# What is this bug?



## Proby (Jul 17, 2010)

It's a House Centipede. It's the spawn of Satan.

They are actually beneficial, they eat roaches and roach eggs, they are hunters and only eat other insects, they won't mess with your food. They won't make you sick like roaches can either. The can bite but it's less than a bee sting and they usually just try to get away.

With that said, I HATE them with a passion, they are the most horrible creatures this planet has ever known. They are super fast and get thru tiny openings, even tho they are large in size. 

I don't know if there is any real way to get rid of them, but you can limit their existence in your home by sealing all entry ways that they or their food (other insects) can come in. You can have your house sprayed or use products like Boric Acid. Try to keep things dry, especially in the basement. You'll sometimes find them in the bathtub, make sure the silicon around the plumbing because they come up the damp wetwall from the basement.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

could be worse: (a giant centipede)


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## Proby (Jul 17, 2010)

nap said:


> could be worse: (a giant centipede)


I'd much rather that, I could keep that out of my house. The only way that is getting in is if it follows me thru the front door :laughing:


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

Dutch2: House centipedes aren't that hard to get rid of. They live well in damp or dry conditions. Look for these active ingredients: 1. Bifenthrin 2. Lambda cyhalothrin 3.Cyfluthrin Not necessarily in that order, all are good residual insecticides; meaning that when they dry they leave a chemical barrier that the insects will contact and eventually die. Spray into cracks and crevices, behind baseboards (if possible), under furniture and appliances. May have to do it once a month for a few months. Spray heavier outside and in unfinished garages, basements, sheds. You can buy pre-mixed sprays, or you can buy concentrates and mix it yourself, according to label directions. Hope this helps.


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## Proby (Jul 17, 2010)

PAbugman said:


> Dutch2: House centipedes aren't that hard to get rid of. They live well in damp or dry conditions. Look for these active ingredients: 1. Bifenthrin 2. Lambda cyhalothrin 3.Cyfluthrin Not necessarily in that order, all are good residual insecticides; meaning that when they dry they leave a chemical barrier that the insects will contact and eventually die. Spray into cracks and crevices, behind baseboards (if possible), under furniture and appliances. May have to do it once a month for a few months. Spray heavier outside and in unfinished garages, basements, sheds. You can buy pre-mixed sprays, or you can buy concentrates and mix it yourself, according to label directions. Hope this helps.


I've been using this for a while: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

It contains Bifenthrin which is one of the ingredients you mentioned. I spray my entire condo, outside and inside. I spray the walls in the basements, but they are block which just seems to absorb the spray instead of leaving a coating like when you spray it on something non-porous like a painted wall.

I have also put down Boric acid in all the basements and anywhere I could get to.

This doesn't seem to be helping, there are still a lot of House Centipedes.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

Proby: Masonry and block do absorb the material. What about if you treat up higher, treat the wood where it meets the top of the block wall? They may be in the fiberglass insulation, if the floors are insulated. Do you ever find dead centipedes after treating? Also consider the quantity that you may be using-outside should require several gallons for a small place up to 5 to 10 for an avg size ranch house. That is a good reason for buying concentrate and mixing it yourself and using a compressed air sprayer or backpack sprayer, or watering can (labor intensive). Treat into the gap between soil and house foundation. Focus on that gap rather than the soil perimeter. In the spring, summer, and fall the centipedes will live in that gap and enter/exit behind siding, under door sills, etc. Treat that gap until you see your spray bubbling up. If that gap is distinct enough, you can pour from a gallon jug right into it. It doesn't matter how you deliver the material, just get it in there. The boric acid is probably too thick-insects will avoid it. Powders/dusts are best applied with hand dusters, but not in living spaces of your house. Even us pros usually apply dust too heavily-must be human nature, or at least a guy thing. Hope this helps. I may not be at my computer for a while; will respond when available.


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## Proby (Jul 17, 2010)

PAbugman said:


> Proby: Masonry and block do absorb the material. What about if you treat up higher, treat the wood where it meets the top of the block wall?


 I could do that, I'll try spraying all the wood. Unfortunately, this means that spraying outside won't be effective at all since it's concrete base and then brick for the rest of the building?



> They may be in the fiberglass insulation, if the floors are insulated. Do you ever find dead centipedes after treating?


 The floors are insulated. I've found dead centipedes everywhere, under the insulation in the attic, in the walls, etc. But I found them before I started spraying.


> Also consider the quantity that you may be using-outside should require several gallons for a small place up to 5 to 10 for an avg size ranch house. That is a good reason for buying concentrate and mixing it yourself and using a compressed air sprayer or backpack sprayer, or watering can (labor intensive). Treat into the gap between soil and house foundation. Focus on that gap rather than the soil perimeter. In the spring, summer, and fall the centipedes will live in that gap and enter/exit behind siding, under door sills, etc. Treat that gap until you see your spray bubbling up. If that gap is distinct enough, you can pour from a gallon jug right into it. It doesn't matter how you deliver the material, just get it in there. The boric acid is probably too thick-insects will avoid it. Powders/dusts are best applied with hand dusters, but not in living spaces of your house. Even us pros usually apply dust too heavily-must be human nature, or at least a guy thing. Hope this helps. I may not be at my computer for a while; will respond when available.


Thanks for the help! I definitely know what you mean about applying too much! I put a little down, then I say NO, it needs more! Then I have a mountain :whistling2: :thumbup:

One reason why I spread so much powder is because everywhere is usually dusty so I don't want the dust to overshadow the powder. The basements are unseal concrete floors so the dust is unstoppable.


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## PAbugman (Jun 29, 2010)

Proby: I'm still here! Gotta go soon, though. Go ahead and treat that exterior gap anyway. It will work because the soil and other organic material will also get treated and they will contact it. The fact that you will be using more material will compensate, to some extent, the fact that masonry does absorb. Also, it absorbs the water carrier much quicker than the actual active ingredient. Also, inside your house-treat into pipe openings under sinks, behind bathtubs accesses if possible, around floor vents (if any) by lifting grates and treating between duct and floor crack, etc. You get the idea-be thorough, treat places you haven't treated before; when you find newly dead centi's you will know that you're getting closer to the critical areas. Hope this helps.


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