pablomontanero

Why would you substitute nasty scorpions for harmless millipedes? Sounds nuts.

Hi Karen

I am considering to substitute 3000 millipedes against 3 black scorpions if this is possible

and if the scorpions are as hungry . The chicken solution would be nicer if it works.

I still have to test who really eats these damn millipedes.

I am looking for a solution to avoid scenes like in the picture.

A Thai worker yesterday called them Maen Kaa, but most Thais don't know a name for it.

They just let me know that they are really dangerous, should they reach the bed and the inside

of your ears when you sleep.

Many thanks again for all the good ideas and inputs.

Thank you JetsetBkk for the youtube video, thats the insect we are talking about:

Strangely, the link by old croc also shows the same insect:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpaphe_haydeniana

It normally seems to be found in North America.

So either someone brought this from the US to Thailand, or it is a different version here?

In Wikipedia, the ground beetle is mentioned as specialized predator of this millipede.

The following solutions have been proposed up to now in this very helpful thread:

Predators which may eat the millipede:

- black scorpions (MILT, can I buy them somewhere?)

- chicken (I consider letting 3 chicken run around my garden for a few months, do they really east these insects?)

- small red ants (I remember, I killed most ants with a powder last year, maybe I killed too many? How can I get the red ones back? That seems to be the general problem of pest control, the balance seems to get destroyed)

Powders, Poisons and more

- baking soda around the house, keep dry

- spread vinegar powder around the house

- pest control (I tried, and only the very heavy stuff worked, but also destroyed half the garden)

- burning the dump which is close to the house (how can I avoid other trees to get on fire if they are close to it?)

- sweeping them away every day

- sealing the house

Others, maybe not so realistic

- target intercontinental ballistic missile at the house

- move to another place

I do not have any pots in the house. But when my gardener mows the lawn, he only collects the grass

with a rake and not with the lawn mower bag. So a lot of small grass particles stay in the lawn. That may

increase the problem.

I guess I will try, if a neighbors chicken eats one or two and then I buy chicken. If that is not working,

the black scorpion might be an option, but it sounds wild to deliberately put scorpions in your garden...

Many thanks for all your answers.

Yes, it is actually a millipede. Luckily I have not been bitten by a red centipede yet, I have just seen them.

My problem is, that around the house there are literally thousands of millipedes crawling around. It is

almost impossible not to step on one with every step. When you step on a few of them, an ugly smell develops around

the house. So it is kind of an aesthetic problem, but even other people living in Thailand commented that it

is quite intense already. Despite sealing the whole house, I still have 20 to 30 inside. these are the ones

crawling up the walls and doors, coming through openings which I cannot seal.

Just outside our house, there is a piece of land where everybody dups their garden waste, leaves, tree branches,

grass. I guess this is the source of the problem. I tried to stop this dumping by asking everybody to bring their

garden waste to another place. Unfortunately without success. Especially the Thais really don't like to be told

where to throw their stuff by a foreigner. So that might be the main breeding ground for the millipedes, but now they have also

invaded my garden.

I tried liquid wood vinegar from a shop in Phuket Town. They don't like it at all. Some die immediately, but you have

to hit each one. One day later, there is no effect anymore where I sprayed. But the vinegar powder is a good idea.

I will try that in a next step if I find it.

Does anybody know the name of these millipedes in Thai? Here, even the pest control guy called them ginkuu,

but it seems to be wrong.

I am located in the south of Phuket and I cannot move :-).

Since 2 years, we have an enormous amount of these black 4cm long centipedes (Thais call them ginkuu) in our garden, around and in the house (see picture). The amount suddenly went up like crazy since last year. They are only there in rainy season for about 6-7 months. Last year we tried it with pest control. Normal pest control did not help at all, they all survived. Then we asked the pest company to spray a special poison. Then most of them died, but many plants suffered and we really do not like to use so much poison. In some places in the garden where they also injected the poison into the ground, plants still do not regrow. Must be a very aggressive poison. This year, we tried all natural options, from spreading coffee powder, to wood vinegar. All those options are only working when you put it directly on the insects, which does not help, since we have thousands. I sealed the house as far as possible, but we still have about 20 to 30 inside the house every day. Outside it is like in a horror movie, and we are quite used to insects, snakes and so on. My thought was, that the natural enemy is missing. I have never seen a bird or another animal eat them. When you touch them, they roll up and excrete a strange smell, which I guess is for their protection. It seems to be successful. Does anyone of you know the natural enemy of these ginkuus? (chicken or similar??) Or do you know any other solution to decrease the amount of these insects in my garden? Any ideas are highly appreciated.

Hi Leckyman

you were right, I did not find transfer switches in Homepro or House and Home. Just in case other people in Phuket

need such a switch, I found various versions in a shop with the name Keehin when you drive from the big Tesco

crossing towards the airport, after about a kilometer on the left (108/2 Moo 5, Chalermprakiat Road, Rassada, Muang, Phuket 83000).

Now there are 3 phase switches with 30Ampere, 60Ampere and 100Ampere quite different in price.

What size do I need? I have 4 ACs in my house, 4 water heater, pool motor, fridge and so on. Some of my fuses are 32 Amp.

Is the 60Ampere switch ok?

Wow great, many thanks for all the helpful answers!

I will try to find a 3 phase transfer switch in Homepro or Homeworks and an electrician who will do

the installation, since I do not dare to work on the MDB myself.

I bought a Sakari 6500 in Homepro. Now all the electricians tell me that my house has 3 phases and the generator only one and that they cannot connect it. How did you install the Sakari generator in your house? I just would like to run a few things like water pump, fridge, water heater, gate and a few lights when there is a power break. Do you know an electrician in Phuket who is experienced with this?

Thank you.

Hi

I am also concerned about the fluoride levels in bottled water. I found a research about

the fluoride levels in bottled water in Thailand. The article in general is positive about fluoride,

which I am not. But there is a list of many bottled waters in Thailand with fluoride levels.

I attached the article below.

I like the rain water collection idea. Is there an efficient way to do it? What kind

of carbon filter would you use for that solution?

Pablo

flevelinthaiwater.pdf