I'd like to offer a suggestion for a solution to a problem many of us face at some point in our hobby - recapturing escapees. Centipedes anyway - I don't keep millipedes and doubt this would be as effective on them.
I've had very good success at recapturing escaped centipedes by setting out 1 gallon plastic pots (the kind that nurseries grow plants in) half full of damp sphagnum. I place them upright near walls or in pathways that I would expect the escapee to travel. The drainage holes in the pots are big enough to let most Scolopendras crawl in easily, and the damp sphagnum provides a good retreat for an animal that is looking for moisture and darkness. Put out several of these pots in the room (or rooms) that you think the animal is in. Leave them there for several days, checking them each morning. I check them by emptying the contents of the pot into a white five-gallon bucket and stirring it around a little. If the escapee isn't in there just empty the sphagnum back into the pot and reset the "trap".
I have caught four species of escapees this way - S. heros, S. polymorpha, S.hainanum and this morning a S. dehanni. Unfortunately, while this works well for indoor captures, it has not worked at all for capturing wild specimens. (I've tried it many times in areas where S. polymorpha and S. heros are common.) I think the reason is that in a house the animals are looking for a moist hiding area. In the wild if conditions are good and the animals are moving they already have better hides available. If conditions are not good the animals are not out and active.
I've had very good success at recapturing escaped centipedes by setting out 1 gallon plastic pots (the kind that nurseries grow plants in) half full of damp sphagnum. I place them upright near walls or in pathways that I would expect the escapee to travel. The drainage holes in the pots are big enough to let most Scolopendras crawl in easily, and the damp sphagnum provides a good retreat for an animal that is looking for moisture and darkness. Put out several of these pots in the room (or rooms) that you think the animal is in. Leave them there for several days, checking them each morning. I check them by emptying the contents of the pot into a white five-gallon bucket and stirring it around a little. If the escapee isn't in there just empty the sphagnum back into the pot and reset the "trap".
I have caught four species of escapees this way - S. heros, S. polymorpha, S.hainanum and this morning a S. dehanni. Unfortunately, while this works well for indoor captures, it has not worked at all for capturing wild specimens. (I've tried it many times in areas where S. polymorpha and S. heros are common.) I think the reason is that in a house the animals are looking for a moist hiding area. In the wild if conditions are good and the animals are moving they already have better hides available. If conditions are not good the animals are not out and active.
