# What scares/kills centipedes?



## KristoferA

First of all, I'm not trying to upset or offend anyone. I know this board is really for people who keep these things as pets, but I figured enthusiast are probably the best authority on this...

We have started getting a bunch of these in and around the house:

http://twitpic.com/2ob7p

...and I am just looking for a way to get rid of them.

I have small kids (youngest one just a year) so it is not good to have these things crawling around in the living room. At the same time I don't want to overuse pesticides.

Is there something that targets centipedes specifically - maybe something they don't like the smell of and will stay clear of (e.g. in the way that garlic and lime deter some species of ants)? Or if not, what (short of large amounts of termite powder) kills them?


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## David Burns

Find yourself a local hobbyist and they will dissappear fast.


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## KristoferA

David Burns said:


> Find yourself a local hobbyist and they will dissappear fast.


I wish it was that easy.  Unfortunately the supply is far greater than the demand down here (Thailand).

The one shown in the picture in my first message lived under the fridge, and in flowerpots etc outside there are _lots_ of them.


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## David Burns

Try to find a way to reduce the locations, in the house and yard, where they hide and the prey items they feed from.


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## skippy

i'm not sure that pesticides would solve your problem either.

my mother lived in costa rica for a few years and, while she didn't have any giant centipedes, she had to deal with tarantulas, scorpions, venomous snakes, poisonous frogs, vampire bats etc.
her solution was to dispatch them with her trusty high power vacuum cleaner  anytime she found something she was unable to hand move outside she just sucked it up! afterward she could just dump the canister or bag outside.

good luck with those things, whatever you decide to do


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## Draiman

Can you catch them and send them to me?


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## KristoferA

Gavin said:


> Can you catch them and send them to me?


Sure. The one from yesterday is no longer alive (preserved in 70% EtOH) but I'll be happy to send you the next few.  (assuming the mailman and/or customs don't mind...) Btw, are there any restrictions on sending these things in the mail?


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## LeilaNami

Only an act of God can kill centipedes


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## KristoferA

LeilaNami said:


> Only an act of God can kill centipedes


Ok, so if they are difficult to kill, what do they dislike? Any smells/odors/plants? Snakes, ants etc can be scared away with the right plants and herbs, so if centipedes have a sense of smell (?) is there anything that sends them off in the opposite direction? (or over to the neighbors?)

I really just want to keep them out of the house. I don't mind them outside where they do a great job at keeping roaches and other nasties at bay...

Alternatively I was thinking about setting traps (e.g. glue traps for rats baited with something that is yummy for centipedes). What should I bait them with? Meat?


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## Galapoheros

They really don't like tarantulas!  I'd put a bunch of those all over the house


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## moose35

KristoferA said:


> What scares/kills centipedes?




  you have to yell really loud and stomp your feet and they will disappear like magic. 



  no. seriously. i have no clue how to get rid of them. wish i could come catch a few from your house.


     moose


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## dehaani

KristoferA said:


> Alternatively I was thinking about setting traps (e.g. glue traps for rats baited with something that is yummy for centipedes). What should I bait them with? Meat?


That's the only thing that sounds plausible. I'd suggest meat for the bait, something a bit smelly (fresh blood, entrails) should interest them; they "smell" with their antennae. I've never offered mine anyting other than fresh food so I don't know how they'll react to a trap that's been sitting a day or two.

I've seen my centipedes take an interest in the scent of rodents, raw meat and fresh milk. I've never tried to repell them before. I might try at some point but I honestly doubt they'd be put off by anything.

Obviously I have no idea what the surrounding land is like but just in case you haven't considered, any garden area would be an attractive habitat. Perhaps getting a tiled or polished stone patio around the house could reduce their occurance inside your home. If you see them wandering, they are most likely looking for somewhere dark and damp to hide.

When I lived in Malaysia for three months, there were plenty of centipedes and other wildlife in the garden as we were right next to a large forrest area. My hosts rarely had a problem with centipedes and I think that was due to their tiled patio and with surrounding tiled walls. They had monkeys climbing in windows and snakes trying to squeeze through the doors but never centipedes.

