How to Get Rid of Centipedes: 3 Steps

 

They’re creepy. They’re crawly. And sometimes they deliver an extremely painful bite, which some compare to a burning match—only the pain can last for hours, even days. 

However, apart from the rare cases when centipedes bite, these many-legged, nocturnal bugs are actually quite beneficial. They won’t harm your home or belongings, they won’t eat the food in your kitchen or the plants in your garden, but they will help rid your home and lawn of other unwanted pests, such as roaches, spiders, moths, flies, termites, ants, moths, ticks, fleas, silverfish and more. 

In fact, if you don’t mind seeing them around every now and then, you might consider leaving them to do their work. A few harmless house centipedes can be powerful allies in your battle to keep a bug-free home. But if you’re seeing too many centipedes for your own comfort, or you’re dealing with unusually large ones, like the giant desert centipede (which many consider the most painful bug bite in the world), it might be time to take action. 

Here’s how to get rid of and prevent centipedes in 3 simple steps.

 

Apart from house centipedes, centipedes almost always stay outdoors. However, in the case of extreme weather or lack of resources, centipedes may move into your home in search of shelter, food, or water. Finding and sealing potential entryways is essential to prevent this from happening. Here’s how to do it:

Slowly comb both the inside and outside of your home, looking for any holes, cracks, or broken seals centipedes might use to enter your home. Pay special attention to windows, doorways, garages, foundations, and basements. Then, simply repair, replace or seal up any entry points you discover with an expanding foam sealant or another appropriate material.

If your doorways and garage don’t currently have strong weather seals or stripping, consider installing some—they will help control other, more harmful bugs from coming inside, too. 

 

Preventing centipedes from taking up residence in your lawn or home is all about removing clutter, limiting moisture, and removing their food source, other bugs.

• Centipedes hide and breed in clutter like leaf litter, mulch, wood piles, clippings, dense vegetation, and under rocks, boards, boxes, and unused equipment. Removing these attractants is a must if you want to limit centipede populations in your yard. 
• Lawn maintenance is also key. The shorter and less cluttered the grass and shrubbery in your lawn, the fewer centipedes you’re going to encounter.  
• Do your best to eliminate excess moisture from your lawn, including leaky hoses, piping, sprinklers, clogged drainage areas, and anything that can collect rainwater. 
• Similarly, you’ll want to decrease indoor moisture, too. That means repairing or replacing leaky plumbing, as well faulty bathroom and kitchen fixtures. For heavier centipede problems, consider investing in dehumidifiers and/or exhaust fans for rooms with poorer ventilation. 
• Less indoor clutter means fewer centipedes in your home. Ideally, you want your home to look like it’s ready for an open house. Recycle or donate old clothing, equipment, toys, books, stacks of newspapers, unnecessary documents, etc. Pay special attention to those spaces most vulnerable to centipede infestation, such as basements, bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and crawl spaces. 
• Because they eat other bugs, practicing basic preventative pest control is arguably the most important step to deterring centipedes. Spray known trouble spots, entry points, and pet spaces weekly with Cedarcide Original to kill and repel bugs. To maintain a bug-free lawn, treat your entire outdoor space with the family-safe Lawn & Garden Kit monthly or more often as needed. 
• If you believe you may have a centipede problem but aren’t sure, give sticky traps a try. After purchasing a pack from your local hardware store or online, place them along the baseboards in the corners of your bathroom, kitchen, basement, or wherever you suspect centipedes could be hiding. Check them after a few days to see if you caught any centipedes, confirming whether you have them in your house or not.

 

TREAT YOUR LAWN

Now that your lawn is decluttered and free of debris, you’re ready to spray it for centipedes. Start by spraying both your front and backyards, as well as all shrubbery and bases of trees, with PCO Choice. Repeat this process again in two weeks, and then proceed to monthly applications after that. If you’re just treating for prevention, you can move on to monthly applications right from the start. For best results, we suggest monthly applications all year long. Next, broadcast Cedar Granules throughout your lawn, especially along your home’s foundation and inside mulch beds. Reapply every 4-6 weeks. 

Because PCO Choice and Cedar Granules are plant-based and family-safe, no downtime is necessary. You, your family, and pets can enjoy your lawn right after application!

 

TREAT YOUR HOME

Traditional indoor bug sprays fill our homes with toxic chemicals that can do serious harm to the health of our families and pets. Instead, go with family-safe Cedarcide Original which can be safely sprayed all throughout your home.

