Centipede
Various scientific names
Class: Chilopoda
Order: Various
Family: Various
Size: Centipedes in the adult stage are about 1/8 to 6 in (4-152 mm) long.
Characteristics: Centipedes are long and flat, with worm-like bodies of many segments. Each segment has one pair of legs. "Centi-" means 100, and "-pede" refers to legs, but centipedes may actually have 15-177 legs. The first pair form claw-like poison fangs. The last two point backward. First instars have only 4 segments, but with each molt more are added.
Color: Usually yellowish to dark brown, sometimes with darker stripes or marks.
Geographic Range: These "hundred-footed" creatures are found throughout most of the U.S. and the world.
Habitat: Centipedes live outdoors, but may come inside. They live in damp places, such as rotting logs, under stones, in trash, mulch, clippings. Indoors they may be found in moist basements or closets.
Food: Small insects, spiders, and sometimes plants. Most of the liquid they need comes from digestion of their prey.
Biology: Females of one type of centipede produce 35 eggs over a period of days. Eggs are laid in or on the soil during the summer. Adults may live a year, and some up to 5-6 years. They are nocturnal, which means they're active at night.
Invasion: All those feet are meant for walking, and they may wander into a damp bathroom, closet, basement, or potted plant.
Damage: Outdoors centipedes are beneficial because they help control other insects that are their prey. However, when they come indoors they are considered a nuisance. Some can also give a painful, though not deadly, bite.
Environmental Policy
The employees of American Pest Management are committed to improving the quality of life for all of our customers by providing the safest and most effective treatment for the management of pests which pose a threat to their health, property, and food supply. History has shown that neglecting to control pests such as cockroaches, mosquitoes, rodents, and ticks, and the misapplication of pest control products are equally dangerous.
