3 Steps for Centipede Extermination and Intrusion Prevention - Including the Ecology of Overprotective Centipedes

The basics of centipede control are "preventing entry," "exterminating when found," and "tidying up around the house." These "scariest creatures in the pest world," with their armor-like skin and many legs, are extremely painful when they bite and start appearing early in the spring!
On the other hand, centipedes also have a devoted and stoic side to them.
We will explain the countermeasures and ecology of centipedes.

Why do centipedes enter the house? Reasons for intrusion

Centipedes are nocturnal creatures. They enter houses in search of "live insects" to feed on.They have a nature of instinctively biting moving objects. Their bites are extremely painful, and the swelling does not subside for days.
During the day, they stay still in narrow, dark, and damp places, such as under fallen leaves or in the gaps of stone walls. Centipedes that enter the house at night may hide behind furniture or inside shoes and slippers, leading to accidental bites!
Most of the centipedes that cause problems in Japanese homes are a large species called the Japanese giant centipede (Tobizumukade). They wake up from hibernation surprisingly early and start moving around April, so early countermeasures are necessary.
Many cases of centipede bites are reported from spring to summer. Since they dislike dryness, the number of incidents decreases in midsummer, but they increase again in autumn when young centipedes start to venture out on their own.
If you find a centipede in your house, it is often difficult to kill it just by hitting it, and it is dangerous if it fights back, so use insecticide to exterminate it rather than physical means whenever possible!

Centipede Extermination and Countermeasures - 3 Ways to Keep Them Out of the House

1. Keep centipedes out of the house as much as possible

If you spray and apply a centipede extermination spray "Mukade Kincho-l" on doors and window frames where centipedes are likely to enter, it can provide up to 4 weeks of protection against centipede intrusion.
Also, if you sprinkle a powder-type exterminator "Iya na Mushi ga Inakunaru Powder" around the house, it will kill centipedes or make them dislike the area and stay away. The effect lasts for 2-3 weeks.

2. If a centipede still gets into the house, exterminate it before it bites you

If you see a centipede, spray it directly with “Mukade Kincho-ru”! You can instantly exterminate centipedes both inside and outside the house. To exterminate a centipede when you don't know where it is in the room, use
“Mukade Muender”, which can treat the entire room. It is perfect for when a centipede has entered but you have lost sight of it, or for those who are afraid that the centipede will thrash about if sprayed directly. Simply push according to the size of your room, and it will reach the entire room, including gaps, to exterminate the centipede.

3. Reducing centipedes around the house

To reduce centipedes around the house, it is important to remove grass and fallen leaves that serve as habitats, and eliminate damp areas as much as possible. Also, it is effective to reduce their numbers by using
a poison bait insecticide specifically for centipedes called “Place and Stop Seeing Them: Mukade Hunter”.

Surprising Centipede Ecology: The Mother's Behavior of Protecting Eggs

I am often asked, “Is it true that centipedes act in pairs?” but centipedes do not have the habit of staying together as male-female pairs. This long-standing rumor is likely meant as a warning that “this is a comfortable environment for centipedes, so they will appear again.” More importantly,
centipede parenting is overflowing with an incredible amount of motherly love. The female of the Japanese giant centipede, a representative species in Japan, lays eggs in May and June. She wraps her body around a cluster of 20-50 eggs to keep them from touching the ground, and for about a month, she constantly licks the eggs, protecting them from dryness and mold without eating or drinking. The mother continues to hold her babies even after the eggs hatch. She protects them from natural enemies until they are two months old and can hunt for food on their own. Note that even small centipedes that leave the nest in the autumn have impressive jaws and can cause a very painful bite, so do not underestimate them!