The centipede, or as it is often called, the house centipede, common flycatcher- this is an insect that belongs to the class of arthropods and therefore has a rather peculiar appearance. It can be seen in apartments and private homes, especially in dark corners of basements, under the kitchen sink or in the bathroom, where dampness may be present. Due to the repulsive appearance and rather large size of the centipede, many people experience fear and hostility when meeting it, although this is completely in vain, this type of insect does not pose any threat, and even helps get rid of flies, cockroaches, fleas and moths.
Insect centipede - appearance, habitat, behavioral features
What does a centipede look like?
House centipede body length usually about 4–6 cm. The color of the insect varies from yellow-gray to brown. There are three stripes along the back; they come in purple or blue. The centipede has compound eyes, thanks to which it has excellent vision. On the sides of the head there are small antennae consisting of large quantity segments, they react to changes in air temperature and thereby help the insect navigate in search of the safest places.
The body consists of 15 segments that are capable of supporting the body in weight. The flycatcher has many legs, their length increases as they approach the tail. This structure of the legs allows it to run quickly at speeds of up to 40 cm per second. The number of limbs and segments in millipedes increases as they grow up to 15 pairs. Last pair of legs It can be so long that it can exceed the size of the insect’s body. The first pair of forelimbs in the process of evolution began to represent jaw processes, which greatly help the centipede in hunting.
Where does the centipede live?
These insects live in many countries temperate climate: Northern Africa, Southern Europe, Middle East. In Russia, the centipede is found in the southern regions, the Volga region, middle lane. Usually, the house centipede can be found under stones in the forest, near the roots of trees, in fallen leaves, where it is wet and damp, since they need a moist environment for full life and successful reproduction.
They may appear in a house or apartment in the fall, when it gets cold outside. In winter, centipedes hibernate, and by spring they wake up and become active. In southern countries, this type of insect is treated very well, as they are able to help people destroy pests.
In human habitation centipedes prefer to live:
- In dark basements.
- In bathrooms and toilets.
- In places with high humidity.
Common flycatchers are predators. They can eat insects that live near them. A centipede living in a person’s house can even be useful, as it helps get rid of cockroaches, flies, spiders, and fleas by feeding on them. Having noticed prey, the flycatcher attacks it, then bites it, injecting poison into the victim’s body, and after that it begins to eat. House centipedes are able to live permanently in people's homes, bringing them only benefits.
Despite this, many are afraid of this insect and believe that the centipede can bite. Fortunately, the venom of the house centipede is dangerous only for small pests, and it does not affect human health in any way. Only in case of individual intolerance to poison possibly a manifestation of an allergic reaction. Flycatchers bite in self-defense and in very rare cases. They prefer to hide from people, avoiding contact with them.
If you are bitten by a centipede, here's what to do:
- Be sure to disinfect the bite site with hydrogen peroxide or iodine.
- If the wound is swollen and a burning sensation is felt around it, you should apply a cold compress and hold it until the unpleasant symptoms disappear.
- At severe pain You need to take painkillers and antihistamines.
How do centipedes hunt and feed?
Although insect centipede is a predator, at long absence usual food, she can also eat plants, for example, some types of house flowers. But the basis of their diet is:
Centipedes prefer to hunt in the dark. Sitting in a secluded place, these insects lie in wait for potential prey, using special antennae that are able to detect the slightest movements, smells and sounds. Seeing the presence of a beetle suitable for food or a cockroach, the centipede quickly jumps on its prey, and then, holding it with the help of its jaw processes, injects poison into the body of the prey, which kills it instantly. After this, the flycatcher eats its lunch and goes to a secluded place for a while to calmly digest the food.
A small predator can catch several insects at once and, eating one victim, will hold the rest with its legs.
Reproduction of the common flycatcher
When is insect breeding season?, this usually happens in spring and summer, the female begins to secrete special pheromones so that the male pays attention to her. When the acquaintance occurs, the male lays a small cell with sperm, which picks up a female individual with his reproductive tract. She then digs a hole in the damp soil and places 70 to 120 fertilized eggs in it and sprinkles them lightly with soil to camouflage them.
Small centipedes are born with four pairs of legs, then their number increases after each molt. After 5–6 molts, the flycatcher grows and the number of legs is 15 pairs. The lifespan of a house centipede is about 3–7 years.
Why do there be centipedes in the house?
Common flycatchers appear in people's houses and apartments in search of food, and since they need moisture for normal life, they can settle in the basement or bathroom. These insects are active only at night, during the day it is almost impossible to see them; the flycatcher always tries to avoid contact with humans.
