Catseye Pest Control

The house centipede is commonly found in and around the home. It is yellowish-grey in color with 15 pairs of legs and is primarily found under large rocks, piles of wood and especially in compost piles.

The house centipede is an insectivore which means it kills and eats insects and arthropods such as spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches and ants.

Contrary to centipedes, millipedes are noted for being slow moving and eat decaying leaves and other dead plant matter, moisturizing the food with secretions and then scraping it in with the jaws. However, they can also be a minor garden pest causing severe damage to emergent seedlings.

Signs of millipede damage include the stripping of the outer layers of a young plant stem and irregular damage to leaves and plant apices.

Common Differences Between Centipedes and Millipedes

Centipede body-segments possess one pair of legs (2 legs), while Millipede body-segments are equipped with two pairs (4 legs).

Centipedes are predators, mostly eating other arthropods, while Millipedes eat plant material, especially soft, decomposing plant tissue.

Centipedes, being predators, possess poison glands for incapacitating their prey (large ones can inflict painful, though seldom dangerous, bites).  In contrast, a typical Millipede defense consists of secreting stinking juice from pores along its sides.