How To Kill And Get Rid Of Centipedes, Millipedes and Thousand Leggers

House Centipede

House Centipede
(Actual Size - 1 to 1 1/2 inches)

The House Centipede is a common pest in many parts of the United States. Unlike most other centipedes, this species generally lives its entire life inside a building.

The body of this centipede is usually only 1 to 1 1/2 inches long at the most, but it's 15 pairs of legs make it seem much larger. The body is grayish-yellow with 3 dark stripes extending along the full length of the back. The legs are quite long in proportion to the body size, and they have alternate light and dark bands running around them. In homes, the house centipede will prefer to live in damp areas such as cellars, closets, bathrooms, attics (during the warmer months) and unexcavated areas under the house. Eggs are laid in these same damp places, as well as behind baseboards or beneath bark on firewood. They develop by gradual metamorphosis, so immatures have a similar appearance to adults but are smaller. All life stages can be observed running rapidly across floors or accidentally trapped in bathtubs, sinks, and lavatories.

The house centipede forages at night for small insects and their larvae, and for spiders. From an entomological point of view, they are thus beneficial. Although this centipede can bite, its jaws are quite weak. There usually is not more than a slight swelling if a bite occurs. Most people, however, usually take a different point of view and insist that they be eliminated.

House Centipede control is a relatively simple operation if conducted with thoroughness. Residual treatments of Demand or Demon WP  applied to cracks, crevices and other hiding places will give good control both indoors and outdoors. Dust formulations of  BorActin or Drione are very useful for treating wall voids and crawl spaces. Non-residual or contact sprays of CB80 or D-Force Aerosol will also give rapid control when used indoors.  When treating outdoors it is necessary to treat thoroughly around the foundation and to treat the mulch in flower and shrub beds. Demon WP or Talstar is effective.

Millipedes - "The Thousand Leggers"

Millipedes
(Actual Size 1/2 to 1- 1/2 inches)

Millipedes normally live outdoors in damp places such asunder decaying leaves and in mulch around outdoor plantings. They feed on damp and decaying vegetable matter as well as new roots and green leaves. In wooded areas millipedes live in piles of leaf litter. In dry weather they will migrate out of the litter piles as the leaves dry, and may enter buildings in large numbers. This behavior may also occur in lawns which contain thick thatch layers, or yards where large piles of leaves or compost piles are present.

Millipedes, or "thousand leggers" as they are commonly known, are brownish, oval, elongate animals with two pair of legs attached to most segments. Actually, their apparent body segments each consist of two segments which are fused together and appear as one. Millipedes that commonly invade homes are 1/2-to 1-1/2 inches long, and tend to coil up when resting.

Residual treatments of Demand or Demon WP applied to cracks, crevices and other hiding places will give good control both indoors and outdoors. Dust formulations of  BorActin or TriDie are very useful for treating wall voids and crawl spaces. Non-residual or contact sprays of CB80 or D-Force Aerosol Insecticide will also give rapid control when used indoors.  When treating outdoors it is necessary to treat thoroughly around the foundation and to treat the mulch in flower and shrub beds. Demand or Demon WP is effective.

PillBugs and Sowbugs

Pillbugs
(Actual Size 1/8 to 1/4 inches)

Pillbugs and Sowbugs are crustaceans, so are more closely related to shrimp and crayfish than to insects. The dooryard sowbugs possess two tail-like appendages at the tip of the abdomen and are incapable of rolling into a tight ball. The common pillbug lacks such appendages at the tip of the abdomen and can roll itself into a ball. This habit is the reason they are often called "roly-polys" in some areas.

Both pillbugs and sowbugs feed upon decaying vegetable matter and are found under mulch or vegetable debris of all kinds beneath objects on damp ground. They frequently invade damp basements and crawl spaces and may infest potted plants. A heavy infestation indoors generally indicates that there is a large population immediately outside the building.

