It’s been raining. In Massachusetts, Rhode Island and throughout our service area, we’ve had an exceptionally rainy summer. In June, rainfall amounts in Providence were in the top 5 rainiest Junes on record! Besides keeping you indoors and helping your garden grow, an especially rainy summer can bring about a different type of pest into your RI, MA, or CT home: millipedes and centipedes. Both of these pests will enter your home foraging for food and a damp place to hide, but how can you tell the difference between them? Here are some helpful tips from the Worcester pest control professionals at Big Blue Bug to help you tell the difference between millipedes and centipedes.
Millipedes:
Millipedes are arthropods whose name means ‘thousand legs’. They don’t have a thousand legs, but they do have a lot! Millipedes are known for having between 80 and 400 legs on their long bodies, with two legs per body segment. They are approximately 1 to 2 inches long, but can grow even bigger, depending on the species. Millipedes are brown or black and have very rounded bodies, a little like worms with legs. When you see a millipede walk, it seems to do so with a wave-like motion; you may find them inside when it’s been especially wet outdoors and your basement or bathroom becomes especially damp as well. Because millipedes will dry out and die without moisture (they lack the waxy cover that insects and arachnids have and lose water quickly through their skin), they thrive in damp areas of your home. But are millipedes dangerous? No, these arthropods don’t sting or bite, but they can become a problem in your home when they enter in large numbers.
Centipedes:
Centipedes are also small arthropods and their name means ‘hundred legs’. They don’t have a hundred legs exactly, but can have anywhere between 20 and 350 legs! Centipedes can range between 1/8 of an inch long and over 6 inches long, depending on the species. Unlike millipedes, centipedes have flat bodies and are usually yellowish to brown in color. They have one pair of legs per body segment and always have an odd number of legs. Centipedes also will dry out and die without a moist environment, so they can be found in especially damp areas of the home, including basements and areas under sinks. Are centipedes dangerous? Not really; they can deliver a painful bite, but the bite doesn’t transfer any known diseases and will not cause serious damage. These pests enter your home looking for food and shelter and can become a problem when they invade in large numbers.
So thanks to our recent weather, you may be seeing either one (or both) of these pests inside your home. It’s nothing to stress about however, as the professionals at Big Blue Bug Solutions are at your service! Just give us a call today and let us know what pest is bothering you and we’ll be right out to take care of the problem. If you have centipedes or millipedes, we offer our Home Owner’s Plan (H.O.P.). This is a year long residential pest control program that provides you with peace of mind and a pest-free home for all four seasons, no matter the weather! We will provide you with an initial inspection and treatment for your existing pest problems as well as three seasonal services to your home. Should you have a problem between our seasonal visits, we’ll come back to take care of the problem at no charge to you. This plan doesn’t just cover small arthropods like centipedes and millipedes, it also will get rid of ants, cockroaches, rodents, silverfish, stinging insects and even food infesting insects that may be causing you problems. Contact Big Blue Bug Solutions today for more information on our Home Owner’s Plan or to set up a one-time service for centipede control or millipede control for your home.