Scolopendra in the house and how to get rid of it

Description of scolopendra

The animal has a rather frightening appearance, as if warning with its entire appearance that there is no need to touch it. It resembles a massive long worm with many legs. Its color and size depend on the species and habitat. Crimean centipedes are relatively small, only 10–14 cm. But giant ones grow up to 30 cm.

These centipedes can be red, dirty yellow, black, but most often different shades of brown. The body consists of segments that connect membranes, which makes the scolopendra very flexible. At the same time, the dense chitinous shell reliably protects the animal. It can only be cut with a blow from a shovel.

Appearance

Each segment has 2 legs. The front and rear pairs have changed greatly during the process of evolution. The last two limbs are noticeably longer than the others and are used to push off when catching prey, move over uneven terrain, in burrows and on rocks.

The front legs (mandibles) have special hooks that make it possible to grab and hold prey. After killing, they direct the food into the mouth. The special structure of the limbs allows centipedes to move quickly even over rough terrain. Unlike their classmates, centipedes have poisonous glands on their legs, which makes them quite dangerous creatures.

The eyes located on the head have almost no vision. Scolopendra finds prey with the help of antennae, which are capable of not only smelling, but also detecting the slightest vibrations in the air.

Peculiarities

Externally, scolopendra resembles a worm, which has many developed limbs, just like a centipede. Moreover, the first pair of legs performs the function of pincers, which the insect uses to capture prey. At the end of each leg there are spikes soaked in poison. The body length of individuals can reach up to 10 cm. The color of the body, divided into segments, varies from light to brown-black tones.

The habitat of centipedes is warm, damp places, from which they go out in search of food only in the dark. Mown grass, a pile of fallen leaves or construction debris are favorite places for centipedes to accumulate.

What attracts scolopendra to the house?

Although these centipedes are found only in warm regions, their body is designed in such a way that it is not able to retain moisture for a long time. Once exposed to the scorching sun, scolopendras slowly die from dehydration. Scolopendra is initially attracted to the house by high humidity and comfortable air temperature.

They are nocturnal predators, trying to hide in a shelter with the first rays of the sun, including in a human home. To understand where they come from and how they manage to get into small cracks, you need to remember their structure. Flexibility and the ability to move along almost vertical surfaces make it possible for the scolopendra to penetrate the open windows of private houses and apartments on the ground floor. Crevices in door frames are also one of the pathways that millipedes use.

Having climbed into the basement of a high-rise building, they easily travel through ventilation shafts and through cracks in the floor near pipelines. Often, residents themselves bring them into their apartment along with some large objects or furniture.

If there are enough insects in the house that are food for the scolopendra, then the centipede may stay for more than one day.

Don't make mistakes!

Quite a lot of people, when they discover scolopendra, try to get rid of it in ways that in practice do not bring any results, and sometimes can even be harmful. These include:

Attempts to “kill” the centipede with improvised means - neither a newspaper nor a slipper are capable of killing the centipede. This is due to the fact that its body is covered with a very dense shell, which reliably protects adult individuals from such attacks. In addition, she is quite nimble and moves quickly, so it will most likely not be possible to make a targeted strike.
Using aerosols against crawling insects. Since this centipede is not an insect, it is simply useless to use the above remedies against it. Moreover, it is much larger in size than insects, and therefore the concentration of toxic substances must be quite high, which such drugs cannot provide. In addition, centipedes run very quickly, and therefore long-term spraying is almost impossible.
Using sticky traps. Here again the impressive size of the centipedes will interfere. Plus, even if an individual gets stuck and loses several legs in trying to get out, it will escape without much difficulty, and the limbs will soon grow back.
Attempts to catch it with your hands, a jar, a bag, etc. This is absolutely impossible to do, since if there is danger, the numerous walking limbs of this creature become poisonous.

Is it dangerous for humans?

In most cases, scolopendra seeks to avoid contact with humans. She only attacks if she thinks there is a risk to her life. Moreover, the threat does not have to be real. By biting, the centipede injects a toxic substance into the wound. Victims of the Crimean centipede compare the pain to being stung by several wasps at the same time. The area around the wound quickly swells and turns red. The temperature may rise. In a healthy adult, the main symptoms disappear after a few days, but the wound itself takes longer to heal.

For children and people with an increased allergic reaction to venom, the consequences of a bite are more serious. Pain in muscles and joints may appear, hallucinations begin, and suffocation may be felt. In this case, it is necessary to urgently take antihistamines and seek medical help.

Antihistamines

The possibility of accidentally getting hurt by this creature cannot be ruled out. She doesn’t have to bite, just crawl over a naked area of the body. The scolopendra's ability to secrete scalding mucus from its paws in the wild helps the predator hunt and defend itself. Two chains of red dots appear on human skin - marks from the limbs of a centipede. All this is accompanied by severe pain similar to a burn from an iron.

How to get rid of scolopendra in the house?

Most often, centipedes climb into buildings where there is high humidity. They inhabit basements, garages, and outbuildings. Getting rid of centipedes is not so easy, since they try to hide during the day and go out hunting only at night. The easiest way, if it is a single copy and catches your eye, is to use a dustpan and a broom and take it away from residential buildings.

Attention! Under no circumstances should you touch the scolopendra with your bare hands, otherwise you may get hurt.

If there are several arthropods, and they have managed to reproduce, you will have to resort to other methods.

