Insects/worms in the house (appliances, live in, floor)

[colorado2dogs]

Hi, moved here from out west and have never seen these little "worms" crawling across the floor before. Do I or should I spray around the interior perimeter of the house OR just "relocate" them when found? Thanks. I tried searching the internet to see what they were and couldn't find them. THANKS!

[kaday]

I think they are centipedes. We had them last year and I too was baffled. Our termite guy sprayed a few times for them but we'd still find them although not as many. He sprayed the perimeter of the house.

This year we haven't seen many. The exterminator said some years you have them and others you don't. I guess this is a don't year for us. Either that or all the spraying last year paid off.

[pgirl07]

I've noticed that a lot of bugs and insects like to hang out in areas of your home that have more moisture, like the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room. Make sure you don't have any leaks on your sinks, showers, and appliances. Keep your home dry. If it's a centipede you'll know it though, they're creepy little things with a lot of legs...ugh! They usually hang out in the bathroom. Anyway, there are a lot of bugs around here and the best way to keep them out is to keep your home dry and clean...and call an exterminator too.

[rackensack]

If they're small, dark, and thin, with legs too small to see readily without stooping and if they move relatively slowly, they're probably millipedes. If they're larger, brownish, with legs you can actually see and they move across the floor fairly quickly, they're probably centipedes. Millipedes are basically harmless, aside from the ick factor, and once they're in your house they're not gonna live long anyway -- they dry out and die unless you've got a serious moisture problem. Centipedes are ickier and can have a painful, though not serious, bite. The house centipede pictured at the link above, however, does eat roaches, house flies, and various other more noxious pests, so they at least have some positive aspects.

There's another page with good pix to compare and contrast the two types of critters here: Centipedes and Millipedes

We had a serious invasion of millipedes last summer -- they get driven inside by the heat and the dry conditions -- they're in search of a cooler, wetter place. They feed on and live in decaying vegetation, so one of the best ways to keep them out is to make sure you don't have piles of pine straw, mulch, grass, etc. up against the ground-level perimeter of the house -- just raking it away from the base of the house by a foot or so can make a big difference.

[atlantagreg30127]

The bug spray that you can get from Costco by the gallon works good for stuff like this. I think maybe it's Ortho. Once a month should do it.

Off the wall question, but have you brought in any imported wood furniture lately from Pier One Imports or places like that? It has been reported on the local news in the past that some folks get odd "wormy creatures" in their homes afterward... seems in some countries these things dig into the wood, stuff is made from that wood, then once they're sold in the U.S., they "come out" and start getting into homes. You can tell by seeing tiny little holes on the back of these wood pieces.

[RainyRainyDay]

Originally Posted by rackensack

If they're small, dark, and thin, with legs too small to see readily without stooping and if they move relatively slowly, they're probably millipedes. If they're larger, brownish, with legs you can actually see and they move across the floor fairly quickly, they're probably centipedes. Millipedes are basically harmless, aside from the ick factor, and once they're in your house they're not gonna live long anyway -- they dry out and die unless you've got a serious moisture problem. Centipedes are ickier and can have a painful, though not serious, bite. The house centipede pictured at the link above, however, does eat roaches, house flies, and various other more noxious pests, so they at least have some positive aspects.

There's another page with good pix to compare and contrast the two types of critters here: Centipedes and Millipedes

We had a serious invasion of millipedes last summer -- they get driven inside by the heat and the dry conditions -- they're in search of a cooler, wetter place. They feed on and live in decaying vegetation, so one of the best ways to keep them out is to make sure you don't have piles of pine straw, mulch, grass, etc. up against the ground-level perimeter of the house -- just raking it away from the base of the house by a foot or so can make a big difference.

Great informative post, rackensack. Thanks so much! We had a millipede invasion in our basement last summer as well. Now I know what they were and I'm going to get that pine straw raked back from the front of the house.

[masonbarge]

Something I once did was to spread a thin line of boric acid around the outside of the house. This really cuts down the critters that get into the house. You will need to do some research about the safety and environmental impact of it.

[esimpson2002]

Thanks to all of you. I called an exterminator.