Do you know the difference between a centipede and a millipede? The names don't seem to help. If you're familiar with centi and milli from the metric system, you might be aware that centi means 100 and milli means 1,000. While a centipede has lots of legs, it doesn't have nearly a hundred of them. And, while millipedes have a lot more legs, they don't have a thousand. But, the fact that millipedes have a lot more legs than a centipede is a good place to start if you want to tell which pest you have inside your Lewisville home. You can also examine the visual characteristics of their legs to tell centipedes and millipedes apart. Centipedes have long legs that come out from their sides while millipedes have tiny little legs that stick straight down. You can tell them apart by their color as well. A house centipede is tan with dark lines running down its body. A millipede is black or dark brown with bright red or orange markings. Now that you can tell them apart, let's talk about some of the ways each can be more of a problem than the other.
Centipedes Are The Worst
For some people, the appearance of centipedes makes them the worst of the two. House centipedes look frightening. A house centipede can be as large as 1 ½ inches long. When you add to this the fact their 15 sets of weird, jointed legs, most will agree that these bugs are gross and scary to look at. But house centipedes are not known to bite people or spread diseases. They're just creepy looking.
It is important to point out that we do have one type of centipede in Texas that can sting: the Texas redheaded centipede. There is no doubt that this is the worst of all. Not only can one of these centipedes be 6 ½ inches long, but can also deliver painful bites. Fortunately, they don't commonly get into homes, and prefer desert regions.
Millipedes Are The Worst
For some people, having hundreds or thousands of tiny crawling insects enter their home over and over again makes millipedes the worst of the two. While millipedes can't survive inside your home, they can get in and die, which makes them an irritating clean-up chore.
If you are aware that centipedes are predators that will kill some pests that can be dangerous to you and your family, you might prefer them to millipedes. So, millipedes may become worst, simply because they're not the best. But you should never trust centipedes to take care of your pest problems for you. They lack the diligence and professionalism of a licensed pest management professional—plus, our professionals won't scare you when you flick your light on at 2:00 AM.
The Bottom Line
Are these pests dangerous when they get into your Lewisville home? No (with, of course, the exception of the Texas redheaded centipede). Most centipedes, and all millipedes, are just a nuisance. If you'd prefer to not have these nuisances in your home, the team here at Adams Exterminating Company can help you keep these and other, more harmful, pests out of your home all year long. Take a moment to look at our Perimeter, Home Guardian, and Home Guardian+ pest control programs. These cost-effective pest management programs will help you protect your health and property from the harmful impact pests can have, and keep creepy, multi-legged bugs from crawling around on your walls. Reach out to us today and get your protection in place.