Have you ever found yourself confronted by a centipede scuttling across your floor, eliciting an instinctive urge to squash it without a second thought? Should I kill a centipede, or is there more to these fascinating creatures than meets the eye? Many people often react with revulsion, believing that these multi-legged organisms pose an inherent threat to their living environment. However, before reaching for a shoe or a rolled-up newspaper, might it be prudent to consider the ecological role that centipedes play? Are they not, in fact, voracious predators of household pests such as cockroaches and termites? Thus, could it be argued that exterminating them may ultimately lead to a greater nuisance? Furthermore, what implications does our aversion to such creatures reveal about our relationship with the natural world? In pondering these questions, shouldn’t we reassess our instinctive reactions toward these misunderstood denizens of our homes?