It's so disappointing that we can't help you more. I can see why they'd cause a problem for you. I've never tried to repell my centipedes but in my experience, I doubt you could drive them away. Prevention by means of reducing their habitat is probably the best course of action.


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## gadunka888

moose35 said:


> you have to yell really loud and stomp your feet and they will disappear like magic.
> 
> 
> 
> no. seriously. i have no clue how to get rid of them. wish i could come catch a few from your house.
> 
> 
> moose


me too. i never see centipedes in the wild.

by the way, i think most arthropods are repelled by this plant: Pandanus amaryllifolius. i'm not 100% sure if centipedes are affected though. it works for roaches.


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## Greg Pelka

You can try with ivermectine - it's a drug, which is used in veterynary medicine to kill parasites. Is should killl all intervertebrates.

You should dilute ivermectine in water - 0,5-1ml ivermectine for 1L of water, and splash it on the floor. It's very save drug for people, but better will be to go for a walk with kids after sprayed.

Ps: Beautiful specimen, if you'll find some more, plesae send me


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## GiantVinegaroon

LeilaNami said:


> Only an act of God can kill centipedes


First off, I want to say I LOVE centipedes.

But I don't think God makes people bring their boots own upon the little critters


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## KristoferA

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm going to try pandanus, glue traps, and ivermectine to see which works best. Just earlier today a small centipede (2" long) made its' way up my leg and bit me in my thigh while I was BBQing burgers.

I caught it and took a pic - is this a juvenile scolopendra subspinipes?

http://twitpic.com/2t311


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## peterbourbon

Hey,

it looks like my small _Scolopendra subspinipes dehaani "orange/yellow leg"_ pedeling from Thailand.

Regards
Turgut


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## KristoferA

peterbourbon said:


> Hey,
> 
> it looks like my small _Scolopendra subspinipes dehaani "orange/yellow leg"_ pedeling from Thailand.
> 
> Regards
> Turgut


Yup, I am in Thailand - right in the middle of Bangkok.

I am wondering: is this little one of the same species as the bigger one in my first post?


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## Draiman

KristoferA said:


> Yup, I am in Thailand - right in the middle of Bangkok.
> 
> I am wondering: is this little one of the same species as the bigger one in my first post?


I think the black ones are _Sc. subspinipes_ "Tiger Leg".


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## Choobaine

_Scolopendra subspinipes dehaani_ "orange leg" pedeling...


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## Endagr8

KristoferA said:


> Thanks for all the replies.
> 
> I'm going to try pandanus, glue traps, and ivermectine to see which works best. Just earlier today a small centipede (2" long) made its' way up my leg and bit me in my thigh while I was BBQing burgers.
> 
> I caught it and took a pic - is this a juvenile scolopendra subspinipes?
> 
> http://twitpic.com/2t311


Don't forget to write a bite report!!!


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## Moltar

Wow, that is a cool pede but i don't think I'd want them running free in my house either. I think you're on the right track with glue traps, etc. Maybe regular mousetraps would even work. Bait them with raw meat...


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## Nich

That is not a morph that is currently available in the hobby, I would try collecting them and Im sure youll have more buyers than pedes.


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## xhexdx

One thing nobody else has suggested yet...if you get rid of what they eat, they will stop coming around.  If you use traps with bait, I think that would only attract more.  Get rid of the prey, and you'll get rid of the predators too.

--Joe


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## GartenSpinnen

Find yourself a fiance/wife/girlfriend. Tell her she looks fat. Every living creature (including centipedes) will run like a bat out of hell, as should you.

Cheers,
Nate


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## fantasticp

Get a pet chicken. They will eat them, and any other crawlies they can find. You get free eggs too!


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## Draiman

fantasticp said:


> Get a pet chicken. They will eat them, and any other crawlies they can find. You get free eggs too!


A bite from an adult _Scolopendra subspinipes_ may very well kill a chicken.


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## fantasticp

Gavin said:


> A bite from an adult _Scolopendra subspinipes_ may very well kill a chicken.


