How to Get Rid of Centipedes: 5 Best Methods for Insect Control

The tactics for dealing with centipedes at home and on the street are somewhat different. First, let's put together a guide on how to get rid of house centipedes. To combat house centipedes, there are several very effective approaches that can also be used against other representatives of this superclass - centipedes.

Then we'll talk about how to get uninvited guests out of your garden. And finally, we will select the 5 best remedies that will allow you to forget about the invasion of these creatures.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Centipede at home

All centipedes are loners, but in case of a chance meeting, individuals usually quietly crawl away and fights between them are extremely rare. There were no cases of cannibalism among these creatures. The last days of May or the beginning of June is the breeding season of centipedes. By this time, females begin to produce special substances, attracting a male.

Their fertilization process is peculiar:

the male closes the entrance to his dwelling in the ground with a web and deposits his spermaphore in the resulting sac;
the female crawls under the sperm sac and grabs it with her genital appendages, and after a few days lays eggs in a dug hole, which she then covers with sticky mucus.

The clutch may consist of 70-130 eggs. For several weeks, the female guards the clutch, clasping it with her paws. To protect against mold, it secretes a special substance. The larvae emerge together. They are initially white in color and very soft with four pairs of legs. With each molt, the young grow new pairs of legs, and the body color gradually darkens. Only after the fifth or sixth molt the larvae will have 15 pairs of limbs. Under natural conditions, centipedes live 4-6 years. Young animals become completely similar to adults only after puberty.

Reproduction of centipedes

During the breeding season, the female begins to secrete pheromones that attract the male. The mating process of insects takes place in a unique way. The male deposits a sperm capsule. The female picks up the spermatophore with her genital appendages. The number of fertilized eggs laid ranges from 60 to 130 pieces. The common flycatcher digs a hole for them in moist soil, then covers them with a sticky substance.

Centipedes are born with four pairs of legs. Their number increases after each molt. It will take at least five molts until the number of legs reaches 15 pairs. Under natural conditions, insects live 3-7 years.

Kivsyaki – description and photo

In fact, nods are a fairly large order of Arthropods. They are distributed all over the world (in Asia, America, Europe, and Africa), they look like plump worms ranging in size from 10 mm to 25 cm, whose body is divided into numerous segments, each of which has two pairs of legs. Due to such a number of limbs, it feels like a real fringe is swaying under the moving nod.

On top, the body of the nodule is more rigid - a calcareous shell protects it from possible predators; on the sides of the body along its entire length there are many glands that secrete a yellowish odorous secretion, sometimes poisonous (also protection). They breathe with the help of tracheas, and reproduce by laying eggs, from which larvae later hatch. Every year, the nooses molt, growing additional segments with new legs.

There are many types of nodule - olive, spotted, true, African, thin, black African, giant, gray, etc. Some are distributed throughout the world, others are endemic to certain zones, some are even listed in the Red Books of various countries.

The nooses of temperate latitudes vary in size and color, and live mainly in grass, leaf and wood litter, feeding on it (such organisms are called saprophytophages), and cannot tolerate direct sunlight. They are most numerous and diverse in deciduous and mixed forests, in forest-steppes, where they live in the forest litter and top layer of soil, without going to a depth of more than 30 cm. Whereas in coniferous and mountain forests there are very few noses.

Nooses eat a lot - the daily ration of one individual can be 1.5 times its body weight! Such a high feeding activity of these invertebrates is only beneficial for the forest. If there are a lot of grasshoppers and the conditions for them are suitable (soil and air humidity, mineral composition of the soil, amount of oxygen, etc.), these arthropods are able to process up to 50% of the litter decomposing per year, crushing, processing and mineralizing it, contributing to the formation of soft humus .

What does this mean for a gardener? Why should such useful grasshoppers be welcomed in every possible way in the garden beds and certainly not try to get rid of them on the site? On the one hand, many garden plants will really thank you for such neighbors - for example, roses will really like this soil. But things are not always so simple.

The fact is that these arthropods are very sensitive to lack and excess of moisture. If there is a shortage of it, they try to compensate for its quantity by “refusing” dead litter in favor of living roots and root crops, green succulent parts of plants or fallen (or close to the soil surface) fruits and berries, causing damage to garden, field and vegetable crops. In areas with a dry spring, nooses simply emerge from under the tree canopy into the fields in the cooler hours of the day and feed on seedlings. The same thing happens when there is an outbreak of invertebrate populations.