Chemicals

It will not be possible to get rid of centipedes in the house using conventional aerosol insecticides, since they are designed for small insects. A large centipede will have to be sprayed for quite a long time. In about five minutes she will lose the ability to move and then she can be taken out of the house. But this is ineffective.

It is best to poison centipedes with concentrated liquid agents that affect arthropods. Many of them are recommended for garden pests, so they should be used indoors with extreme caution.

The most reliable way to kill all centipedes in the house, and at the same time other insects, is to use the services of professional exterminators. Using both cold and hot mist will help remove scolopendra. With this method of spraying insecticides, the toxic cloud lasts long enough to affect large enough creatures.

Traditional methods

Scolopendra climbed into people's homes even before the chemical industry began producing insecticides to combat centipedes. People have long noticed what this animal is afraid of, and began to actively use the following means:

Red pepper. The burning powder emits an odor intolerable to arthropods, making it difficult to sense the prey, and it itself begins to corrode the paws of the scolopendra. It is enough to sprinkle a thin layer of pepper near places where arthropods can hide.
Diatom powder. Sharp particles of diatomaceous earth damage the chitinous shell of the centipede, and it dies from dehydration. They use it in the same way as pepper, scattering it on the places where scolopendra appears.
Boric acid or powder. Mix with a small amount of water and spray corners and baseboards.

Boric acid

Sometimes the centipede is called centipede. This is a misconception. The common flycatcher belongs to another class of centipedes and is absolutely safe for humans. It is worth getting rid of the presence in the house when there are too many individuals.

Traps

Fighting scolopendra with traps is unproductive, since it is quite large. Sticky strips won't hold it in place. If there are only one or two individuals in a jar with oiled walls, this will not solve the problem given the large number of centipedes in the house.

Methods of struggle.

How to get rid of scolopendra? These insects can be fought with folk or chemical means. Let's consider the options in more detail.

Traditional methods.

There are not many such methods and they are not very effective, but you can still try.

Boric acid – treat hard-to-reach places (baseboards) and crevices. If they enter through the ventilation, treat it too.
Sticky tapes - it will be more effective if you attach a variety of midges (bait) to the tape.
Feed food with chemicals. For example, if there are Prussians, you can make balls to kill cockroaches. Scolopendra will eat poisoned food and die.

Chemistry.

There are a large number of different chemicals on the market to combat insects. Know the side effect well before choosing. Let's look at some of them.

Aerosol - this method does not help much, since it is necessary to spray it specifically on the insect for ten minutes. It turns out you need to chase the scolopendra, and then stand and “water” it with an aerosol.
Special liquid (for example: medilis - cyper): it is necessary to dilute it with water according to the instructions and spray it with a spray bottle, carefully in hard-to-reach places (plinths, corners, crevices...).
Specialized spray for treating skirting boards (starex).
Paste-shaped product. Requires careful use (globoloriginal).

Preventive actions

In order not to have to look for a way to expel the centipede from your home, you must not create favorable conditions for it:

Get rid of house insects.
Disassemble the trash in which it is convenient for her to hide.
Fix leaks
Check the ventilation system to avoid excessive humidity.

A predator will not stay in a room where there is neither food nor comfortable shelter.

It is also necessary to block all possible ways for scolopendra to enter a private house:

Seal cracks in the foundation, near pipelines, and at baseboards.
Place mosquito nets on windows and ventilation openings.
Adjust the doors so that they close tightly. You can attach rubber pads, which are sold in stores.

On a personal plot, you should not place compost pits near the house, stack firewood, or leave construction waste.

The most famous ways to combat woodlice

It is possible to get rid of wood lice using solutions prepared at home or using preparations that are sold in specialized stores of household and agricultural chemicals

But we must remember that if you use chemicals, you must adhere to the strictest precautions and safety measures, and if you have small children and pets, increase these measures

Solutions at home

Let's look at some of them that have proven to be the most effective and popular for controlling woodlice. Their effectiveness is slightly less than that of chemical agents, but they are not so dangerous to others. As practice has shown, after two treatments, woodlice disappear completely.

Bread kvass. You can take ready-made kvass, which is available in almost every home during the hot season, or dilute dry, store-bought kvass in a proportion of ½ boiling water. Spray the mixture or kvass into the areas where wood lice are found.
Salt (table salt), hot pepper with the addition of tobacco. Take salt - 3 g, ground hot pepper - 3 g, powdered tobacco - 3 g, dissolve it all in one liter of water. We wet the surfaces of the largest accumulation of woodlice with the solution. Eight hours after treatment, thoroughly wash the surfaces with a chlorine solution.
Bleach solution. We prepare a solution in a ratio of 40-50 g of bleach per liter of water, you can also use hypochlorite in a ratio of ½ to water. We disperse them into woodlice habitats. Since chlorine is a very caustic substance, it is necessary to take all measures to protect the organs of vision, breathing and carry out processing using protective gloves. Do not allow children and animals into treated areas. Three hours after treatment, thoroughly ventilate the premises until the smell of chlorine completely disappears.
Boric acid. We take boric acid powder and scatter it at the places where the pest appears.

Specialized pest control organizations mainly use chemicals. But by doing this, they do not remove the main factors due to which woodlice appeared, and this is increased humidity and the presence of organic residues, and rest assured, woodlice will appear, again occupying the free territory, creating a new colony.

And in the end, I would like to say that the main actions to completely in residential premises is to detect the initial places of high humidity in the area of the apartment or house, and only then, using the above methods and means, to destroy the pests. To prevent their reappearance, it is best to use table salt, making salt barriers out of it, before entering living quarters.