The main reasons for centipedes entering an apartment may be:
Flycatchers can enter the house through cracks and holes in the floor, along pipelines, crawling from neighbors’ apartments. It is worth knowing that these insects live only in a certain place, they will not, like cockroaches, multiply to huge numbers and run throughout the apartment, and will never be interested in and will not spoil your products, clothes, flowers or furniture . By and large, centipedes do not pose any danger to humans, but, on the contrary, can even be useful, exterminating, for example, flies or worms.
The reason for the appearance of these predators in a private home may be that there are too many of them in basements or under the floor. And if you are planning to get rid of house centipedes, you should first check these areas for their presence.
Ways to control house centipedes
If you absolutely do not want little hunters living in your neighborhood, there are many methods that will help get rid of them. The best way is to create unfavorable conditions for the existence of centipedes. First of all, tidy up the rooms., in which dampness may be present, if there is no familiar environment, flycatchers will look for another habitat.
How do centipedes eat? various insects, try to make them leave your house. Centipedes cannot stay indoors for long without food.
It is necessary to replace old pipes in the bathroom that may be leaking, and repair all the plumbing. If your apartment has a wooden floor, you need to carefully inspect it for the presence of cracks and holes, and if you find their presence, carefully seal them. Varnishing the floors will also help solve the problem, because flycatchers do not like chemical smells.
Get rid of house centipedes possible in the following ways:
Getting rid of flytraps in the garden or garden absolutely not necessary, since small hunters will never harm the crops, and will even help you by ridding your garden plot of various pests.
The centipede (centipede) is not the most harmful creature that lives near humans, but it is certainly one of the ugliest and most frightening! They are feared for many things: high speed, strange appearance and the possibility of being bitten.
Therefore, the fight against centipedes often turns into real hell for people. We will destroy all myths about them based on strictly scientific and verified data.
First, we will answer the most popular questions about what centipedes look like and where they live. And then we’ll find out if they bite and are poisonous. And also what to do if you are bitten by a centipede. But first, let's take a closer look at these disgusting creatures.
What do centipedes look like, where do they live, how many legs do they have? Answers to the most popular questions
We are surrounded by many species of these nasty centipedes. Among them there are the usual house centipedes, and quite dangerous monsters like centipedes. Imagine, you are lying in a bubble bath with a glass of wine, and suddenly this multi-legged monster appears in front of you out of nowhere?!
We think that each of us has seen a centipede close to us at least once in our lives. At first, people panic, start screaming and run away in horror. The same questions appear in my head at first: "Who is this? How can I get rid of him? Will he bite me?". A little later, more logical and serious questions appear in your head. We have prepared answers for you that will cover everything" dark spots"on the topic of fighting these creatures.
Let’s say right away that they cannot be classified as insects: with scientific point In terms of vision, centipedes and insects belong to the same type (arthropods), but at this stage they diverge. Millipedes form the superclass of the same name, which belongs to the subphylum Tracheales. Most often they can be found in dark and damp places on outdoors. For example, in a pile of leaves, under tree bark or stones, in beds and in mulch.
It is not difficult to recognize these aliens. They crawl only at night or in complete darkness. The bodies of centipedes are extremely mobile and clearly segmented: each segment has a pair of legs. Moreover, as you approach the tail, the length of the legs increases. Why - you ask? This allows the creature not to trip over itself and to move quickly. They have two poisonous claws on their heads, which people often mistake for jaws. Certain variations are possible with body color: it is usually gray with the addition of red, brown or pink. But sometimes you can see yellow stripes.
Where do centipedes live?
Where can you find the common centipede? Theoretically, she herself could fall on your face at night or peek into the shower during home spa treatments. But more often, centipedes live in warm and damp basements, closets and attics. Of course, they love bathrooms and greenhouses. There are also more inaccessible places. Experts recommend looking under concrete slabs and into all cracks, inside hollow walls, sewage and boxes of old things. Moreover, it is much easier to “spot a centipede” in the dark: they are most active at night.
How many legs does a centipede have?
In general, they can have from 30 to 354 legs. One fun rule is that centipedes never have an even number of pairs of legs (always 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 or 15 pairs). The house centipede (flycatcher) grows legs as it matures, and they typically have 15 pairs of legs. It is surprising that the last pair of legs in an adult female is the longest - almost 2 times longer than the insect’s body itself. And if you see an individual that has less than 30 legs, you know that it is still small.
