belly - a very beautiful beastie. Perhaps close to your ghekkos?

Anyway, these lizards (hope I have got the right family!), haven't got any teeth sufficient to do any damage, but they have incredibly strong jaws, and when you are trying to shift one from an inconvenient spot, there is nothing they like better than to clamp these vice like jaws onto that bit of skin between your thumb and your first finger - and they are the devil's own job to shake off!! Do it politely though, they are so exquisite you could never wish them any harm :)

[quote=AllanMason]Being serenaded by lusty lizards isn't romantic enough for you?

No pleasing some people.

Al[/quote]

No serenading lizards didn't work for me as your previous post didn't before editing. Too many sleepless nights from serenading lizards have made me a bit stupido, so do enlighten me, by PM if it was that bad! :D

Relaxed, glad the skin was between thumb and finger! Doesn't bare thinking about especially as Dave jumped about two foot in the air one night and found one in the bed! :D

Our first trip to our newly purchased Trullo has been all fun and games, rats in the cuccina, serenading lizards in our bed, venomous centipedes but we still can't wait to get back in June!

Idle curiousity:

Do you tend to have beasties of sundry sizes and species trying to share the place while you're actually living there, or do they seem to just take up residence when you're away?

Having never seen a trullo up close (but being familiar with the basic principles of the things), I just wondered if is it even possible to make the buildings more or less critter-proof.

Al

The rat problem, hopfully we have solved. There was a whole in the old pizza oven chimney and the big b*****s sneaked in there! So off to local builders merchants and returned with sand and cerment to fill and of course put poisen down.

As for lizards and gecko's I didn't really mind them and infact apart from the sqeak after the first few days they didn't make much of an appearance. The centepede, we only saw the one nasty looking one, the others were probably millipedes, well no big pincers anyway! All part of the fun I reckon. The Trullo has been renovated back to the stone, not rendered as with some, the stone has natural holes and that is where the lizards like to live, I think?

[LEFT]Would just like to reassure that our trullo is no better or worse than anywhere else for creepie crawlies.

In fact its certainly better than the house at home as without floorboards there doesn't seem so many places for spiders, etc to live.

The only creepie crawlies we seem to get are the millipede-like things. They appear on the walls or ceilings - I knock them down with a broom, they tighten themselves up into a circle and I take them outside. I too have heard that if they are squashed they give off a foul odour. However, even after leaving the place for many weeks, when we come back there are usualy only about two or three to be disposed of - and we have seven cones.

Never had lizards inside, although did have a rat once - it did literally run in from outside and is the only one we've seen, inside or out. Husband got it with a large piece of wood.

Our trullo is well sealed - solid floors and skirtings and all cones plastered. Windows (if that is what you call them) have insect screens. Only place things come in is through the doors when we leave them open, and perhaps down the chimney.

Good luck TMF, it all adds to the fun.

[/LEFT]

Thanks Flyingpigs, we're happy, it's all just a learnig curve. Our Trullo is only little so doesn't take long to check for beasties! :D