We are often prepared for pests such as spiders, cockroaches and rodents that attempt to invade our homes. However we are often caught off guard when an occasional invader comes crawling inside your home, like the Giant Desert Centipede. Oh, yes! This Hemiptera myriapod (multi legged bug) is big and venomous and is found all throughout Texas. A-Tex Pest Management will share more about the Giant Desert Centipede and how you can keep these bugs out of your home.
Giant Desert Centipede Identification
The giant desert centipede, or sometimes called the Texas red headed centipede, can be found all throughout Texas. The giant desert centipede can reach up to 12 inches in length although it is about 6 inches long on average. They have a reddish colored head and a dark brown body with yellow colored legs. Even though they are part of the centipede family, they only have 23 pairs of legs and not 100 as many centipedes have. The giant desert centipede is venomous, but not considered deadly. In most cases their bites don’t need medical aid. However, there are those with allergic reactions that may need medical attention. Even so, their bite often results in swelling and a sharp pain that goes away in a few hours. In a few rare cases some people have had more severe reactions such as dizziness, headaches, nausea, and skin necrosis.
What Do Giant Desert Centipedes Eat?
Giant desert centipede have a rather large appetite as well. The giant desert centipede will feed on lizards, toads, snakes, rodents, large insects, bugs and spiders. They will patrol the ground while looking for food during the night. Yes, centipedes are nocturnal and come out at night to look for prey. They like to hide in yard debris, stacks of wood, in leaves and in crack of rocks. They will come right up to humans and pets as they have poor eyesight. As such, they use their antenna to track their prey. Often Giant Desert Centipedes are drawn inside a home when tracking their prey.
Giant Desert Centipede Prevention
Controlling giant desert centipedes often starts by controlling their prey and habitat. Giant desert centipedes love yard debris, leaves, piles of branches, wood and hiding underneath dense vegetation. To control giant desert centipede or other centipedes, you will want to maintain a clean and manicured yard. Make sure to keep overgrowth trimmed back. Your plant waste should be properly disposed of. More and more people are composting in their yards. Compost is great but it will attract centipedes. There is not much you can do to keep centipedes away from a compost pile. However, it is recommended that composts and firewood be stacked as far away from the house as possible to help keep those pests away. Next, avoid having clutter around the home as centipedes will also hide underneath anything that will give them protection during the day. Next you will want to eliminate a food source which basically means controlling other local pests. Again, the yard is a great place to start. But also maintain a regular pest control service to come and spray around the outside of your home to help keep other pests in check.
Pest Control Services in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
If you have a giant desert centipede in your home and need it removed, or you just want help controlling pests around your home and yard, contact A-Tex Pest Management today.