Are centipedes poisonous?
Centipedes themselves are not poisonous, but many of them have glands containing poison. Arthropods need it in order to paralyze the prey and eat it. But the toxins also protect the centipedes themselves from the danger of becoming someone’s dinner: the liquid they secrete often smells very unpleasant - and the predators run away!
Types of centipedes
But more precisely, it is the insects and slugs they hunt, not humans, who should be afraid of the toxic composition of the centipede repellent liquid. Although if you get in their way, they will most likely bite you. Scientists reassure everyone who is worried: “Centipedes do not carry diseases”. These are not mosquitoes, among which a malarial one can creep in - centipedes cannot inflict great harm to a person.
Many of these creatures have glands on the sides of their bodies that secrete poison. Therefore, it is better not to touch them with your bare hands, take care of your skin: their “defensive spray” is very caustic and blisters may appear on your hands! And, of course, do not rub your eyes after touching such a creature and wash your hands thoroughly.
But the one you should definitely be wary of is the scolopendra. This is one of the centipede family that people should avoid. Scolopendra's venom is somewhat reminiscent of scorpion venom in composition! And we'll talk about this below.
Do centipedes bite?
Yes, especially house flycatcher centipedes. But you don’t have to be afraid of the consequences of their bites: although these centipedes disgust you, they very rarely bite humans. As for animals, centipedes may well bite them: the smaller the animal is, the harder it will endure the bite. However, this happens extremely rarely. Mostly centipedes bite!
What to do if you are bitten by a scolopendra
But if you do get bitten by a scolopendra, be prepared for the following consequences (we’ll warn you right away, not fatal). The bites can be very painful and go away slowly over 1-2 days. The main symptoms that you may experience: at the very moment of the bite there will be a sharp and prolonged pain; the severity of the pain can vary (from slight to “10” on a 10-point pain scale); body temperature may increase; you may feel severe weakness; Most likely, the sensitivity of the skin in the bite area will significantly increase, swelling and redness will appear, and loss of sensitivity and a feeling of numbness may also occur.
Scolopendras are somewhat similar to wasps, which do not leave a sting in the wound and can sting a person several times in a row. Often, at the moment of detection by a person, this creature continues to inflict multiple punctures, introducing even more poison. Centipedes usually bite when a person is resting in bed, but they can also crawl into clothes and bite the moment you start getting dressed.
But there is good news: scolopendra bites are not fatal! For a person to die from its poison, he must be bitten by several thousand individuals at the same time!
Helpful advice: if you are bitten by a scolopendra, find a heating pad at home and fill it moderately hot water(up to 45 degrees C) and apply to the bite site - this simple measure should bring relief. Scientists have not yet found an explanation for this phenomenon, but they suspect that this is possible due to the fact that some components of scolopendra venom are unstable to heat. The second medicine is ice and analgesics.
Are centipedes dangerous for your home?
And you don’t have to worry about clothes, paper documents, furniture and other items. A centipede is not a moth or a silverfish. She is not at all interested in your things. Another thing is that some centipedes can spoil the air in the house due to the fact that they secrete a bad-smelling secretion - but this is unlikely - there must be too many of these arthropods in your house for you to smell it. In addition, since centipedes are plant scavengers, they may become interested in rotting wood. We advise you to check attics and basements more often for moisture and for such “yummy things.”
We hope we didn't intimidate you. Therefore, at the end, in order to “whiten up” our heroes a little, let’s tell you how centipedes are useful. They are very active in destroying pests. Their diet includes bedbugs, flies, cockroaches, termites and even spiders. So sometimes centipedes turn into real “guardians of housing” from even more harmful creatures. Therefore, if you are not afraid of such many-legged neighbors, then live with them “in peace and harmony.”
A centipede in an apartment rarely makes anyone happy with its appearance. Nature has not skimped on the number of legs for this creature, which is why it looks very intimidating and moves quickly. Interestingly, there is no such species as the centipede in taxonomy. This is the popular name for centipedes, which number about 12,000 species.
What centipedes live next to humans?
Apartments and houses are inhabited mainly by common flycatchers or centipedes, with favorable conditions they may not leave their homes and spend their entire lives in them, and this is neither more nor less, but 6-7 years.
The centipede, contrary to its name, does not have 40 legs. In an adult, the body is divided into 15 segments, each of which has a pair of long striped legs attached. They are so thin at the ends that it is simply amazing how they can support the weight of a centipede. The last pair of legs exceeds the size of the flycatcher itself, which is why it is not immediately possible to recognize where its antennae are and where its legs are.
