Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service---LINDEN, TX
The Cass County AgriLife Extension Service has been inundated with emails, phone calls, and office visits concerning some creepy crawling visitors that are making appearances across the county. The culprit impacting homeowners is a common one: Centipedes. The common house centipede is normally a beneficial insect because they feast on other unwanted bugs. Centipedes can have a 1-6 year lifespan. They lay their eggs during the warm season and love to make their home in leaf litter, soil, and other decomposing organic matter. We are seeing more of these centipedes than normal due to an increase in their ideal environment due to the higher than normal rainfall. These insects prefer humidity and moist environments. The centipedes we are seeing very rarely get larger than an inch and a half and will quickly die once they make their way into a home environment, however that doesn’t mean that we want them inside or swarming our patios and porches. Preventing them from joining you in your home only takes a bit of effort. The first step to preventing the overpopulation of centipedes is to create a form of mechanical barriers. Start by developing a barrier of gravel between your flower beds and your home. Following this, homeowners are encouraged to seal areas and stuff all weep holes with steel wool. To further prevent centipedes, make sure to turn your flower bed mulch as often as possible to help them disperse excess moisture that will encourage centipede habitation. Homeowners also need to be sure to move ideal hiding sites, such as firewood piles, far from their residence. If these methods don’t show improvement, perimeter sprays are advised. Plant based sprays can be effective if they contain the following: d-limonene, rosemary oil, clove oil, thyme oil, or sesame oil. Chemical bases sprays with the active ingredients of cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, permethrin, bifenthrin, cypermethrin, or carbaryl will also be effective. These types of sprays can be found at your local hardware or home improvement store. If you choose to use a spray method, pay very close attention to the label instructions. The pesticide user is always responsible for the proper use of pesticides as well as their intended and unintended impacts. In addition to spraying the home perimeter, homeowners should also make it a point to treat wall voids with borax or diatomaceous earth. Hopefully these methods will alleviate our centipede issue. The Cass County Extension office is always here to serve the people of Cass County, so don’t hesitate to contact us.
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