How to get rid of centipedes in an apartment or private house

A centipede (millipede or scolopendra) is an insect belonging to the type of arthropod tracheal, i.e. having a respiratory organ. Thanks to him, millipedes are adapted to life on land, but live in a humid environment. This is the oldest insect species that existed long before the appearance of monkey-like creatures. Quite harmless centipedes feed on cockroaches and flies without harming humans. But they have an unattractive and even frightening appearance, so few people are happy with their appearance in the house. There are various ways to get rid of a problem.

What does a centipede look like?

Scolopendra has a flattened long body consisting of 15 segments. From 15 to 40 pairs of limbs are located on each side, each of which grows back in case of damage or loss. The first pair of limbs is equipped with ticks, with which the centipede grabs the victim and bites it, injecting paralyzing poison. It is worth reassuring that an insect cannot bite a person. Its poison acts only on its own relatives - flies, cockroaches, slugs, snails. She eats them, so she settles where she can get something to eat.

Tropical scolopendras are huge. They feed on rodents and small animals such as mice and moles. They can be bred for fun, placed in aquariums. It is better not to take such large individuals with your bare hands, otherwise, in search of food, the scolopendra will clutch its finger and inject poison. It is not dangerous, but unpleasant.

The centipede has excellent vision, she sees well, day and night. It moves quickly, lifting a flat body on its many paws and developing a speed of up to 40 cm per second. She can stop abruptly, turn 360 degrees and run on as fast. A flat body makes it possible to crawl into any crevices. With the help of a pair of antennae, the scolopendra is perfectly oriented in space.

Why do centipedes appear in apartments

Not a single insect will live where there is no food source for it. The centipede feeds on fleas, bugs, cockroaches, spiders. If this insect appears in your home, then all of the above also lives there. And the room also has high humidity, because this is the second condition for the centipede's life. In wildlife, it settles in sheds, country houses, basements, lives under stumps, stones, hides under fallen leaves. If an insect with many paws is comfortable in your apartment, then it’s wet, cool and there is enough food for it.

Often centipedes settle in bathrooms and toilets. They get there through the ventilation shaft from the basement, where there is a lot of all living creatures. You can do regular cleaning, but animals will still get into your apartment through ventilation. Often the appearance of a scolopendra is preceded by a grandiose repair in the room or throughout the house. The bathroom is finished with collection tiles, new plumbing is installed, and soon "tenants" appear there. But the fact is that during the repair they made good waterproofing of the floor, the walls do not absorb moisture thanks to the tiles, and the ideal conditions for centipedes are created inside the room. They enter through baseboards, doorways or ventilation.

If a scolopendra has appeared in the kitchen or in the living room, this indicates that urgent cosmetic repairs are needed. Perhaps the visit is cluttered, and there appeared not only centipedes, but also cockroaches, spiders and fleas.

How to get rid of centipedes

Before you begin to expel these harmless insects from your home, take care of cleanliness and order in your apartment.A centipede will not start where there are no midges, cockroaches or spiders. If she settled next to you, then other insects live there. Dismantle blockages from newspapers, check stocks of cereals and flour. It is possible that food moth has started there.

1. Humidity is another condition for living a scolopendra. Sometimes it’s enough to dry the apartment, and the insects leave themselves. If they live within the bathroom and toilet, take care to lower the level of humidity. Leave the door open at night, ventilate every time after taking a shower or bath. Seal the toilet bowl and the bathtub, there should be no gaps between it and the walls.
2. Centipedes barely respond to traps, unlike cockroaches. Ribbons for flies also do not work. Having stuck to it, the scolopendra will tear off a pair of paws, which will grow on its own, and move on.
3. Treat baseboards and corners with sprays and aerosols against insects. They will act on centipedes in the same way as on cockroaches or bugs.
4. If insects are wound up in a country house, take care of waterproofing the floor. Centipedes crawl through the cracks in it. This is true when the house is directly on the ground. Clean up fallen leaves around the house, throw away stale trash, despite the fact that it is stored in summer cottages.
5. In extreme cases, you can resort to the help of chemicals. Centipedes are affected by the same means as cockroaches and other crawling insects.

Chemicals in the fight against the centipede

1. Aquafumigator Raptor. It consists of a plastic bath, where water is poured, and the aquafumigator itself. After it is placed in the bath, steam is formed that envelops the entire room. During the procedure, you should leave the room and take with you pets, including fish and hamsters. Together with centipedes, all flies, cockroaches, spiders and other animals will die. Efficiency 100%.
2. Liquid means "Medilis-Ziper". It is diluted with water and sprayed with a spray bottle. Affects all insects. It has a specific odor; handle the room only with gloves.
3. Raid aerosol from flying and crawling insects. It has a pleasant aroma of lavender, can be indoors after processing, non-toxic. However, additional ventilation will not hurt.
4. Spray Starex. Allows to process plinths, crevices. Efficient and inexpensive.
5. Means "Lambda Zone". Contains 2.5% granular lambda-cygalotrin, odorless and harmless to humans and pets.
6. Means "Delta Zone". It is diluted with water and applied with a spray gun. It is odorless.
7. Globol Original Insect Paste. It has the active substance diflubenzuron and deltamethrin, so, despite the faint smell, you need to use it carefully. Centipedes go away for a long time.
8. Means "Avalon". Used by professional disinfectors. Destroys all types of insects, including scolopendra.
9. Aerosol Henkel Combat. It has a convenient applicator, with the help of which the product gets into hard-to-reach slots, under the bathtub and into the ventilation shaft. Has a pungent strong odor. Observe safety precautions when using. Very effective.

To get rid of a centipede, first of all, put things in order. Disassemble the rubble, clean the room, reduce the humidity level. Take care of sealing and waterproofing the room. When using chemicals, do not forget about safety.