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Okay so thanks for that You Tube info, Cindy. I hadta do it, just too curious. Now I am checking the sheets again before bed. LOL!
We find them usually during heavy rains...gee, tropical depression...hmm.
Carrie
"All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it." Bob Newhart
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quote:
...Or you cold check to see how folks keep squirrels out of bird feeders on the mainland and make similar sorts of devices around your house posts.
I thought this was funny! (Not making fun of you, Hotzcatz.) But if centipedes are as crafty and motivated as squirrels, there's no way to keep them out. Just about all methods to keep squirrels out of bird feeders have failed. There was even an Animal Planet program a while ago called, Daylight Robbery II, that followed up the final bit in the first Daylight Robbery. It showed how "the ultimate anti-squirrel" birdfeeder was accessed by a squirrel.
So as not to hijack this thread with nothing substantive about 'pedes: Stan, I don't know if cedar shavings around the perimeter will help. It might just give them a place to hide until night. Centipedes don't seem to be like a lot of other bugs.
That mouse-eating video is one of the giant amazonian ones, not one of ours ... I remember that video. Ours do get 7-9 inches though.
I always do what Hotzcatz said and look under items I pick up -- VERY common to disturb a napping 'pede . They will also colonize potted plants in the garden, which can be a problem if you bring the plant in and 'pede comes out for nightly hunting ... done that, found nine incher on kitchen counter.
I have a theory that bufo toads eat them, because I've had one place with few centipedes and lots of toads, and no chickens. Bufos are nocturnal. If you have a pond, bufos will come!
I have watched them climb the side of a stucco house to the second story ... really creeped me out.
My solution has been to spray the perimeter, and I am NOT a poison person. I had a pest control contract where they just used the boric acid and it worked very well. The thing is to make a closed perimeter and to repeat monthly as it breaks down.
As a result, in our Hilo house we never had one in the house in over two years, although they were certainly out in the yard hiding under potted plants.
Clean up leaf mess and trimmings near your house. They like to hide in them.
And don't leave your gloves and hat or shoes outside at night, or even in the garage if you have a problem there. I know more people who've been bitten putting on these items than any other way.
I also never put stuff in my car that may have given one a chance to crawl in, hide, and hitchhike. After hearing from a friend who was driving down the road and realized one was in her pants ... that just freaked me out. She pulled over and stripped her pants off by the side of the road -- modesty overcome by pure fear!
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Aw geez, I should know better than to read the "pede" stories. That pantleg thing freaked me right the - out.
Carrie
"All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it." Bob Newhart
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I bought the ortho home defense max. I am absolutely terrified of centipedes.
If I see a centipede, everyone in Puna will be able to hear me scream!
Stan
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try Diatomaceous earth around the posts and/or garage perimeter. The hard pieces get in the joints of centipedes - basically crippling them. We used the diatomaceous (aka diatomite) that came out of my mom's old pool filter in Honomu where there are many centipedes.
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Great suggestion regarding diatomite!
From Wikipedia:
"Diatomite is also used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the cuticle, the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low. Beekeepers are apparently experimenting with it, to keep small hive beetles from breeding. It is sometimes mixed with an attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness. Medical grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and humans. It is most commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be used to help control and eventually eliminate a cockroach infestation."
just be careful using diatomaceaous earth, as it cuts our lungs too ... apply with care.
I knew someone whose toddler happened on an application for slugs and it almost killed him ... natural doesn't always = safe, but good choice if handled properly.
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Where can I get this? Garden Exchange? Farmer's Cooperative? Home Depot?
Stan
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You can usually get D.E. in the pool care section of Long's, WalMart, Safeway. I don't have a pool here on the island, but I used to on the "main" land. A gigantic box of the stuff usually costs around $15-25 or so.
Time is an illusion, but a handy one. Without it, we would not be able to hear sounds, and without that ability, we would have no music.
