How can I make DIY centipede/millipede repellent?

Ohiorn
by Ohiorn

My best friend finds centipedes/millipedes in her bathroom at times, which freaks her out. She most frequently finds them in/near the shower. What type of natural repellent can I make for her? She has three dogs and an immune system disorder so non-toxic ingredients are especially important. Thank you!

  3 answers
  • Lisa S. Lisa S. on Sep 30, 2019

    I have these well. I think they come up thru the drain. Get a cover for the drain. I think they come up from the drain.

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Sep 30, 2019

    One assumption that typically follows discovery of a bug in the bathroom, especially if the unfortunate critter is trapped in the sink or bathtub, is that the invader found its way into the house via the drain pipes. This is a very common and widely-held belief: insects, spiders and other unspeakable vermin are thriving in the drain pipes and waiting to move in and take over the house.

    Actually, there is a much simpler explanation for why insects and spiders are found in the bathroom, other than assuming your plumbing is malfunctioning. While it is remotely possible that insects can enter through drains, it is much, much more likely that they got in the old-fashioned way: they either walked in from outdoors through cracks and gaps in the wall, or they are already living inside your house. These explanations are much easier to defend than the bugs-up-the-drain scenario.

    First, it is unlikely there are many insects (and even fewer spiders) surviving in your sewer or septic system. Even if they are in the drains, most insects are not good submerged divers. That is, they don’t have the structures to swim upstream, under water, through the maze of pipes that constitute your drain system. Second, if the insects have an unimpeded route from the sewer to your sink, there is something wrong with your plumbing. The various water traps installed in drain lines, including the one right below the sink or bathtub, are there to keep out sewer gas, and also work to keep out bugs as well.

    So why do we see so many insects in the bathtub and sink if they are not coming up through the drain? The simple explanation sounds like an old television commercial: “They’ve fallen . . . . and they can’t get up.” Sinks and bathtubs work for catching insects the same way a tiger trap worked in the old movies. First, you dig a very deep pit in the middle of the trail. If the hole is deep enough and the sides are steep enough the tiger (or elephant or “bad guy”) will fall in and not be able to climb back up the vertical sides. The same thing happens to spiders, ants, cockroaches, centipedes and other assorted pests. While walking on the wall or the rim of the sink or tub, they may have been attracted down into the sink to drink water from the trap, or they simply crawled or slid down the steep, slippery side. At any rate, once they reach the bottom of the sink (the pit) they are unable to climb back out and are forced to wait for you to find them there in the morning. Best things to do is block any/all openings around windows,plumbing/pipes,light fixtures with spray foam,also check outside of home for openings. Get rid of what they eat Centipedes feed on home-invading species like cockroaches and spiders, so an abundance of prey often lures these pests into homes.spray outside of home for pests,use Diatomaceous earth inside around baseboards it's nontoxic. Residents may find centipedes in cement block walls, boxes, clutter on the floor, or floor drains. The warmth and safety of a heated home may also attract centipedes inside to reproduce as well as moisture of sinks/ tubs/drains