Creepy. Crawly. More legs than you’ll ever want to count. Is it a centipede or a millipede? While it may seem like a tough call from the outset, the reality is that it’s fairly simple to tell the difference between these pests.
Centipedes: These creatures have a long, segmented body. They have one pair of legs on each segment as well as poison claws behind their head. They use that poison to stop their prey dead in its tracks, but don’t worry – people aren’t the standard prey for these guys. Instead, it’s typically small insects. In fact, the jaws of a centipede are usually so weak they can’t even penetrate human skin. One can occasionally bite a human, but the effects won’t be any worse than a bee sting. You’re most likely to find these guys in a dark place, and if you disturb them, they’ll move as fast as they can to a dark hiding place. They tend to have a flatter body shape, too.
Millipedes: Like centipedes, they have a long, segmented body, but they have to pairs of legs on every body segment. They’re usually brown or black, and they have a rounded body shape. There are no poison claws on these guys, and if you disturb them, they coil up the way a pill bug might. They love moist areas, so they’re most often found in a basement. They’re fairly rigid in nature, and they consume only organic matter, so they won’t bite you the way it’s possible for a centipede to.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter whether you’ve just spotted a centipede or a millipede. If you’re dealing with either, it’s time to contact a professional pest control company to provide you with the solution you need. Give us a call today for a lasting solution that will help eliminate both centipedes and millipedes from your life.