Flycatcher - the fastest centipede covers a distance of 40 cm in one second
The flattened body is light brown or yellow in color with longitudinal dark stripes, the length reaches 6 cm. Compounded eyes are located on the sides of the head. Keen vision and fast movement speed provide the centipede with excellent hunting abilities. By nature, arthropods are predators. They become his prey small insects. In apartments these can be cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, flies. With its legs, the flycatcher captures prey, injects poison into it and absorbs the immobilized trophy.
Interesting! Centipedes do not belong to the class of insects, but are included in the class of labiopods. But given that all small-sized crawling and flying representatives of the fauna are commonly called insects, in everyday life centipedes are also classified among them.
Scolopendra domestica
Scolopendras are one of the most interesting creatures among centipedes. In Southern Europe, in the Crimea, the ringed scolopendra lives and takes root well in colder latitudes. Unlike their tropical “relatives,” these centipedes in the house do not pose a threat to the life or health of people and eat synanthropic insects. Only occasionally can they accidentally bite a sleeping person. Their sting has much in common with that of a bee. The affected area experiences burning, pain, redness and swelling.
On a note! Reduce painful sensations After a scolopendra bite, a heating pad with water at 45°C will help. According to scientists, heat exposure destroys the arthropod's venom.
Reasons for the appearance of centipedes in apartments and houses
Centipedes love high humidity and dim lights. The peak of active activity occurs at night, so people often long time may not even be aware of the proximity to centipedes. Favorite habitats in the apartment:
- under the bathtubs, near the shower stall communications;
- in the toilet;
- in the cracks under the tiles;
- near drains.
In private homes, centipedes can choose basements and attics, where living conditions are almost ideal for them.
Having discovered a multi-legged creature, a frightened resident of a city apartment wonders why there are centipedes in the apartment. The natural habitat of arthropods is litter of fallen leaves, moss, rotten stumps, and stone tunnels. With the onset of cold weather, centipedes begin to search comfortable conditions existence and penetrate through cracks into a person’s home. A new habitat for a centipede is selected according to the following criteria:
- availability of food, water;
- dampness, humidity;
- warm;
- darkness.
Most often, apartments on the lower floors are subject to their invasions. And although flycatchers and centipedes do not show aggression towards humans, but destroy domestic pests, almost no one wants to share their living space with many-legged uninvited “guests”.
How to deal with centipedes
Most humane way How to get rid of centipedes in an apartment is to lie in wait for them at night, catch them and carefully return them to their native element. However, in practice, the method is difficult to implement. Flycatchers run quickly and are difficult to catch; besides, not everyone will decide to pick up a living “monster” in their hands. You can also swat the troublemaker with a slipper - if the settlement is a single one, such a measure will be quite effective.
On a note! Using sticky traps is a useless remedy for keeping centipedes out of your home. The arthropod will sacrifice a pair of legs and go home.
When there are too many furry creatures and the psychological peace of the household is at stake, it’s time to move on to radical measures:
- Deprive centipedes of food supply: destroy all insects in the house using insecticides or calling in exterminators for help.
- Normalize the humidity level and microclimate in the apartment.
- Eliminate all leaks water pipes, flaws sewer system, promptly remove condensation in the bathroom.
- Eliminate all cracks in the walls, near the baseboards.
Sometimes you have to sacrifice the plants climbing the walls. In them, centipedes find reliable shelters and subsequently enter the house through open windows and vents.
Effective folk remedies
One of the most simple means, how to get rid of centipedes in an apartment or house - boric acid. You can buy it at the pharmacy, it is sold in bags. There is no need to tire yourself out preparing baits with boric acid. The powder is scattered in bathrooms, in places of direct concentration of centipedes (if any have been identified), along the routes of their movement.
After contact with the substance, particles of the powder remain on the paws, causing itching and burning. When the centipede tries to cleanse itself of foreign components, part of the product invariably enters the body, which leads to poisoning and subsequent death. Diatomaceous earth powder is also used in the same way.
On a note! Boric acid scattered on the floor will help get rid of not only centipedes, but also ants and cockroaches.
Insecticides for centipedes
Centipedes can be completely destroyed only with the help of insecticides. Not the most humane method, but the most effective and fastest. Gel preparations designed to bait cockroaches may not be effective against centipedes. Prussians are attracted to gels by the aroma of the product, and only after the insect has tasted the poison and brought it on its legs to the nest, a chain reaction begins. Multi-legged arthropods are predators and food baits can remain unattended for a long time.
