TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - "Creepy" and "Halloween" are two words that go hand-in-hand. People love scaring themselves with the real and make-believe.
But some creatures are so creepy, thinking about them even around Halloween can give you goosebumps.
This morning on Sunrise we were joined by Sherryll Washburne, a local exterminator, to talk about very real, very creepy creatures including Flesh Flies, Bats, Earwigs, Brown Recluse Spiders, and Bed Bugs. You can see the whole video by clicking on the thumbnail to the left.
Here are some facts about each of these creatures provided by Arrow Exterminators:
Flesh Flies: Flesh flies are most often found breeding in and feeding on decaying material or feces but some species will actually lay their eggs in the open wounds of mammals - including humans, hence the name flesh flies. A typically meal consists of decaying flesh, dead insects, excrement, crabs, snails and spiders.
Bats: Historically associated with vampires, only one species of this creepy flier actually feeds off of blood. While there is very little danger of encountering one of these vampire bats, other species can be quite scary if they invade your home. They can also transmit several diseases including rabies.
Earwigs: The name earwig literally means "ear creature" and is derived from the ancient superstition that these pests would crawl into ears and bore holes into the brain. While this may not be true, these creepy pests do have scary, claw-like forceps on their abdomen. They use them as weapons for protection and for capturing prey.
Brown Recluse Spiders: While most spiders are actually beneficial, feeding on other insects, there are some scary crawlers to avoid including the Brown Recluse. These spiders are nocturnal and while they usually feed on cockroaches and crickets, they will bite humans if they feel threatened. This bite can create a "volcano lesion" or a large, damaged hole in the flesh. In extreme cases, severe itching, nausea, vomiting, fever and muscle pain can also occur
Bed Bugs: Vampires might not be running around biting humans for their blood, but one notorious pest certainly is - Bed bugs! The size of an apple seed, these bloodsuckers typically come out at night to feed on their unsuspecting victims. Bed bugs do not spread disease but they may leave behind itchy, painful welts on their victims. If left untreated, bed bugs can be a recurring nightmare since they can live for more than a year without food and survive a wide range of extreme temperatures.