In the garden, according to experienced gardeners, these arthropods make up for the lack of moisture in food most often with the help of tender seedlings, strawberries, cucumbers and apples and pears, becoming real soil pests.

How to effectively solve the problem

An integrated approach should be taken to any problem. To find out how to remove centipedes, you need to carefully read each option and adopt the ones that are most suitable for the specific situation in the house.

List of effective preventive measures

In order for a centipede to leave its habitable space, it must be deprived of the necessary factors of existence. So the insect will be forced to go in search of more comfortable habitats for it. What should you do first?

Ensure normal humidity levels at home. By depriving the labiopods of a moist environment, they will stop reproducing.
Take care of ventilation of the premises - install air dehumidifiers or ventilation heat devices.
Check that all water pipes are in good condition and that there is no condensation on them.
Maintain dryness in the basement of a cottage or country house; promptly eliminate dampness and mold on all surfaces.
Remove all harmful insects (cockroaches, beetles, flies and mosquitoes, bedbugs and fleas) from your home. Without food in the house, centipedes will not stay long; they will leave on their own.
Block all known places of entry of arthropods into the home: eliminate cracks in the floor, on the walls (especially near doors), and holes in window openings. In the toilet and bathroom, it is advisable to fill the cracks with silicone. It is recommended to install a mosquito net on the windows.
Constantly inspect the local area to ensure there are no rubble or other impurities like various deposits. In them, the centipede will begin to reproduce at an accelerated pace, and therefore will soon appear at home.

Nutrition

All representatives of the superclass are predators. They usually eat:

ants and their larvae;
domestic cockroaches;
flies, ticks.

Some species, such as the giant and ringed scolopendra, found in South America and Jamaica, are capable of hunting mice, frogs and lizards.

Centipedes use poison to paralyze and kill their victims. However, there is no need to be afraid of them: the poison produced by centipedes is harmful only to small arthropods, but not to mammals. In rare cases, the poison can provoke allergies.

Centipedes feed as follows. Having caught the victim, they inject poison into them and hold it with strong jaws and paws until the insect is completely immobilized. Only after this do they start eating.

Centipedes also destroy insects that harm agriculture. In some countries, for this reason they are under government protection.

How do flycatchers hunt?

They lie in wait for their prey using antennae that detect odors and vibrations. During a hunt, the centipede rises on its long legs, then rushes with lightning speed at the spotted prey. To hold it, powerful jaw processes are used. The injected poison instantly paralyzes the insect. After eating, the flycatcher hides in a secluded place to digest food. When faced with a flycatcher, people often wonder if the centipede is poisonous. Yes, the insect has glands that produce poison to kill prey.

If there are several victims within the centipede's reach, it catches them all. Moreover, in the process of eating one midge, she holds the rest with her legs.

Habitats

A description and photo of scolopendra can be found on the website. It is advisable to do this for those people who are going on trips to warm or tropical countries. It is there that the centipede and tropical scolopendra grow to gigantic sizes and pose a real danger to humans. Their body length reaches 26-30 cm. There are individuals up to 45-50 cm. Therefore, the question of where centipedes live is interesting for humans. They can be found on the islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, and in the north and west of South America.

Scolopendra

Basically, real scolopendras are found in the upper layers of the soil, under stones, lying logs, in rock crevices and other secluded corners, where humidity is maintained during the hot time of the day, and no one can disturb them. A natural question arises as to whether the poisonous centipede can be found in places with colder climates and, if so, where this predatory insect lives in Russia. There are different types of insects, some of which live in the Russian Federation.

Habits, instincts and life of the flycatcher are the most interesting

You should know that the centipede (the photo will not allow you to make a mistake) is an insect that is equally active at any time of the day. Every hour, every minute she looks for prey. As soon as the victim is identified, the flycatcher injects a portion of a toxic substance into it to neutralize it and only after that it eats it without haste. The insect is very fast, capable of covering up to 40 centimeters in one second.

On average, a female flyeater lays up to 6 dozen eggs at a time. All of them are protected with a sticky substance and placed in a hole or deep crack carefully dug by mom. The insect carefully wraps its body around the clutch of eggs and tries to close it from the outside world with its paws. In this way, the scolopendra “nurses” the eggs for many weeks, without leaving the nest even a centimeter, and does not eat or drink anything.

The common centipede is an insect with a mission. Being a representative of the most ancient inhabitants of the planet, it deserves special attention. At first glance, scary and unpleasant insects actually provide invaluable assistance to humans by eating a lot of pests, for example:

flies,
cockroaches,
fleas,
ants,
bedbugs, etc.