The best poison against centipedes are insecticides in the form of aerosols, sprays, and concentrates. Products are applied to potential habitats of centipedes: in bathrooms, toilets, along baseboards. Disinsection is carried out using a respirator and rubber gloves in the absence of household members. At the end of the procedure, you must leave the room for several hours.
How to poison centipedes:
- “Clean House” - an aerosol product that has an instant destructive effect, a flexible nozzle is attached to the bottle;
- “Raptor” - the aerosol contains 2 insecticides and a synergist that enhances their effect, due to which all crawling insects that fall within the area of action of the drug have no chance of survival;
- “Combat” - Multispray and Superspray aerosols are equipped with a long, comfortable nozzle, which allows you to treat hard-to-reach places; they retain their properties for 2-3 days;
- “Raid” is an effective aerosol for killing insects with the smell of lavender, characterized by a prolonged action;
- emulsions "Medilis" - inexpensive concentrates Supersil, Ziper, which are diluted with water before use in accordance with the instructions, the effect of the active components lasts for 30 days, it is advisable to use for rooms with large populations of insects and centipedes.
If there are too many centipedes in the apartment, then they do not lack food supply, which indicates the appearance of colonies of cockroaches and ants in the apartment. In this case, you can use the Raptor aquafumigator. It is a metal container that contains potent insecticides and a vapor-creating agent. After assembling the structure, which will take 2-3 minutes, the aquafumigator is installed in the center of the room. Steam comes out of it and penetrates into all corners of the room, instantly destroying all insects, and centipedes will not be an exception.
Residents of private houses and apartments often encounter the appearance of various insects. These little creatures are disgusting and cause damage to things and products. In addition to cockroaches, fleas and bedbugs, centipedes appear in residential areas. Their frightening appearance can cause panic. What are many-legged creatures, what danger do they pose to humans and how to get rid of them in an apartment or private house. Let's look for answers to questions together.
Who are centipedes
It is the appearance of centipedes that forces people to take emergency measures to destroy them. However, not everyone knows that the centipede does not pose a danger to humans and domestic animals. It benefits by eating harmful insects, which include:
- cockroaches,
- ants,
- mole,
- flies,
- bedbugs, etc.
Yours scientific name- common flycatcher - centipede received for its ability to destroy other small insects
In their natural habitat, flycatchers live in leaf litter under trees. Insects love warmth and the absence of drafts, so they wait out the winter in secluded places. In houses and apartments, flycatchers prefer rooms with high level humidity: bathrooms and toilet rooms, as well as in the basement.
Centipedes are not aggressive, but are capable of biting humans in self-defense. They are barely able to bite through the skin. The centipede's venom is weak, and the bite site does not hurt much. Allergy sufferers are better off avoiding unpleasant encounters with insects. After a flytrap bite, you may experience difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, and swelling of the throat.
Video: what is a centipede
Varieties of centipedes
There are many species of centipedes, but most of them are unlikely to be found in homes.
The most dangerous for humans. Capable of infecting the victim with a poison resembling the composition of scorpion venom.
The sting of a scolopendra is very painful for humans
The bites of this arthropod are not fatal to humans, however, they are painful for 1–2 days.
flycatcher
The house centipede looks like a caterpillar. The insect's body consists of segments (15 or more), each of which has a pair of legs of different lengths. The length of an adult centipede reaches 35–60 mm. The color of the arthropod is usually brown or yellowish-gray with bluish or red-violet stripes along the body.
House centipede - a thunderstorm of spiders, moths, cockroaches
The length of adults is 2–25 cm. Loves humidity. Easily penetrates bathrooms and toilets. Quickly curls up into a spiral when it senses danger.
Sensing danger, it curls up into a spiral.
In times of danger, the nodule secretes a strong-smelling liquid reminiscent of the smell of iodine.
It reaches 18–30 mm in length. Dark brown, but can be rusty in color. The body is flattened, so it can penetrate into tight spaces. The drupe has 35–49 body segments. The eyes are located on the sides.
During the day, the drupe hides in a shelter, and at night it goes out to hunt.
It feeds on insects and spiders, but can also dine on worms and springtails. The drupe is active at fairly low air temperatures, which allows it to prey on stationary large insects.
There are several groups of arthropods:
- labiopods and bipedal centipedes,
- symphylos and pauropods,
- sea spiders,
- onychophorans.