Well It'd have to bite it somewhere other than its beak, and most animals that eat things they wouldn't want to bite them are equipped to take it out quickly and safely. I. E. birds of prey that have been known to eat rattlesnakes. Chickens seem to peck apart larger insects rather than try to choke it down whole like a fish eating bird would from what I've seen.


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## Draiman

fantasticp said:


> Well It'd have to bite it somewhere other than its beak, and most animals that eat things they wouldn't want to bite them are equipped to take it out quickly and safely. I. E. birds of prey that have been known to eat rattlesnakes. Chickens seem to peck apart larger insects rather than try to choke it down whole like a fish eating bird would from what I've seen.


Have you kept a large _Scolopendra_ centipede before? The species we're talking about here is _Scolopendra subspinipes dehaani_, which can reach 10" in length. Unless you're talking about a new, undiscovered species of giant chicken, I highly doubt a normal chicken would try and eat a 10" centipede (or anything bigger than 7", for that matter), and even if it did try, it would most certainly be bitten. Furthermore, the venom of this species is widely accepted to be the most potent among the genus.


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## fantasticp

Gavin said:


> Have you kept a large _Scolopendra_ centipede before? The species we're talking about here is _Scolopendra subspinipes dehaani_, which can reach 10" in length. Unless you're talking about a new, undiscovered species of giant chicken, I highly doubt a normal chicken would try and eat a 10" centipede (or anything bigger than 7", for that matter), and even if it did try, it would most certainly be bitten. Furthermore, the venom of this species is widely accepted to be the most potent among the genus.


Actually I have. I don't currently, but I have had VERY large ones. They did scare me a little sometimes. If one that big wanders into your house, it is a HUGE target and you could easily smash it with something......

If the chicken/chickens eat all of the ones in the area when they are smaller, there shouldn't be that many really huge ones out and about. Not to mention along the lines of removing the food the centipedes are after, chickens love to eat roaches/crickets/earwigs/whatever. It might not be a total solution, but I don't think it is as bad of an idea as you are making it out to be.


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## Draiman

fantasticp said:


> Actually I have. I don't currently, but I have had VERY large ones. They did scare me a little sometimes. If one that big wanders into your house, it is a HUGE target and you could easily smash it with something......
> 
> If the chicken/chickens eat all of the ones in the area when they are smaller, there shouldn't be that many really huge ones out and about. Not to mention along the lines of removing the food the centipedes are after, chickens love to eat roaches/crickets/earwigs/whatever. It might not be a total solution, but I don't think it is as bad of an idea as you are making it out to be.


There are videos on Youtube demonstrating how even centipedes with their entire rear half squashed under a person's foot can still bite, so...

As for what you said about reducing prey populations, I admit I was a little too shortsighted to think of that. Definitely I agree. I think he would be better off with a group of them than just one though.


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## jettubes

Gavin said:


> There are videos on Youtube demonstrating how even centipedes with their entire rear half squashed under a person's foot can still bite, so...
> 
> As for what you said about reducing prey populations, I admit I was a little too shortsighted to think of that. Definitely I agree. I think he would be better off with a group of them than just one though.


i have chickens, iv seen a chick grab a six inch centipede and eat it, they just put there foot on it and peck its head off, i have no doubt a chicken would think twice about eating a big juicy centipede. my uncle lives in QLD   seen his chickens scratching around and grabing huge E.rubripes. So chickens will no doubt eat a 10 inch subspinipes no matter how dangerous. Or big.


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## Draiman

jettubes said:


> i have chickens, iv seen a chick grab a six inch centipede and eat it, they just put there foot on it and peck its head off, i have no doubt a chicken would think twice about eating a big juicy centipede. my uncle lives in QLD   seen his chickens scratching around and grabing huge E.rubripes. So chickens will no doubt eat a 10 inch subspinipes no matter how dangerous. Or big.


Wow, cool. A couple of pics would be nice. Better yet, a video! I'm not doubting you, I'm just curious as to how a chicken takes down a big centipede. 

And btw...



jettubes said:


> iv seen a *chick* grab a six inch centipede and eat it.