There are up to 8,000 species of this insect in the world, but only 3,000 of them have been officially documented, such as the Chinese centipede, which reaches a quarter of a meter in length with a body of 23 sections, or the bright black African centipede with a body up to 28 cm long!

Almost none of the discovered species of centipedes are dangerous to humans. Yes, arthropods can bite, but all that a centipede bite can do is cause allergies, and then only in people who are prone to this kind of reaction with a slight increase in temperature and swelling at the site of the bite.

In the insect world, the centipede is one of the dominant predators with claws on the first segment. She is a carnivore, so she prefers clean meat from small insects. Large species can cope not only with invertebrates, but also with small reptiles, as well as worms, frogs, spiders and even birds.

Population and species status

Photo: Centipede

The centipede population is not in danger, since they are very prolific and have virtually no enemies. More often, the opposite task is faced - how to get rid of them if they have settled in a house or apartment. Despite the fact that flycatchers are not dangerous to people and even destroy harmful insects, living with them in the same living space will not be pleasant for anyone. This can become a very serious problem, since ordinary insect repellents are powerless here. It is necessary to change the conditions comfortable for these creatures and then they will go away on their own:

centipedes love dampness very much, which means it is necessary to remove the source of high humidity - do not leave puddles or wet rags on the floor, fix the taps;
You should ventilate the premises more often and, if necessary, install a ventilation system;
destroy all insects in the house, as they can attract centipedes as a food source;
remove all old trash, rotten boards, mold from the basement;
close the entry routes inside the room for centipedes - install screens on the windows, repair the floors, and so on.

As soon as the living conditions cease to satisfy the flycatchers, they will immediately leave the territory. If these creatures have settled on a summer cottage, then you should not disturb them, as they eat many harmful insects. In some countries, for example in Ukraine, flycatchers are listed in the Red Book and are protected.

The centipede is not the most pleasant neighbor, but it is better to be “friends” with it since it benefits humans, effectively destroying many parasitic insects that are dangerous to people. This is exactly the case when appearances are deceiving and behind the vile appearance hides a little friend, and not a big enemy.

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How to deal with it

Despite the positive qualities that insects have, not every person can see them 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 to 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, an effective method is to use 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 at 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. Like it or not, there are different types of insects living in your homes. 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.

Interaction with people

Centipedes generally have little impact on human economic or social well-being. At the local level, they can become an agricultural pest.

Centipede bites, burns

They don't bite. Their protective secretions are harmless to humans and usually cause only a slight change in skin color. The secretions of some tropical species can cause pain, itching, local erythema, swelling, blisters, eczema, and cracked skin.

The impact of discharge on the eyes causes general irritation, more serious consequences such as conjunctivitis, keratitis. Called centipede burn. First aid is to thoroughly rinse the area with water. Further treatment is aimed at alleviating local effects.

Pests

Some centipedes are considered household pests, including Xenobolus carnifex, which infects thatched roofs in India, and Ommatoiulus moreleti, which periodically invades apartments in Australia.

Other species exhibit periodic swarming behavior that results in home invasions, crop damage, and train delays when tracks become slippery with the crushed remains of hundreds of centipedes.

They can cause significant damage to crops: the spotted snake millipede (Blaniulus guttulatus) is a known pest of sugar beets and other root crops.

Some large centipedes of the orders Spirobolida, Spirostreptida, Sphaerotheriida are popular as pets.

Some cultures associate the centipede with rain. In Zambia, the crushed insect is used to treat wounds. The Bafians of Cameroon use centipede juice to treat earache.

The indigenous people of Malaysia use their secretions in poisoned arrows. The secretion of Spirobolus bungii was found to stop the division of human cancer cells. People from Burkina Faso eat boiled, dried centipedes in tomato sauce.

Centipedes in the house, why are such neighbors dangerous?

The appearance of a flycatcher in a house does not threaten its residents. The insect is more active in the dark, so the risk of encountering it will increase at night. When the light is turned on, the centipede rushes to a secluded crevice. If a centipede is spotted in a house in the summer, it is better to catch it and take it outside. You need to catch it not with your hands, but with a can or box. In tropical countries where there are no harsh winters, flycatchers do not migrate into houses.