The behavior and feeding habits of pillbugs and sowbugs are very similar to those of the millipedes. Therefore, the management and pesticide control methods are the same as described above for centipedes. Residual treatments of Demand or Demon WP  applied to cracks, crevices and other hiding places will give good control both indoors and outdoors. Dust formulations of  BorActin or TriDie are very useful for treating wall voids and crawl spaces. Non-residual or contact sprays of CB80 or D-Force Aerosol will also give rapid control when used indoors.  When treating outdoors it is necessary to treat thoroughly around the foundation and to treat the mulch in flower and shrub beds. Demand or Demon WP is effective.

Slugs and Snails

Carden Slug
(Actual Size 1/2 to 3 inches)

Slugs and snails are related to clams and oysters. At times, they gather in large numbers in damp basements or crawl spaces, leaving glistening mucous trails as they move about at night. They are basically plant feeders, but sometimes deface buildings with their fecal material. They must have a large amount of moisture to survive, so are most active at night and in very moist areas.

Snails are easily recognized by their prominent shell. Common land species are usually some shade of gray or brown and 1 to 1-1/2 inches long. The giant African snail, found in Florida, California, and Hawaii, may have a shell reaching 5 inches in length. Slugs are soft-bodied, gray or mottled, slimy creatures measuring up to 4 inches long. They do not have a shell.

Before making any chemical treatments to control slugs or snails, all rotting boards and other clutter or debris which provide hiding and breeding sites should be removed. Anything that can be done to reduce or eliminate the very damp conditions these animals require will also aid greatly in long-term suppression. Pay special attention to crawl spaces or other dark, shaded areas.

Control can also be obtained with a bait such as NiBan Granular Bait. This baits should be applied to the infested area (under shrubs, in crawl spaces, etc.) and according to label directions. It works under a variety of conditions, and a single treatment is often satisfactory. Salt such as rock salt or common table salt will also provide some remedial control. A 1 "- 2" band of table salt around a pets food or watering dish will stop slugs from gaining access to and contaminating the food or water.

Earwigs

Earwigs
(Actual Size1/2 to 3/4 inches)

Earwigs are insects which are readily recognized by the pinchers or forcep-like appendages at the end of the abdomen. They sometimes build up to large numbers in warm weather and then may invade homes or other structures..

They are primarily scavengers on dead animal and plant material, while some species are predatory. Other species may actually feed on living plants. They are active at night, and some species are attracted to lights in large numbers. During the day, they usually find shelter beneath stones, boards, and debris. Only a few of the winged species are good fliers. Earwigs are often transported great distances in potted plants, nursery stock, or other plant material.

The European earwig is an introduced species which has become an important household pest in numerous local areas in the United States. It attacks a broad range of food material of both plant and animal origin, but prefers green plants. Adults of this species are rather poor fliers, and it appears that Females rarely fly. All stages may enter houses in great numbers, and are easily carried from place to place by people. This earwig is about 5/8-inch long and dark reddish-brown in color.

The ring-legged earwig, is another common species with habits simillar to those of the European earwig. However, it is more commonly found indoors or in protected situations such as in greenhouses. This earwig is just over I/2-inch long, dark brown to shiny iw black in color, with yellow-brown legs that have one or two dark cross bands.

Considerable difficulty has been experienced in the southern United States with the striped earwig. It is larger than the species discussed above, about 1 inch long, and readily attracted to lights. It produces a strong odor when disturbed or crushed. The striped earwig is lighter in color than the other earwigs, and the head and front wings are usually marked with pale "stripes" along the edges and in the middle. This insect has the ability to develop large populations within a single season, and can be a severe pest in new subdivisions or where land is being cleared for new buildings

Earwig populations will often build up in areas around foundations similar to those discussed above for centipedes, millipedes, or crickets. Thus, habitat removal procedures will greatly aid in suppressing problems with earwigs indoors. Residual treatments of Demand or Demon WP  applied to cracks, crevices and other hiding places will give good control both indoors and outdoors. Dust formulations of  BorActin or TriDie are very useful for treating wall voids and crawl spaces. Non-residual or contact sprays of CB80 or D Force Insecticide will also give rapid control when used indoors.  When treating outdoors it is necessary to treat thoroughly around the foundation and to treat the mulch in flower and shrub beds. Demand or Demon WP is effective. Various baits have been found effective. Outdoor applications should be made around the foundation, in crawl spaces, and to flower beds and turf within a couple of yards of the buildings. The entire yard should be treated when infestations are heavy. Granular insecticide applications in turf can give excellent results. Indoor treatment is basically a supplement to outdoor treatment, and will only eliminate earwigs already inside. Residual insecticide sprays or dusts applied to baseboards, beneath cabinets, along door and window sills and other hiding places at floor level are effective.