LOL


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## jettubes

Gavin said:


> Wow, cool. A couple of pics would be nice. Better yet, a video! I'm not doubting you, I'm just curious as to how a chicken takes down a big centipede.
> 
> And btw...
> 
> 
> 
> LOL


  HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH LMAO !!!! :clap: well pretty much just pecks it to pieces, if you through a pede in with a chicken they go crazy, also seen them take down wandering male crassipes (Tarantula) which was at least 6-7inch  they eat anything lol


edit: chick meaning baby chicken well picked up ROFL


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## Draiman

jettubes said:


> HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH LMAO !!!! :clap: well pretty much just pecks it to pieces, if you through a pede in with a chicken they go crazy, also seen them take down wandering male crassipes (Tarantula) which was at least 6-7inch  they eat anything lol
> 
> 
> edit: chick meaning baby chicken well picked up ROFL


Lmao I was just messing around. I know what you meant to say lol.


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## Ihaggerty1313

Man... I'm not a fan of Centipedes by any means.  I don't wish them any harm since they have a crucial role in the eco systems they are a part of.  Plus, you can't really talk trash about something that has survived millions of years and not changed one bit!  

However I think I'd rather jump into shark infested seas than have something like that roaming freely around my house.  JESUS CHRIST!  Am I glad I don't live in Thailand.  And to think.... I was going to build a summer house there!

Here's my question.  Does that thing like just walk through the living room into the kitchen, go into the fridge, grab a budweiser, chuck up the dude sign and leave?  Even if you tried to step on it, it'd probably chuck you the bird from under your shoe and your foot would start walking away from you!

When I say JESUS CHRIST people I mean JESUS CHRIST!

-Ian


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## Memento

Kind of a late reply, but if the other suggested methods don't work, try getting some pure peppermint oil (the real stuff, not synthetic - Mentha x piperita), putting a few drops on some cotton balls, and hiding these around the house.

We've used this method in the past to drive out many types of pests, including smaller species of centipedes (not pests per se, but our house was overrun with them when we moved in), ants, silverfish, etc.  It works to deter smaller rodents as well.  Even if it doesn't work on the larger centipedes directly, it should at least drive off some of their food sources.  Just be sure to replace the cotton balls once in a while.


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## burmish101

Chicken or Guinea birds are good ideas, but arent they messy and noisy as hell? I once caught 6 chicks and let me quote this " PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP" all night long. Only time they shut up was when I fed them then I had a slight break. Good thing I had a nice size savannah monitor at the time lol, those chicks lasted about a week haha.


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## Shrike

xhexdx said:


> One thing nobody else has suggested yet...if you get rid of what they eat, they will stop coming around.  If you use traps with bait, I think that would only attract more.  Get rid of the prey, and you'll get rid of the predators too.
> 
> --Joe


In my opinion, this is right on the money.  Eliminating the food source could be difficult, but no prey, no pedes.


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## Late

Very late reply but why would you want to maim the pedes in any way tbh?


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## Quixtar

Chicken beats enormous centipede:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RhZiegns9o&feature=related


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## GiantVinegaroon

Ihaggerty1313 said:


> When I say JESUS CHRIST people I mean JESUS CHRIST!
> 
> -Ian



You mean he's around somewhere....hiding....perhaps lurking on the boards? ;P


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## Moltar

Quixtar said:


> Chicken beats enormous centipede:
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RhZiegns9o&feature=related


OMG where in the world did they dig that up? Weird, weird kung fu.


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## fantasticp

burmish101 said:


> Chicken or Guinea birds are good ideas, but arent they messy and noisy as hell? I once caught 6 chicks and let me quote this " PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP PEEP" all night long. Only time they shut up was when I fed them then I had a slight break. Good thing I had a nice size savannah monitor at the time lol, those chicks lasted about a week haha.


THey don't make as much noise when they are bigger and if you wanted one indoors you could always buy a chicken diaper.

http://www.mypetchicken.com/Diapers_Saddles-Chicken_Diapers_NEW_-P494.aspx


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