Having settled next to a person, the insect does not encroach on his food, plants and pets. Centipedes do not chew furniture or wallpaper and are not carriers of dangerous diseases. There will also not be an invasion of large numbers of flycatchers; they do not live in families. You can get along peacefully with them, even benefiting from such a neighborhood. The little predator copes well with annoying flies, and if cockroaches are hiding in the apartment, the centipede will get to them.

Is the centipede dangerous for humans? If there is a clear threat to life, such as a pet or human attack, it may bite and inject venom under the skin. A small dose of a paralyzing toxin is not lethal to pets, much less to people. It causes an unpleasant sensation, but no more than a bee sting. A tendency to be allergic to insect venom can aggravate the situation, causing swelling and general malaise.

Do centipedes bite?

Even the most non-aggressive creature can bite out of fear. A flycatcher, even if it attacks an adult, in most cases will not be able to bite through the skin. Children's skin is more delicate and thin, so getting wounds is real. Symptoms of toxin entering the body include redness, itching and burning. What to do if bitten by a centipede? The first piece of advice is don't panic. The poison is very weak and will not cause any harm to health. It is worth acting according to the circumstances:

disinfect the wound with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide;
if there is a strong burning sensation and swelling, you should apply a cold compress and hold it until the discomfort disappears;
if the bite site hurts, take an antihistamine and pain reliever.

How to get rid of a flytrap

Not everyone likes the presence of an unpleasant insect in the house, which can fall from the wall directly onto anyone’s head. Many people are afraid of a centipede bite and its consequences. A change in the conditions that are comfortable for it can force the common flycatcher to leave its favorite place. Simple and affordable actions against centipedes:

The flycatcher loves dampness - it is necessary to ensure a normal level of humidity. Wipe up puddles on the floor in a timely manner, fix leaking taps, and do not leave wet wipes or rags on.
Airing and good ventilation also reduce humidity in the room.
Check the basement; there is often an accumulation of rotten boards, old paper, mold and dampness.
Try to deprive the flytrap of food, destroy flies, cockroaches and other prey yourself.
Block possible routes of entry into the house - fill cracks with mortar, put screens on windows, repair cracks in the wooden floor.

The centipede or flytrap is not the most pleasant neighbor, but it is useful. Various insect parasites exist hidden in every home. The predatory centipede effectively destroys pests. If you ignore her repulsive appearance, it will be a mutually beneficial partnership.

Expert advice and preventive measures

The house centipede is a fairly common guest in apartments. They enter the house one by one, so it is quite easy to deal with the insects. Here are a few simple rules that must be followed:

Eliminate moisture. It is the presence of moisture that is important for the existence of this insect. It is imperative to ensure that water does not drip from pipes and taps anywhere. Be sure to wipe the floor dry in the bathroom so that there are no smudges or puddles. In the bathroom, you can install a good hood or keep the door ajar. This will eliminate moisture and air retention. In addition, you need to check the water supply and eliminate any damage. You need to make sure that there is no mold in the rooms. The fungus is very attractive to flycatchers. You can purchase a special adsorbent that will dry the air. Such bags should be left in places where moisture accumulates the most.
Constantly ventilate the room. The flycatcher prefers warmth, so as soon as the cold weather begins, it prefers to find a warmer place to hibernate, and this could be someone's home. That is why it is recommended to ventilate, but in moderation.
Make good lighting. These insects prefer dark, secluded places where they can hide during the day. It will not be possible to completely illuminate all corners, but the cracks need to be checked.
All cracks and joints must be processed and sealed.
Eliminate food for centipedes. This insect can feed not only on other insects, but also on leftover human food and house plants. If you eliminate all the conditions for a comfortable existence indoors, then the centipedes will leave the house in search of more suitable places. This is why it is very important to take out the trash on time and not leave food on the table. It is also important to eliminate all insects from your home.

The house centipede is a fairly common guest in apartments.

All these tips will help not only rid your home of centipedes, but will also be a good preventive measure for their reappearance. It is imperative to carry out these actions and take good care of your own home, so that later you do not have to share it with unwanted neighbors.

Varieties of centipedes and their habitat

There are a lot of varieties of centipedes, almost all of them are similar in body structure and a large number of legs. Let's look at the most famous species of centipedes and their habitat.

Common flycatcher (scutigera)

Scolopendra scutigera is a centipede from the order Scutigeromorpha of the labiopod class. The adult is 35 to 60 mm long, yellow-gray in color with long striped legs.

Feeds on small insects. Lives in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. They are also found in the territory of Ukraine, the Caucasus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and southern Russia.