Chinch Bugs

Chinch Bugs
(Actual Size1/8 to 3/8 inches)

Chinch bugs can be important as occasional invaders throughout most of the southern United States. Their populations develop outdoors, feeding on the grass in lawns, fence rows, and open fields. They often enter houses in great numbers. The most important chinch bugs commonly found in lawns are Blissus insularis Barber, the Southern chinch bug, B. leucopterus leucopterus (Say), the chinch bug, and B. leucopterus hirtus Montandon, the hairy chinch bug. These are small black and white bugs, with wings that extend only about half the length of the abdomen when at rest.

Chinch bugs, in addition to being a nuisance when they invade structures, are also severe pests of certain common turfgrasses. Different species are found in various parts of the country, affecting a number of grasses. St. Augustine grass is seriously damaged in the southern United States. Nymph and adult chinch bugs suck plant juices through their needle-like mouthparts, which are inserted at the base of the grass plants or along above-ground stems called rhizomes. Moderate to heavy infestations in lawns result in yellowish patches which rapidly turn brown and die. These injured areas are frequently noticed first along edges of lawns, in sunny areas. The bugs can be found in the yellowing areas by pushing aside the grass plants and looking down at the soil surface. As the infestation grows, bugs can be seen crawling over sidewalks, on the sides of houses, and indoors.

Talstar Professional spray and Talstar Granules are both labeled and recommended for chinch bug control in turf. A thorough treatment of the lawn is needed for maximum control of these bugs. Use of properly labeled residual sprays around doors, windows, and other points of entry will also be very helpful in lowering the numbers which enter a home. Dominion 2L or Merit 75WP applied as an overall broadcast treatment to the lawn will also provide good control of chinch bugs since it is a systemic insecticide and will be ingested by the Chinch Bugs when they feed on the grasses.

Boxelder Bugs

Boxelder Bugs
(Actual Size1/8 to 1/2 inches)

The boxelder bug is a common pest over much of the United States. Adults are about 1/2 inch long. They are bright red or black with narrow reddish lines on the back.

These insects feed principally by sucking juices from the boxelder tree, but are sometimes found on other plants. When they build up to large populations and invade a home they are usually pests only by their presence, although their piercing-sucking mouthparts can sometimes puncture skin, causing slight irritation. They usually do very little damage indoors, although the bugs may stain curtains and other resting sites with fecal spots and produce a foul odor when crushed. Adult boxelder bugs will enter structures in the fall, seeking winter shelter. They will overwinter in protected areas, often in wall voids or in attics. They will then emerge in the spring to seek out host trees on which to feed and lay eggs.

Control is best accomplished by treating infested trees with labeled insecticide formulations during the early summer months when the bugs are immature. Immature stages are generally much easier to control than adult stages. Control efforts however are usually not desired until populations build to high levels or the adult bugs invade a home. At this time, the bugs are frequently gathering in masses along foundation walls, along fence rows, at the bases of trees, and inside the house.

Outside, they can be controlled by thoroughly wetting the visible bugs and the surfaces over which they crawl with sprays. Microencapsulated formulations such as Demand CS are more effective than emulsions such as  when used outdoors. A more permanent solution is to remove the host boxelder trees nearby the house on which the bugs thrive, if the trees have no great value and are not too expensive to have removed. If other boxelder trees are in the neighborhood, the bugs may still be a nuisance.

Residual treatments of Onslaught FastCap, Talstar Professional spray or Demon WP  applied to cracks, crevices and other hiding places will give good control both indoors and outdoors. Dust formulations of DeltaDust or TriDie are very useful for treating wall voids and crawl spaces. Non-residual or contact sprays of CB80 or D-Force Aerosol Insecticide will also give rapid control when used indoors.  When treating outdoors it is necessary to treat thoroughly around the foundation and to treat the mulch in flower and shrub beds.