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Centipede

Size: Most centipedes found around buildings rarely measure longer than 2 inches. Color:  Varies depending on the species. Most are brownish or orange-brown.

Behavior
Centipedes are predators that live in moist areas. These nocturnal creatures hunt insects and spiders at night. Centipedes are distinguished from millipedes in that they have only one pair of legs per body segment, while millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment. They are seldom seen inside homes, except for the house centipede which may breed in crawl spaces and basements. The house centipede is recognized by its extremely long legs.

Habitat
Outdoors, centipedes keep to moist, protected areas such as landscape mulch and beneath items in contact with the soil. Indoors, they will usually be seen near baseboards and around doorways and windows. The house centipede may be observed wandering on walls in crawl spaces, basements, garages, and sometimes in other rooms of a house.

Tips for Control
The following actions will help in controlling centipedes:

• Sealing cracks and holes in the home s exterior should help prevent centipedes from entering.
• Mulch and heavy vegetation, such as ivy, should be kept away from the foundation to reduce the number of centipedes and their food supply.

House centipedes may require treatments that are best applied by a professional.

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