Reasons for the appearance of flycatchers in the house
In city apartments, the flycatcher or common centipede often becomes an uninvited guest. Human housing attracts these creatures with suitable living conditions, the availability of food, warmth, the required level of humidity and a large number of secluded corners suitable for reproduction.
Centipedes do not damage furniture, wallpaper, or plumbing fixtures
The flycatcher lays about 60 eggs. To prevent offspring from filling the house, people rush to get the uninvited guest out. Most often, a flycatcher enters an apartment from the street, lower ground and basement floors, or descends from the attic. Favorite places for arthropods in a private house or apartment are numerous cracks in the floor and spaces under baseboards.
Centipede - friend or dangerous enemy for humans and pets
As already mentioned, the centipede does not pose a danger to humans. It does not carry any dangerous diseases, does not attack people or domestic animals, and does not spoil food products and property. The only thing this arthropod is capable of is to greatly frighten household members with its appearance.
Means and methods of getting rid of centipedes in an apartment
If you want to get rid of arthropods in a private house or apartment, reduce the level of humidity in the premises, carry out general cleaning using chlorine-containing products.
When starting the fight against centipedes, remember: they do not live in dry areas and eat a lot of insects
Considering the characteristics of insects, as well as the tendency to lead a solitary lifestyle, effective method destruction is considered mechanical impact. After waiting until nightfall and armed with a fly swatter, try to destroy the centipedes yourself. This will require good skill, because centipedes move very quickly.
Armed with a fly swatter or vacuum cleaner, you can destroy a number of centipedes in your home.
The question is whether the neighbors will approve apartment building your chasing insects?
We remove centipedes by removing dampness
In most cases, getting rid of dampness allows you to forget about centipedes in your home forever. If a faucet is leaking somewhere, fix it. In addition, you can use specialized moisture-absorbing devices, fans, and air conditioners.
Photo gallery: anti-damp devices
A moisture-absorbing device will prevent the appearance of dampness. Fans will effectively dry the room. Air conditioners will create a healthy indoor climate.
Effective and regular ventilation of the premises will disrupt the microclimate that attracts centipedes, and they will leave the house on their own.
Danger lurks in the cracks
Care should be taken to exclude the possibility of centipedes entering the apartment from the outside. To do this you need:
- carefully seal the cracks in the walls,
- remove gaps around sewer pipes and water supply risers,
- install reliable ventilation grilles,
- equip windows with mosquito nets.
These actions will help prevent the reappearance of uninvited guests. They can be excellent helpers when processing skirting boards, cracks and gaps. polyurethane foam and silicone.
Sealants will allow you to get rid of any cracks in your house or apartment.
Mastic for wooden floors
If you have a parquet wooden floor in a private house or apartment, it is enough to treat it with mastic. The smell will make centipedes leave their shelters as quickly as possible.
The smell of mastic will repel flycatchers that prefer to live in crevices
Folk recipes for expelling centipedes from home
There are many universal remedies getting rid of flycatchers and other annoying insects who settled in a house or apartment. Let's look at some of them.
This granular substance, which has neuroparalyzing properties, is sold in any pharmacy, after which it is scattered in places where arthropods most often appear. Once in the body of an insect, the powder poisons it, allowing you to reduce the number of individuals in the apartment.
Powdered boric acid
Boric acid can also be used in solution form. It is applied to the surface of walls, floors and baseboards using a sprayer.
Boric acid is safe for people and pets, but it is still an acid, which means you should be careful when working with it.
Cayenne hot pepper has a good effect of repelling centipedes. It is enough to pour it in those places where insects most often appear.
Pepper will drive away centipedes forever
Important! Place only in places inaccessible to children and pets!
Pyrethrum
Pyrethrum powder, made from chamomile inflorescences, has a good effect on protecting premises from the penetration of centipedes.
Universal insect repellent
Effective and safe for humans and pets, the powder can reduce the number of flycatchers in the house. It is used in the same way as boric acid- scattered in places of accumulation. Due to its structure, this substance literally pierces the body of the insect, and it dies.
Diatomaceous earth consists of the shells of unicellular organisms and the remains of siliceous diatoms, and is used in cosmetology.
Diatom powder is effective against insects and safe for people and animals
Sticky traps are useless
You should not use sticky traps when fighting centipedes. Getting into them, the insect will only lose several legs, which will grow back over time.
Centipedes are not afraid of sticky traps
Industrial products enter the fray
If you cannot get rid of uninvited guests by other means, you will have to resort to help industrial products. Universal preparations designed to combat crawling insects belong to different hazard classes. This should be taken into account when purchasing.