The natural habitat of the common flycatcher is dry fallen leaves. With the onset of cold weather, it begins to seek shelter, so it may end up in an apartment, especially in damp rooms - a bathroom, toilet, basement.

Scolopendra scutigera - the common flycatcher eats a fly on a person's hand

It is practically safe for humans, as it cannot bite through the skin of humans and pets. The maximum harm that scolopendra scutigera can cause to a person is redness and swelling of the skin; its bite is comparable to the sting of one wasp.

It also does not cause any harm to exposed food and furniture, and in some regions it is generally considered a rare beneficial species of arthropod that cannot be killed. Therefore, do not be afraid if you meet her at home, carefully pick her up with a net or other tool and send her “for a walk” outside the window.

Giant centipede - the largest centipede

The giant scolopendra lives most often in the west and north of South America, on the islands of Trinidad and Jamaica. They feed on insects in the same way as other species of centipedes, but there are known cases of giant centipedes attacking lizards, toads, mice and even birds.

The strongly built body consists of 21-23 segments of brown or red color with a pair of bright yellow legs. Poisonous jaws can cause harm to a person in the form of swelling, redness and severe pain, and occasionally fever, weakness and fever. For an adult, the venom of the giant scolopendra is not fatal. The poison consists of the following substances: contains acetylcholine, serotonin, histamine, lecithin, thermolysins, hyaluronidases.

Ringed scolopendra (Crimean)

The ringed scolopendra is the most common species of centipede in Southern Europe and the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece, and Crimea. He also lives in Northern Africa: Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco.

It is inferior in size to the giant centipede, reaching an average of 10-15 cm. The venom of the ringed centipede is also not as toxic as that of its “big brother”. A very fast and agile predator, it hunts almost all living creatures that are smaller in size - insects, lizards.

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Chinese red scolopendra

The Chinese red scolopendra lives in eastern Asia and Australia. Unlike many other species of centipedes, it is less aggressive and more social, it can live in peace with its relatives in communities (most species of centipedes are solitary).

In Chinese medicine, this type of scolopendra is used to speed up the healing of skin diseases and injuries.

California scolopendra

The California scolopendra lives in arid areas of the United States and Mexico, although other scolopendra species prefer wetter habitats.

A bite from a California scolopendra or touching its legs when disturbed can cause minor harm to a person in the form of inflammation. There have even been cases of rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure after being bitten by this centipede.

Scolopendra Lucas

Lucas's centipede, like the ringed one, lives in the southern part of Europe. Distinctive features are the heart-shaped head and rusty color. The harm from contact with it is identical to most other centipedes.

A little about the species of scolopendra

In total there are more than 90 species of scolopendra. They belong to the family of labiopods. These are long insects, sometimes reaching 15 cm in length, with a segmented body and a large number of legs. Most often, scolopendra is yellowish or brownish in color. On an adult individual, three stripes of bluish or brown color can be found on the back.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=emIZooS9GN4%3Ffeature%3Doembed

In the process of evolution, the first pair of legs at the head of the centipede turned into pincers. It is at their expense that prey is caught. The domestic scolopendra is a predatory creature that actively consumes flies, cockroaches and bedbugs. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. It can catch several insects at once and eat them for several days.

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 may 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 may also loss of sensation and a feeling of numbness may 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, fill it with moderately hot water (up to 45 degrees C) and apply it 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 remedy is ice and analgesics.

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.

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.”

[edit] Classification and taxonomy

For a long time, millipedes were considered as a class or superclass of the subphylum Tracheata

), into which insects were placed as a separate class or superclass.

A certain external similarity with polychaetes allowed some old zoologists to see in centipedes the descendants of onychophorans (hence their second name - prototracheal, that is, they are, as it were, the predecessors of tracheone-breathing animals), which they considered to be descended from polychaetes. Genetic studies, although they confirm the relationship of arthropods with onychophorans (however, the structure and embryonic development of onychophorans show that they are common with Tracheata

traits developed independently through convergent evolution), but rejected their origins in annelids.

Previously considered to be the closest relatives of insects, with which they were combined into the taxon Uniramia

(single-branched, according to the structure of the limbs) or
Atelocerata
(incomplete, according to the nature of the specialization of the head limbs). The last hypothesis has some confirmation from molecular biology data.

