Description
Life Cycle and Habits
Control
Beverly Sparks, Extension Entomologist
Millipedes and centipedes are not insects, but are more closely related to lobsters, crayfish and shrimp. However, unlike their marine cousins, millipedes and centipedes are land dwellers. They are most often found in moist habitats or areas of high humidity.
Millipedes and centipedes do not carry diseases to man or his animals and plants. Millipedes occasionally damage seedling plants by feeding on stems and leaves and may enter homes in large numbers during periods of migration and become a considerable nuisance. They do not cause damage inside the home except for possible stains when they are crushed. Centipedes have poison glands and can bite and therefore pose an occasional threat to man.
Millipedes are often called "1000-legged" or "rain" worms. They are wormlike with rounded body segments that bear two pairs of legs on each segment. The head is rounded with short antennae. Species can vary in length from less than one to two or more inches. They are light brown to black in color.
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| Figure 1. Millipede |
Millipedes are not poisonous, but many species have glands capable of producing irritating fluids which may produce allergic reactions in some individuals. Persons handling millipedes will notice a lingering odor on their hands and the fluid can be dangerous to the eyes. It is not advisable to handle millipedes with your bare hands. After contact with millipedes, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water until the odor is gone.
Centipedes are often called "100-legged" worms and have one pair of legs on each of their body segments. All species of centipedes are more or less wormlike and have a flattened body with a distinct head that bears a pair of long antennae. Jaws containing poison glands are located on the first body segment immediately behind the head. Depending on the species, centipedes can vary in length from one to 12 or more inches when mature. The most common species of centipede found in Georgia are less than 5 inches in length. Centipedes vary in color from light yellow to dark brown to a reddish brown.
Most species of centipedes feed on small creatures such as insects. They catch their prey with their powerful jaws and then kill the prey by injecting them with venom. Occasionally, humans may be bitten by centipedes, but the poison usually produces only a moderate reaction similar to a bee sting. People who are allergic to insect venoms and other toxins may suffer severe reactions to the venom of a centipede.
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| Figure 2. Centipede |
Most millipedes are scavengers and feed primarily on decaying vegetation and leaf litter, although some species attack roots of living plants. They spend most of their life in the soil where they also overwinter. In the spring, millipedes lay from 20-300 eggs in the soil. The eggs hatch in several weeks, and the young millipedes have only the first three pair of legs and not more than seven segments. With each molt they add additional segments and legs until they reach maturity. Sexual maturity is reached in 2-5 years depending on the species.
Centipedes are found in a variety of habitats, but prefer dark, moist, protected areas such as under stones, rotted logs, leaves and bark. They overwinter as adults and lay eggs in the soil during the spring and summer. A few species give birth to living young. Centipedes are relatively long-lived; some species have been known to live up to 6 years.
The house centipede, Scutigera coleoptrata, is the only species capable of reproducing in homes and is often seen in and around homes where dampness occurs. The house centipede is active at night, moving about in search of cockroaches and other insects. Although centipedes are beneficial in that they destroy other insects and their bites are rare and seldom dangerous, most people have an aversion to their presence inside their homes.
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| Figure 3. House Centipede |
The first and most important step in controlling millipedes and centipedes is removal or elimination of objects that provide harborage for the pest outside the home. Eliminate trash piles, rocks, boards, leaf piles, compost piles and similar materials from the immediate vicinity around the outside of the home. Secondly, physically exclude millipedes and centipedes from entering the home when possible. Make sure doors and windows fit tightly and caulk cracks and crevices that permit their entry to the inside. If millipedes or centipedes occur in great numbers or are creating problems, sprays or dusts containing diazinon, malathion, carbaryl (Sevin), propoxur (Baygon), or chlorpyrifos (Dursban) applied around the building foundation and around doors and windows will provide temporary control.
Liquid or granular insecticides such as carbaryl (Sevin), diazinon, or chlorpyrifos (Dursban) may also be applied to mulched flower beds and heavily thatched turf areas where millipedes may be living. Include these areas in a treatment program during periods when millipedes are found inside the home in large numbers. Repeated applications may be necessary to maintain control during periods of heavy millipede migration.
When treating for millipedes and centipedes inside the home, treat cracks and crevices along baseboards and other hiding areas where centipedes and millipedes may harbor with products containing resmethrin or carbaryl (Sevin). Contact sprays containing pyrethrins may be applied directly to millipedes and centipedes for quick control when they are found inside the home.
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Gale A. Buchanan, Dean and Director