- Hazard class 1 includes extremely dangerous substances used exclusively in warehouses. People are allowed into treated areas only after they have been thoroughly ventilated.
- Hazard class 2 includes highly hazardous substances made on the basis of Fenthion. The preparations are prohibited for processing any food and feed crops.
- Hazard class 3 is moderate hazardous substances, which include: Pyrethrins and FOS. They have a low level of toxicity, but pose a danger to reptiles, amphibians and fish. Many insects have developed resistance to drugs of this group, but for humans they remain toxic and carcinogenic.
- Hazard class 4 includes low-hazard, low-toxic substances related to biological and chemicals, in nature they are destroyed within a week.
Effective use of insecticidal aerosols:
- Combat (hazard class 3),
- Raid (hazard class 3),
- Raptor (hazard class 3),
- Mosquitol (hazard class 4).
The validity period of such aerosols is quite long.
Before using the aerosol, carefully read the instructions. Protect yourself by using a mask and gloves. After treatment, enter the room only a few hours after it has been ventilated.
Chemical insecticidal powders get rid of arthropods:
- Insect dust “Clean House” (hazard class 3–4),
- Phenaxin (hazard class 3).
These drugs are fast-acting. However, it may be necessary to re-treat the room.
Quite effective against centipedes Dust
Crayons and gels are used in as barrier agents. Prevent centipedes from entering your home. Belong to hazard class 4. They remain effective for 4–6 weeks.
Crayons and gels are effective as barrier agents
Ultrasonic repellers do not work on centipedes.
If you can't handle it on your own
Contact specialized companies. Thanks to the technical equipment and the availability of special preparations, specialists are able to efficiently treat the premises, ridding the house or apartment of annoying insects for a long time.
By using the methods and means listed in the article, you will emerge victorious in the fight against house centipedes. When purchasing and using medications, read the instructions. Keep your home clean, do not allow high humidity, seal the cracks, and centipedes (even if they are safe for home and humans) will not choose your home.
The centipede is not a pest; it destroys many harmful insects
But how do these arthropod creatures get into the house, where do they come from and why do they stay living next to humans? What attracts them here?
What kind of house centipede is it?
The main thing about a centipede is its exoskeleton, consisting of chitin, a natural polymer, the most common biopolymer on the planet (humans need chitin for the formation of hair and nails, and birds need it for plumage), and sclerotin (a protein). The centipede has a gray-yellow body, with three beautiful purple stripes with a red tint (they may be bluish or have other variations). Exactly the same stripes are found on the numerous legs of the insect. They relate to insects only from a scientific point of view, since they belong to the same type (arthropods). Millipedes have their own superclass and subtype (tracheals).
The flycatcher's body consists of 15 segments that hold the body suspended. The length of the flycatcher's legs increases as it approaches the rear. The last pair may exceed the length of the body. This structure allows the centipede to move quickly and not trip over its legs. Long legs are often confused with whiskers and therefore they cannot determine where the centipede’s head is and where its tail is.
The first pair of legs of the centipede, which lives in the apartment, as a result of evolution, was transformed and turned into a jaw. With their help, the centipede obtains food and defends itself if necessary.
On the head, on each side there are well-developed eyes and there are peculiar “antennae-antennae”, consisting of 500-600 segments. They are like locators, catching the slightest rustle and conducting space exploration. Responsive to changing conditions environment and temperature, informing you that you need to look for a more comfortable place or settle down here. The antennae warn the centipede of approaching danger.
The centipede has antennae on its head.
Where do they live in nature?
Centipedes are harmless. Living outside:
- under stones and trees;
- in fallen leaves;
- in mulch in the beds.
Breed in damp houses, in decaying tree trunks or collapsing wooden beams buildings and other organic remains. Settling scolopendra at home in the autumn-winter period is fraught with various problems. In human housing, they choose damp places. More often they settle in basements, in rooms on the ground floor or in the bathroom. In winter, centipedes hibernate, finding a warm and secluded place at home. With the arrival of spring, they become active and begin searching for food. Flycatchers are not aggressive, they do not attack people first, and they can only bite in defense. A centipede bite is similar to a bee sting, but the swelling goes away much faster.
But if a fly swatter has taken up residence in your apartment, be prepared for the fact that it may fall on your head, literally, at the most inopportune moment (in your sleep, while eating or taking water procedures).