Nowadays, some authors believe that centipedes, although they belong to Mandibulata

together with crustaceans and insects, cannot be considered as the closest relatives of the latter.
Mandibulata
hypothesis ,
Myriapoda
is the sister taxon to
Pancrustacea
, a group including crustaceans and
Hexapoda
(insects and their close relatives).
Some scientists even remove millipedes from Mandibulata
and place them closer to
Chelicerata
. Most scientists are still of the opinion that centipedes are either a sister or paraphyletic group in relation to insects.

In the first case, the monophyly of the centipedes themselves is recognized. As synapomorphies, the specifically arranged secondary dissected upper jaws, or mandibles, the structure of which differs from the monolithic single-segmented mandibles of insects and crustaceans, as well as the indicated tendency to diplosegmentation, are indicated. But some signs indicate that diplosegments may also be present in insects ( Dimalata

In the 2nd case, centipedes are not recognized as a single, monophyletic group and are distributed among two groups of incomplete antennae - Monomalata

, in which the labiopods and
Collifera
, and
Dimalata
, in which the symphylos and insects are placed.

There are 4 classes of millipedes, the degree of relationship of which to each other is still a matter of debate:

Labiopods (Chilopoda)
Dipopods (Diplopoda)
Pauropoda
Symphyla

Classification

Centipedes do not form a fairly monolithic class, but are divided into groups so different from each other that many zoologists divide the class of millipedes into four different classes. We will consider these groups at the rank of subclasses. The class of centipedes (Myriapoda) is divided into four subclasses, two of which are of greatest importance: 1. Dipopods (Diplopoda); 2. Lipopods (Chilopoda).

Subclass Diplopoda

This largest group includes about 7,200 species of moisture-loving centipedes that live in the forest floor, under fallen trees and in stumps. They, unlike some labiopods, rarely climb tree trunks. Bipeds feed on rotting leaves and decaying wood. Due to their abundance, they bring significant benefits by participating in the mineralization of organic residues: forest litter, dead wood, etc. In our fauna, peculiar centipedes are common - nodule (genus Julus), with an almost round body in cross section, distinguished by a very large number of legs and slow movements. Nozzles, disturbed by something, curl up into a spiral.

Many bipeds have venom glands on the lateral sections of their dorsal scutes. In some tropical species of millipedes, the poison contains hydrocyanic acid; it was once used by Indians to poison arrows.

Subclass Labiopods Chilopoda

A large group (2800 species) of labiopods are represented by active predators, in contrast to all other millipedes, which feed on decaying or living parts of plants. The predation of labiopods is associated with the transformation of the first pair of their trunk legs into grasping jaws equipped with a poisonous gland.

Labiopods, like all centipedes, lead a predominantly secretive nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, you should look for them under fallen leaves and stones, in hollows and under the bark of dead trees, etc. A small (up to 3.2 cm in length) centipede drupe (Lithobius forficatus) is common in our fauna. She has 16 pairs of legs, of which the hind ones are greatly elongated and perform a tactile function. There are rather long antennae on the head.

In the Crimea, the Caucasus and Central Asia, small centipedes with very long limbs, called flycatchers, are found in human habitations (houses). Eyeless centipedes geophiles with a very large number of segments (more than 170) live in the soil, sometimes deep from the surface. Geophilus longicornis is common in our fauna.

The largest of the labiopods, the poisonous centipedes, are widely represented in the tropics. In the Crimea, the Caucasus and Moldova, the ringed scolopendra (Scolopendra cingulata) is found, reaching a length of 10-17 cm. Its bite causes not only severe swelling in humans, but also general poisoning. The temperature rises to 38-39°C, general weakness and headache are observed. However, all painful phenomena go away on their own after 1-2 days. The bite of the Brazilian giant scolopendra (S. gigas) also does not appear to be fatal.

Description

centipedes have a rounded or flattened head, having a pair of antennae at the leading edge. They have a pair of elongated lower jaws and two pairs of upper jaws. The first pair of upper jaws forms the lower lip and has short tentacles. The first pair of limbs extends forward from the body to cover the remainder of the mouth. These limbs, or maxillipeds, end in sharp claws and include venom glands that help the animal kill or paralyze its prey.

Centipedes possess a variable number of ocelli, which sometimes cluster together to form true compound eyes. Despite this, it seems that centipedes are only capable of insight, light and dark, rather than true vision. Indeed, many species lack eyes in general. In some varieties, the first pair of legs in the centipede's head ganglion act as sensory organs similar to antennae, but unlike the antennae of most other animals, they point backwards. An unusual sensing organ found in some groups are the Tömösváry organs. They are located at the base of the antennae and consist of a disc-like structure with a central pore surrounded by sensory neurons. They are probably used to sense vibrations and may even provide hearing.

