Millipedes and Centipedes

Centipede and Millipede Prevention

Moisture is a large contributor to the presence of both centipedes and millipedes.

Tips to prevent millipedes and centipedes:

• Keep basements, attics and crawlspaces moisture-free.
• Bag and remove from your property leaf litter and other forms of decaying organic material.
• Keep compost piles far from the house.
• Remove logs and rotting boards from the ground, and remove old cardboard boxes from the property.

Beneficial notes on millipedes and centipedes:

Centipedes are predators that hunt insects. Reducing or eliminating the insects that they hunt can also reduce the number of centipedes.

Millipedes eat organic, decaying material and contribute to the soil production.

Centipede and Millipede Control

At Hearts, we understand that people are reducing exposure to toxins from a variety of sources, including pesticides. That is why we have organic alternatives for treating centipedes and millipedes. Hearts was the first southern California pest control company to introduce EcoWise Certified service.

Each treatment for centipedes or millipedes begins with a thorough inspection of your property. Finding millipede and centipede harborage spots is the key to reducing the amount of pesticides that are needed. After inspection, together, we will develop a pest prevention and treatment program that fits your lifestyle and environmental sensibilities.

Millipede and Centipede Biology

Millipedes and Centipedes are arthropods, which puts them as a very distant relation of spiders and insects. Millipedes and centipedes only vaguely resemble each other in that their bodies have many segments and many pairs of legs. Millipedes have cylindrical bodies and two pairs of legs per segment. Centipedes are flat and have only one pair of legs per body segment.

They range in color from colorless and pale to the brighter reds and yellows, but most of the type found around the home are black, brown or grey. Generally, centipedes and millipedes will live, breed and hunt outside. Few species desire to go indoors, but sometimes they may accidentally wander inside. These visitors are typically harmless and can be beneficial in places like the garden.

If centipedes and millipedes are present in abundance or if you’re finding them in sensitive locations within or around the home, your Hearts pest control technician can eliminate these illusive pests quickly and efficiently.

Species

Millipedes are an extremely varied genus with scores of species in just our county alone. In general they behave similarly and the control of them is also, generally the same.

Centipedes have the same variety and treatment as millipedes. The most common being the House Centipede. House Centipedes are fairly common and often mistaken for other arthropods. Their many long legs and numerous antenna and “tails” give people the impression that they are walking fuzz balls or dust bunnies. They have three dark stripes going down the length of their back and range in size from about ½ inch to 1 inch in length. House centipedes attack and eat other household insects.

Giant Desert Centipedes are solitary creatures ranging up to 8 inches in length. They can be black to brown to dark yellowish with stripes. Their bite is very painful and sometimes slow to heal. Those allergic to insect stings and bites should stay clear of these centipedes. They hunt for food in the same places as other centipedes, in refuse, plant clippings, organic material, and under rocks and boards outside.