Surely you do not like to see insects walking around your house or garden since it can harm crops or fear them. However, the centipede they have always had a controversy from people who support their presence and others who don't. Like everything in this life, it must work in its proper measure. The centipede has a great function in the home and in the garden as long as it does not become a pest.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, function and how to avoid a centipede infestation.
Key features
We are talking about a small bug that has 30 legs and that can be found in our home climbing the walls or running on the floor. We can also find it in some crop leaves and swarming around the base of plants. Most of the time these animals act as predators of other insects and delicate the whole day to roam the places where it frequents to look for food such as ants, spiders, termites, beetles and cockroaches. They hunt by using their front limbs and using poisonous fangs to disable their victims.
Most of these centipedes usually appear during the summer time as the eggs hatch during the spring. At this time they are in charge of hibernating due to the cold and they come out in spring. The most common places to find indoors are in humid corners and with poor lighting. Can also be found in the faucet, sink, bathtub, behind some furniture, basement, etc. In the garden, we will find it in the most humid area, well plants that require a little more shade. It must be taken into account that they are looking for areas with more humidity, so depending on the type of crop we have, this humidity must be controlled so that the presence of centipedes does not become long.
It is recommended that if we find a few specimens not very closely followed, it is convenient to leave them to act as a predator in the presence of other harmful insects. This It does not mean that we should introduce all the insects that we find. We can try to capture them in jars and then release them in more humid areas near tree leaves. If you find centipedes frequently both in your house and in the growing area, that is when you will know that you have a pest. If you see it from time to time during the summer, nothing else, is that everything is going well. The presence of the centipedes helps ensure that there are no other more harmful insects.
Centipede for pest control
There are numerous scientific studies that analyze the presence and action of these insects in the home and on crops. These insects help to count some pests so as not to use chemical fumigants. Let's not forget that the use of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides and pesticides can cause serious impacts on the soil and plants. This contamination is not recommended in agriculture as well as in gardening. Therefore, it is better to go to biological pest control. In this case, we are talking about using the centipede as a central element for biological pest control.
And it is that these animals help to control the pests of some insects that can affect crops such as some types of beetle larvae, grasshoppers, grasshoppers, and crickets. Many of these insects feed on the roots of plants, corn and vegetable plants, etc. This makes it necessary that the presence of centipedes in a controlled way is essential to control these pests. It should also be borne in mind that the presence of centipedes itself must be kept at bay. It can become a pest if it does not have any predators and we let them reproduce easily
To do this, a balance must be found between the existence of centipedes for the biological control of pests and a basic control of the same populations of these insects.
Centipede advantages in crops
We are going to see some of the most interesting characteristics that the centipede has to have as a biological pest control.
- In an area where there are populations of centipedes, they can serve as food for other species such as birds and reptiles. Some birds also help protect our crops by ingesting harmful insects.
- Some studies that have been carried out in Brazil indicate that numerous cultivated fields where centipedes are abundant are kept free of insect pests.
- The standing foot itself does not attack the leaves or plants in general.
- There are some species of centipedes that measure between 15-20 centimeters and can get bitten by injecting venom causing localized pain. Symptoms can also manifest with swelling and numbness. It does not usually progress to greater symptoms.
- Although it's called a centipede, you don't have 100 legs. It has a minimum of 15 pairs of legs and a maximum of 191 pairs.
- The advantage of this insect with respect to others that serve as biological pest control is that when discovered by a person before and attack it prefers to flee.
The presence of these animals should not surprise you as they are synanthropic. This means that they are able to adapt to human urbanization and seek the warmth of our homes.
Pest control
We must know that these insects can develop quite easily if there is no population balance. Namely, it is easier for pests to become in homes than in crops. There are species of reptiles and birds that feed on centipedes, so it is relatively easy to control populations. However, if the plague spreads through our homes, it is more necessary to take into account the use of insecticides.
There are numerous insecticides such as diatomaceous earth that is quite useful for treating these insects.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about centipedes and their function in gardens.