Forcipules are a characteristic feature found only in millipedes and no other arthropods. forcipules are modifications of the first pair of legs, forming a tweezer-like appendage always found just behind the head. Forcipules are not true mouthparts, although they are used in capturing prey items by injecting poison and holding on to captured prey. Venom glands run down the tube almost to the tip of each forcipule.

Behind the head, the body consists of fifteen or more segments. Most segments have a single pair of legs with maxillipeds projecting forward from the first body segment and the final two segments being small and legless. Each pair of legs is immediately slightly longer than the pair in front of it, ensuring that they do not overlap, and therefore reducing the chance that they will collide with each other when moving quickly. In extreme cases, the last pair of legs may be twice the length of the first pair. The final segment has a telson and includes the opening of the genital organs.

Centipedes are predators, and primarily use their antennae to search for their prey. The digestive tract forms a simple tube with digestive glands attached to the mouthparts. Like insects, centipedes breathe through a tracheal system, usually with a single opening or ventilator on each body segment. They excrete waste through a single pair of malpighian tubes.

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Scolopendra gigantea

, also known as the Amazonian giant centipede, is the largest extant centipede species in the world, stretching out in length. It is known to eat lizards, frogs, birds, mice, and even bats, catching them in midflight, as well as rodents and spiders.

Centipedes in the house: a scary neighborhood

Centipedes often appear in the house. They come to a person’s home in search of food: cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, moths. The need for moisture forces people to live in the basement, bathroom, or basement. To hunt, centipedes can crawl out of their hiding places into other rooms. A centipede bite is usually not dangerous. The exception is poisonous species living in regions with warm climates. In temperate latitudes, there are individuals that are unable to bite through human skin. Moreover, arthropods cannot be called aggressive creatures that attack people. On the contrary, very often when large animals, and especially humans, appear, they hurry to retreat.

But still, the inhabitants of the premises in which these creatures have appeared often begin to look for ways to get rid of the centipede at home. This is mainly due to disgust and disgust for creatures whose appearance can hardly be called attractive. Although some exotic lovers keep arthropods as pets.

What to do?

How to get rid of a house centipede that has become an uninvited guest? First of all, you need to inspect the ventilation shafts in the bathroom and toilet, and also check the grilles in the floor. These are the main routes of entry into arthropods. If necessary, you can install a mosquito net on them, and then periodically treat it with insecticides.

It is important to remember that the centipede does not live in dry areas. Therefore, if a faucet is leaking somewhere, then the malfunction must be repaired.

She also needs a lot of food, and most likely there are many other pests in the house that need to be dealt with.

Chemical insect control agents

There are no specific drugs to combat the millipede. You can use universal insecticides against it:

the well-known “Dichlorvos”;
aerosol "Raid";
gel against cockroaches "Great Warrior"
"Medilis-Ziper" is a toxic, but very effective remedy.

But it is useless to use sticky traps - only a few legs will remain on them, which will be a minor loss for the centipede.

The only harm that a centipede brings to the house is the psychological discomfort of being in its proximity. To get rid of it, you need to fight other insects and high humidity; and also use special insecticidal agents.

How to get rid of centipedes using traditional methods

Folk remedies will help get rid of several individuals in the apartment. Despite the simplicity and availability of available methods, when using them, exercise caution and safety measures. Improper behavior with household poisonous compounds can lead to intoxication.

Cayenne pepper will help remove flycatchers, the aroma of which is not tolerated by pests. Sprinkle the powdered product where insects appear and they will soon leave the house

Boric acid is used to control pests. Sprinkle it under baseboards, in bathrooms behind pipes, and in other centipede habitats. The product is effective in combating many insects, while being safe for people and animals.

Diatomaceous earth powder will help remove pests. This is a safe, non-toxic product with no pungent odor. To kill pests, simply sprinkle the powder in their habitats and they will soon leave your home.

Classification of centipedes

Phylogeny of centipedes (after Kluge, 2000).

In accordance with the monophyly hypothesis of centipedes, the four classes are grouped as follows. The labiopods stand somewhat apart from the other three classes that form the group Progoneata.

All Progoneata are characterized by a number of specialized structural features (synapomorphies) that are unique to them. For example, the genital ducts open near the anterior end of the body; During the development of the embryo, the yolk ends up not in the intestine, but in the body cavity (later, yolk-rich cells form the fat body).

