Sowbugs, millipedes and centipedes (2024)

FAQs

Are sowbugs harmful to humans? ›

How serious are sowbugs? Besides living in the soil of houseplants, these pests cause little damage and do not cause harm indoors. In general, sowbugs are simply a nuisance, as they do not bite or sting and are harmless to humans. Their presence inside usually indicates a large population outside.

You can also sweep them up with a broom or vacuum or you can pick up these benign creatures by hand. Another option is to spray them with Ortho® Home Defense® Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter.

The names of these arthropods — they are not insects, as commonly thought — may seem to be telling, but both names are misnomers because not all centipedes have 100 legs and no millipedes have 1,000 legs. In fact, many millipedes have less than 100 legs, Mother Nature Network(Opens in a new window) reports.

Identification. Pillbugs and sowbugs are distinguished from insects and other many-legged creatures by the adults having seven pairs of legs. Adult pillbugs and sowbugs have a small head and six small abdominal segments.

Trap and Kill

During the day, overturn the object and whisk up the sowbugs and dump them into a container of soapy water. Try putting boards or large stones on damp ground around the garden. Pillbugs that hide in rolled up newspapers left around the garden can be easily shaken out into the soapy water.

Essential oils like peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and citronella are known to repel millipedes.

Tea tree oil or Peppermint oil are overwhelming to centipedes. Add 25 drops of either essential oil into a spray bottle with 6 ounces of water. Spray around door frames, windows, small cracks and basem*nt doors. Repeat once a week to keep centipedes away.

What kills centipedes instantly? Insecticides containing bifenthrin or cypermethrin are known to kill centipedes with just one spray.

Centipedes and millipedes that make their homes outdoors are prey to shrews, toads, badgers and birds, including domestic chickens. Ground beetles, ants and spiders may also hunt young millipedes and centipedes. Centipedes also sometimes resort to cannibalism, particularly when an injured specimen is involved.

Can millipedes bite you? ›

Unlike centipedes, millipedes do not bite or sting. The toxin that millipedes release keeps away most predators. Some large millipede species can spray these toxins as far as 32 inches (80 centimeters). Contact with these secretions may cause allergic reactions in some people.

Illacme plenipes is a siphonorhinid millipede found in the central region of the U.S. state of California. It has up to 750 legs. One of three known species in the genus Illacme, it was first seen in 1926, but was not rediscovered until 2005, almost 80 years after its discovery, by Paul Marek, then a Ph.

Millipedes are attracted to cool, damp places, so when summer heat makes the conditions outside too hot and dry, millipedes often migrate inside in search of more favorable living conditions. In addition, it it becomes too wet outside due to heavy summer rain, they'll also seek shelter indoors.

What Eats Pill Bugs? A number of other critters such as birds, toads, spiders, some wasp species, centipedes and millipedes prey upon pill bugs to help support their nutritional needs.

Seal pest entry points - Seal cracks and openings in the outside foundation wall (Figure 7), and around the sills of doors and basem*nt windows. Install door sweeps on all exterior entry doors, and apply caulk along the bottom outside edge and sides of door thresholds.

Sowbugs and pillbugs generally do little or no harm to plants. In large numbers, they can feed on plants or small roots if no preferred food source is available. Protect young seedlings with paper towel collars, duct tape collars, or waiting until the plants are large enough to transplant.

Sowbugs and pillbugs frequent areas with lots of moisture, such as under trash, rocks, boards, decay, or just beneath the soil surface. Mulches, grass clippings, and leaf litter often provide the decaying organic matter that these bugs love to hide in and eat.

These bugs do not bite or sting, nor do they cause damage to the home. They will, however, give off a pungent odor if you handle them, which is part of the insect's defensive strategy. They also may make a buzzing sound when flying.

However, large numbers can sometimes cause minor damage to young seedlings. In general, they are harmless detritus feeders. Some gardeners even consider the presence of sowbugs a good sign, since they can indicate rich, organic soils.