Like many other arthropods, fly swatters go through stages of shedding their skin before reaching reproductive maturity. Adults can live up to two years. They usually live outdoors, but sometimes like to live in warm, humid areas where people live.
Centipedes love to hide in garden leaves
Where do they come from?
To fight centipedes and determine the reasons why they appeared in your apartment, you need to carefully examine your home and determine who else lives in it besides you. Centipedes are interested in food and only if there is an abundance of it in your apartment will they be interested this house. Any small insects in the house can serve as food. They penetrate the house from the external environment, from neighbors. Most often they settle in private houses on the eve of the first autumn frosts, when the search for food forces them to leave the garden, which has become significantly impoverished, and move under the roof. They prefer damp and warm places: basements, ground floors, as well as dark closets in private houses, from where they wander throughout the house in search of food.
Fly swatters settle in and hard to reach places. They can enter the apartment:
- from under concrete slabs lying on the lawn;
- from cracks in hollow walls;
- from boxes with old things;
- from sewage.
It is easiest to see her at home in the dark; in nature they are active during the day.
Centipedes are not gregarious insects, they do not live in colonies; if you see one on the wall of a house or barn and destroy it, you will get rid of this neighborhood.
Centipedes live in their natural environment where there is high humidity and warmth - the southern part of the European part, the northern part of Africa, the Middle East. The centipede does not stay in one place for a long time, it is active, moving at a speed of up to 40 cm per second.
Highly developed eyes high speed movements, peculiar pincers on the front legs make the centipede an excellent hunter. When moving, the centipede first raises its body on its long legs, freezes for a second, and with one lightning-fast throw moves forward to capture prey.
Another interesting fact is that insects are characterized by a certain level of thinking. Having caught several midges or other insects at once, the centipede eats one and holds the rest with its legs.
The centipede is a good hunter with signs of intelligence
How to deal with it
Despite those positive traits, which insects possess, not every person can see it in their home. Insects, no matter how useful they are, provide too little pleasure. The fact that an insect can bite does not make it a good neighbor for humans. Getting rid of the centipede that lives with you at home requires a lot of effort, but initially you need to determine the reasons why it appeared in the house.
If a centipede appears inside a building, in a bathhouse or basement, it is recommended to remove all rotting wood or other organic matter and dry the room. It is also recommended to remove all vegetation and organic waste located near the house. Centipedes are attracted corrugated cardboard and paper, as well as shredded tree bark and clumps of straw.
Centipedes do not live in large colonies, and if you see one of them, it is advisable to catch it, although this is quite difficult.
For those who do not have time to evict the centipede from the apartment without causing harm to it, effective method apply a toxic substance designed to destroy the flytrap.
The best thing is to turn to professionals involved in pest control, but it is worth remembering that in some countries the law is to protect these insects and their appearance in the apartment is considered a blessing.
To get rid of centipedes, you need to remove dead grass and rotten wood
According to scientists, many people, after reading this material, will not consider their home the same as before. Almost none of us knows or imagines how many species of insects live inside an apartment. According to research scientists from North Carolina State, it could be hundreds! Experts involved in the research counted more than 500 species:
- insects;
- crustaceans;
- spiders;
- scolopendra, etc.
Researchers visited 50 homes located in different areas of North Carolina in the United States from May to October 2012. Carrying out research, experts took samples of the living creatures they discovered to determine the species. The number of species turned out to be terrifying: 579 species of arthropods belonging to 304 families. Even in the cleanest houses, about 100 different species of insects were found, belonging to one hundred and twenty-eight families. The most common:
- flies;
- worms;
- spiders;
- beetles;
- skin beetles;
- cockroaches;
- ants; centipedes;
- arthropods, etc.
Based on the research results, it was concluded that hundreds of species of different living creatures live with humans in symbiosis, without causing harm or disturbing him.
“No one has ever conducted such studies, so one should not expect that these insects cannot be hiding in other houses. We crawled on all fours with flashlights, collecting everyone who appeared on the way into bottles. Whether you like it or not, they live in your houses different kinds insects Species such as spiders and the house centipede can be considered harmless to humans,” says one of the study’s authors, Professor Matt Bertone, an entomologist at North Carolina State University.
Bertone says that of the 550 rooms examined, only five of them (four bathrooms and one bedroom) were not found to contain any “uninvited” creatures.
Therefore, despite the appearance and horror that the centipede inspires in you, it is worth considering whether it is necessary to destroy it and fight it. Maybe she will turn out to be a reliable ally in the fight against a whole army of other no less nasty and harmful insects inhabiting your apartments.