Within Progoneata, a monophyletic group is clearly distinguished Collifera,

including pauropods and bipeds.
A number of synapomorphies speak in favor of its monophyly: there are only two pairs of oral limbs (mandibles and gnathochilarium, which is a product of the fusion of the first pair of maxillae); the segment of the second pair of maxillae, unlike other centipedes, does not bear limbs and is not part of the head, forming a neck
(lat. collum); the genital openings are paired and are located behind the second pair of walking legs; larvae of the first instar have only three pairs of legs (one per segment); further development occurs with an increase in the number of segments that develop from the growth zone located behind the three segments of the larva.

Chilopoda
Progoneata: Symphyla
Collifera: Pauropoda
Diplopoda

Centipede: description

The centipede got its name due to the fact that it has 15 pairs of legs, quite thin, which reach a length of up to 3 millimeters. The centipede grows up to 60 mm in length. Thanks to this, the insect moves relatively quickly - up to 40 cm per second, which gives it the opportunity to quickly go to cover in cases of danger.

If you carefully examine the insect, you can see small hairs all over the body, and long whiskers grow on the head. Along the entire surface of the body you can find stripes that even extend to the paws. Therefore, the centipede resembles a scary beetle with a flexible, elongated body. A centipede is born with 4 legs, the number of which increases as the insect matures. During her life, a female centipede lays up to 60 eggs.

Centipedes (also called flycatchers) prefer living conditions with high humidity and lack of light. In people's homes, flycatchers choose to live in rooms such as bathrooms, all kinds of closets or basements. As a rule, centipedes appear in human homes before the onset of winter. During this period, the centipede feeds on ants, mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, termites, spiders, etc. In other words, such a proximity between humans and centipedes is only beneficial for humans.

Those owners who know how the centipede lives and what it eats try to use it as a natural enemy of many insects, sometimes dangerous to humans. The flycatcher can sit motionless for a long time, waiting for its prey, after which it attacks its victim with lightning speed. This is achieved thanks to excellent vision and speed of movement. The flycatcher releases a venom that paralyzes its prey, after which it slowly eats its prey. If she manages to catch two insects at once, then she eats one and holds the other with her paws, since she has many of them.

Flycatchers (centipedes) do not bite humans or domestic animals. They also do not damage room furniture. Therefore, the fight against centipedes is carried out only because many owners do not know how this insect lives and what it eats. A centipede lives for about 7 years. It settles in human housing only to survive the cold. Upon completion, she moves to her natural habitat. When it is very cold, the insect hibernates. It is most active in the spring.

Methods to combat centipedes

Understanding what a scolopendra looks like, what habits it has, where it hides and what it eats, you can develop a plan to get it out of the house. To get rid of insects in an apartment forever, you need to conduct a thorough analysis of the premises, solving problems with dampness and moisture in individual areas.

Considering that centipedes feed on small insects, you need to try to make sure that there are no insects in the house at all. No food, no arthropod predators.

A wooden floor with cracks in a room attracts insects, opening up a lot of opportunities for home improvement and reproduction. A simple coating of mastic or varnish will help solve the problem; insects cannot tolerate the smell of chemicals.

Leaking pipes in the bathroom or toilet must be repaired or replaced. Otherwise, none of the methods of combating flycatchers will work. Comfortable indoor conditions will attract more and more individuals there.

It is worth paying attention to the pallets under house flowers. Excess stagnant water will also attract insects

If arthropods in the house feel more than at ease despite all preventive measures, continue to reproduce and are increasingly seen even during the day, it is worth trying to use repellents or insecticidal sprays for crawling creatures

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a flytrap, an insect or not, drugs of this kind most often have a wide spectrum of action.

In conclusion, we note that killing living beings, even if they are not the most pleasant in appearance, is inhumane. Therefore, in order to prevent an uncomfortable neighborhood at home, you need to try to create conditions unfavorable for insects. Scolopendra, also known as the flytrap, is of little danger to humans; its appearance in an apartment is the result of a violation of sanitary standards, which means that responsibility for solving the problem also lies solely with the owners of the apartment.

A centipede encountered in one's own apartment often terrifies people. An insect running quickly seems dangerous and aggressive. In fact, such statements have a basis. The centipede insect is a predator; it is indeed capable of attacking and biting, but not a person, but a fly or moth. She tries to avoid contact with people, hiding in hard-to-reach corners. If there is a clear threat, the centipede may bite; the insect's venom causes problems for people with allergies.

House centipede moves along walls