To kill any centipedes you find inside, give them a quick spray with non-toxic Cedarcide Original. To help prevent them from coming back, spray known entry points, hiding spots, and trouble areas such as bathrooms, kitchens, basements, attics, and crawl spaces weekly. Repeat as needed. 

The post How to Get Rid of Centipedes: 3 Steps appeared first on Cedarcide.

How to Protect Your Deck & Fencing from Snow and Cold Weather

Moisture damage, rot, decay, warping, cracking, swelling & shrinking—snow, sleet, ice, and cold weather can do a number on our fences, decks, outbuildings, garden boxes, and other wooden projects, costing us tons of money once spring returns.

Thankfully you just clicked on the right article, so none of that is going to happen to you. With the right know-how protecting your wooden items from winter damage is easy, and below we’re going to show you exactly how to do it.

 

It might seem obvious but keeping your fencing, decks, outdoor furniture, and other wooden projects clean and free of clutter and organic debris is essential. 

For example, leaving items like tools, planters, and patio furniture on your deck during winter can cause lasting discolorations and decay. Organic materials like pine needles, leaves, mildew, mold, and dirt are equally problematic, often resulting in costly moisture damage, rot, and structural issues in decks, fencing, furniture, and wooden outbuildings. 

While sweeping and a good scrubbing often do the trick, we suggest pressure washing as the easiest and quickest way to clean your deck. If you’re doing the job yourself, just make sure to use the correct pressure rating, nozzle, and detergent for your project to avoid accidentally damaging the wood surface. 

Now that your deck is clean and clear of debris, it’s time to protect it against decay, warping, cracking, moisture and pest damage.

 

The wood protectant Cedarshield is called “The Best Wood Treatment in the World” for a reason—it increases the life of any woodworking project, strengthens it, and protects it against rot, warping, cracking, moisture and pest damage, often for the entire lifetime of the wood. Plus, it’s easy to use and safe for all types of wood, old or new, hardwood or softwood. 

Cedarshield works by removing all moisture from the wood, mimicking the early stages of petrification. The result is longer-lasting, better-looking decks, fencing, garden boxes, docks, and other outdoor wooden projects. Here’s how to apply it: 

1. Clean and clear the wood surface before applying
2. Apply Cedarshield using a sprayer, brush, roller, or via submersion
3. Reapply if necessary in 5-7 years 

For best results, apply Cedarshield in temperatures above 45°F to semi-damp wood (morning dew or a light spray-down the night before application will do the trick). You’ll know you’ve achieved a successful application once the Cedarshield fluid will no longer soak into the wood and begins beading on the surface instead. For larger projects with especially thick wood, reapplication may be necessary after 5-7 years.

 

REMOVE SNOW AND ICE

Whether it’s your deck, fencing, furniture, outbuilding, or garden box, winter moisture is your enemy. Snow, ice, and sleet can add significant weight to outdoor woodworking projects, causing splintering, bending, cracking, and other expensive damage. Shortly after heavy snowfalls and ice storms, it’s good practice to shovel, brush, or otherwise remove excess winter moisture. 

CHOOSE THE RIGHT SNOW SHOVEL

When it comes to wooden decks and patios, choosing the wrong shovel can have serious consequences. Plastic is the way to go. Metal shovels, while tending to last longer, are typically far too abrasive for delicate wood surfaces. 

Equally important is how you shovel. Avoid running the shovel perpendicular to the wooden boards—doing so can wreak havoc on paints, stains, and the general appearance of the wood. Instead, always shovel along the length of the boards, with the grain. 

TRIM BRANCHES

We’ve all seen it before: a branch collects too much snow or ice and snaps under the pressure. While this situation can create a mess in its own right, if your fence, deck or outbuilding is underneath when it breaks, you could have some significant damage to deal with, too. To avoid such catastrophes, simply trim your trees as needed during the colder months. 

AVOID SALTING

Salting your driveway and walkways is often a must during fall and winter, but avoid the temptation to salt your deck or patio, too. Salt and the resulting ice melt are infamous for stripping stains and discoloring finishes. 

“The Best Wood Protection on the Market,” All Your Cedarshield Questions Answered

 

The post How to Protect Your Deck & Fencing from Snow and Cold Weather appeared first on Cedarcide.