Species / Group
ID / Biology
Control Approach
House centipede
Scutigera coleoptera (Chilopoda)
Over 1 inch; many very long legs; 1 pair of legs per segment; long antennae. Predator on tiny insects and spiders. Found in basements + uncontinuously occupied rooms.
Light DUSTING in places where they live. Light residual SPRAY if area is damp. Beneficial — frighten people but cause no damage.
Millipedes
Class Diplopoda
Cylindrical many-segmented; 2 pairs of legs per segment; short antennae. Live outdoors in leaf litter; can build up in very large numbers. Migrate in DRY weather into basements, ground floors, window wells.
Remove leaf litter and compost near foundations. Caulk around door/window facings. Weatherstrip. Residual crack-and-crevice around foundations. BAND/BARRIER application around house if very heavy.
Field crickets
Family Gryllidae
About 1 inch, very dark; gradual metamorphosis. Females inject eggs into moist soil with OVIPOSITOR. Mature July-August. Move out in MASSIVE INVASIONS when weeds harden and rain is sparse. CYCLICAL populations.
Caulk + weatherstrip ground-floor entries. Direct spray into cracks near foundation, door stoops, patios. Residual barrier if populations very high. Granular baits. In high-buildup years: spray weeds and grass in MIDSUMMER with cricket-labeled pesticides.
Camel/cave crickets
Humpbacked, MOTTLED BROWN, WINGLESS; very long legs and antennae. More related to KATYDIDS than crickets. Dark damp basements, crawl spaces, garages. Seldom cause damage.
Ventilate and remove materials providing hiding places. Dusts in crawl spaces and garages may be used but seldom needed. Swat or general-use contact aerosol indoors.
Sowbugs and pillbugs
Class CRUSTACEA — Porcellio + Armadillidium
Small oval LAND CRUSTACEANS (NOT insects). Feed on decaying vegetable matter and fungi. Heavy outside infestations cause individuals to find their way inside.
Habitat alteration only. Remove boards on ground, flower pots, flat stones near house. Remove mulch and replace with gravel if necessary.
European earwig
Forficula auricularia
Dark brown, almost 1 inch; FORCEPS at tail end (grasp insect prey, NOT humans). Wings fold many times under small wing covers. Active at night. Females TEND YOUNG. Hide under bark/boards/stones, in tree wrappings.
Caulk ground-floor entries + cracks between door stoops/patios and foundation. Trim hedges/plants from foundations. Ventilate/dehumidify. Band of low-mowed grass with residual sprays/granules. PESTICIDAL SOAPS (detergents) kill quickly. Dust in dry basements.
Western conifer-seed bug
Leptoglossus occidentalis (Coreidae)
About 3/4 inch; LEAF-FOOTED (hind legs with leaf-like expansions); faint white stripes on forewings. BUZZES LIKE BUMBLEBEE when flying, exposing ORANGE AND BLACK STRIPES on abdomen. Lay eggs on PINE NEEDLES. Late fall/early winter invader; bask on south walls before entering.
INSECTICIDES NOT EFFECTIVE INDOORS — exclusion only. Install/replace weatherstripping; repair/replace screens; caulk around windows/doors; screen vents and chimneys; repair soffits; store firewood outside; eliminate nearby host trees; vacuum bugs inside.
Box elder bug
Leptocoris trivittatus
Conspicuous BLACK AND RED, ~1/2 inch; gradual metamorphosis. Eggs laid in spring on FEMALE (pod-bearing) box elder trees. Young nymphs BRIGHT RED. Mature nymphs/adults crawl down trunk and disperse in late summer; enter wall voids under siding.
BEST METHOD: REMOVE FEMALE (pod-bearing) box elder trees. Caulk entry points on foundation, door, window facings. Spray tree trunks + foundations with microencapsulated pesticides during migration. Vacuum or contact aerosols indoors. Pesticidal soaps.
Clover mite
Bryobia praetiosa
Less than 1/16 inch; bright to dark RED; smashes to RED STREAK. FRONT LEGS as long as body, move like antennae. NO males in US. Females deposit red eggs in bark crevices and building cracks. Active 45-75 degrees F. Build up on SUNNY (south) side of buildings.
OUTSIDE: 2-foot GRAVEL/PLASTIC BARRIER on SUNNY side; plant shrubs in front; 20-foot band of closely mowed lawn; caulk building cracks. INSIDE: caulk window/door framing + electrical plates; cooking oil film on windowsills as temporary trap; vacuum (don't sweep — smears them); spot treatment; crack and crevice; dust voids. SULPHUR is a possible miticide.
