Bugs With Lots of Legs: Centipedes and More
Bugs with far more than six legs are not insects at all. This guide covers 3 of them.
Quick list
How to narrow it down
Narrow it down with three quick checks. Count the legs: insects have six, spiders and ticks have eight, and centipedes and millipedes have many more. Check for wings, even folded ones. Then compare size against a coin: a US penny is 19 mm across. Our bug identifier tool does this filtering for you.
The 3 bugs
House Centipede
House CentipedeScutigera coleoptrataA fast, yellowish-gray centipede with 15 pairs of very long legs that races across floors and walls at night. It hunts silverfish, cockroaches and spiders.
Tell-tale sign: Fifteen pairs of long, banded legs. Risk: House centipedes rarely bite; a bite feels like a mild bee sting.
Millipede
MillipedeOxidus gracilisA slow-moving, cylindrical arthropod with two pairs of legs on most body segments. Millipedes eat decaying leaves and often migrate indoors after heavy rain.
Tell-tale sign: Rounded, segmented body with many short legs. Risk: Millipedes don't bite; some release a fluid that can stain or irritate skin.
Pill Bug
Pill BugArmadillidium vulgareA small land crustacean that rolls into a tight ball when disturbed, also called a roly-poly. It eats decaying plant matter in damp soil and mulch.
Tell-tale sign: Gray, armored, segmented body with seven pairs of legs. Risk: Pill bugs are harmless and only occasionally nibble seedlings.
Which ones should you worry about?
0 of the 3 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. None of them are considered medically significant. The rest are harmless or simply a nuisance.
Comparison at a glance
| House Centipede | Millipede | Pill Bug | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | Centipedes, Millipedes & Crawlers | Centipedes, Millipedes & Crawlers | Centipedes, Millipedes & Crawlers |
| Scientific name | Scutigera coleoptrata | Oxidus gracilis | Armadillidium vulgare |
| Size | 25–35 mm | 20–40 mm | 8–14 mm |
| Colors | Gray, Tan and Yellow | Brown and Black | Gray and Black |
| Legs | many legs (30 or more) | many legs (30 or more) | 14 legs |
| Wings | No | No | No |
| Bites or stings | Bites | No | No |
| Risk | Nuisance | Nuisance | Harmless |
| Key feature | Fifteen pairs of long, banded legs | Rounded, segmented body with many short legs | Gray, armored, segmented body with seven pairs of legs |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common one?
Among the bugs in this guide, the house centipede and millipede are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
None of them are medically significant, though some can bite or sting.
How can I identify a bug I found?
Use the free bug identifier tool: choose the number of legs, wings, main color, size and where you found it, and it will list the closest matches.