How to get rid of centipedes (ginkuus)?

[pablomontanero]

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.

[canuckamuck]

I believe that is actually a millipede, which is better because it don't bite.

Don't know how to get rid of them though. From what I understand is that they will eventually start to disappear. They occur seasonally and some seasons have more than others.

[Pakaty]

No it is not a centipede.

Centipedes are usually brownish, flattened, and elongated with many body segments and have one pair of legs attached to most of these body segments.

Centipedes differ from millipedes in that millipedes have two pairs of legs on most segments and bodies which are not flattened.

The critter in your photo clearly has 2 pair of legs per segment.

[Pakaty]

I seems your Thai translation is closer to millipede as well according to this. But as canuckamuck says at leaste they don't bite.

Edited September 1, 2013 by Pakaty

[Pomthai]

ICBM targeted at your house. There really is no other way I'm afraid.

[jcb2001]

Very strange. Never seen one like that. I have a lot of problems with centipedes and scorpions around my house in Ubon.

What part of Thailand do you live in?

[ignis]

Centipedes, somehow always see them in the bathrooms only, seen some very long ones.

​Have a spray bottle with 'DUCK' floor clear in, a bottle spray they go crazy for a few seconds and then die

[stevenl]

Very strange. Never seen one like that. I have a lot of problems with centipedes and scorpions around my house in Ubon.

What part of Thailand do you live in?

Well, you are in the Phuket forum.

[stevehaigh]

can you move? we don't have them here at all, i wonder why you have so many

[abhaya]

They are harmless, learn to live with them.

[mogo51]

catch them and give them to Thais to eat!!!

[taqila]

How do I get rid of gecko's,???? There are supposed to bring good luck but I only get gecko poop all over everything in the house! Just too many of those creatures. Thanks

[leewood]

I have lots of these things too and the only method i have discovered to kill them is by using my foot! It may not be the humane way of doing it but it certainly works.

Maybe a better way would be to try those fly catcher type things with the glue on (that never dries) but they are not that big and may prove to be expensive if you have 100's!

I'll ask around the Thai's in the village - maybe they got an old ancient way of dealing with them,

[leewood]

by the way, they are not called Ginkuus as apparently these are a red colour but of the same species. The person i asked has only seen them this year and never in Thailand anywhere else. We live in Bang Tao, Phuket.

[leewood]

How do I get rid of gecko's,???? There are supposed to bring good luck but I only get gecko poop all over everything in the house! Just too many of those creatures. Thanks

you have to seal all of the entrances to your house.......but draft excluders on bottoms of doors, silicone/filler holes in walls etc, basically anywhere where they can get in.

Other than that, a rolled up newspaper - they are not good luck at all, they are just <deleted> monsters. There are many things you can believe in if you want to be spiritual and bring yourself good look and something that poops all over your walls wouldn't be my first choice ;-)

[ChatterRat]

20/30 a day is a lot. Is there a large source of food for them located near your house, ie rotting wood,mulch, leaves etc.

Try this website.

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/millipede.htm

[Caliguy]

Just be glad they aren't centipedes. Those mofos hurt. I reached into a towel once and the thing bit my finger and wrapped itself around my other fingers. It felt like my finger was stabbed and set on fire. The venom traveled up to my armpit and the pain lasted for around 12 hours. Google Thai Centipede.

[SOTIRIOS]

....I have heard that they don't like vinegar...and there is even a vinegar powder for sale in the Japanese 60 baht stores just for that....

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

i dont understand the problem, they don't bite and present no danger yo you pets or children. is it an aesthetic issue?

[pablomontanero]

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 :-).

[Aforek]

Just be glad they aren't centipedes. Those mofos hurt. I reached into a towel once and the thing bit my finger and wrapped itself around my other fingers. It felt like my finger was stabbed and set on fire. The venom traveled up to my armpit and the pain lasted for around 12 hours. Google Thai Centipede.

yes, the animal on the picture is not a centipede ( I kill them with a shoe, very easy but of course know what you do )

I don't even think it's a millipede, because it has very high legs and it doesn't look like millipede as I know them

here is a "normal" thai millipede ( same than in Africa )

[SurinBeach]

I do understand the problem....

we have 100's daily along out foot path around the condo.

Kids like to stomp them even when told not too, footpath is a mess by noon.

Have had them 6-7 months each year for the past 2-3 years, we're in Bang Tao too...

The condo management company have tried all sorts but they just come back daily in their 100's ....

[Old Croc]

Looks a lot like this one, found in North America. Does it smell like cyanide (almonds) when squashed?

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Harpaphe_haydeniana

[MILT]

Black Scorpions love these critters! Black scorpions are not aggressive and hunt and feed at night.

I used to have the same problem and that is how we controlled them.

[KarenBravo]

Have never seen this millipede before and I also live in the south of the island. I have only seen the red ones as per post #21.

Astounding numbers the OP is describing, I haven't seen the red ones anywhere close to those numbers.

Interesting to see they are yellow and black. Classic warning colours to wildlife that it's not edible.

[stevenl]

Have never seen this millipede before and I also live in the south of the island. I have only seen the red ones as per post #21.

Astounding numbers the OP is describing, I haven't seen the red ones anywhere close to those numbers.

Interesting to see they are yellow and black. Classic warning colours to wildlife that it's not edible.

A few months ago they were crossing the beginning of the street where I live in the thousands. I have on occasion a few in the house.

Edited September 2, 2013 by stevenl

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

Just be glad they aren't centipedes. Those mofos hurt. I reached into a towel once and the thing bit my finger and wrapped itself around my other fingers. It felt like my finger was stabbed and set on fire. The venom traveled up to my armpit and the pain lasted for around 12 hours. Google Thai Centipede.

yes, the animal on the picture is not a centipede ( I kill them with a shoe, very easy but of course know what you do )

I don't even think it's a millipede, because it has very high legs and it doesn't look like millipede as I know them

here is a "normal" thai millipede ( same than in Africa )

there are many types of millipede and many colours, i suspect the one in the pic is dead which makes its legs look longer, i have seen the yellow and black ones before.

most excrete a type of acid that can irritate the skin, but non biting non venomous.

[thaidel48]

They have no natural predators except for red ants ( the small bitey kind) .the smell you mentioned is in fact cyanide and is their natural defence. They are quite harmless and should just be swept out in the morning house cleaning.

[KRaymond]

Do you have plant pots inside your house?

I used have many centipedes and they come out at specific time of the year so I got curious and got rid of every plant pots in the house and it helped a lot.

They somehow always manage to find a way in though.

[DerkMR]

Just be glad they aren't centipedes. Those mofos hurt. I reached into a towel once and the thing bit my finger and wrapped itself around my other fingers. It felt like my finger was stabbed and set on fire. The venom traveled up to my armpit and the pain lasted for around 12 hours. Google Thai Centipede.

yes, the animal on the picture is not a centipede ( I kill them with a shoe, very easy but of course know what you do )

I don't even think it's a millipede, because it has very high legs and it doesn't look like millipede as I know them

here is a "normal" thai millipede ( same than in Africa )

Well, these are millipedes which mimic centipedes from the body form. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on each segment while centipedes have only one pair of leg on each segment.

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.

As they feed on rotting plants in fact the garden waste dump is the source of your issue.

You might just solve it by using some benzene to pour over and burn the dump from time to time. Not nice but effective.

Bye,

Derk