What do cellar bugs eat

Sow bugs are actually crustaceans, which have segmented body plates, 7 pairs of legs and they can roll up into a ball when disturbed or touched. Sow bugs are a nuisance only and do not transmit any diseases, bite or get into food or stored products. The conditions that are conducive for their propagation include moisture and generally dark, hidden areas in basements and crawl spaces.

Use of a dehumidifier in combination with good, tight doors and seals and removal of harbourage areas around the home, such as rocks, debris, wood ties, long grasses to reduce the amount of potential habitat and moisture conditions. But the ones in your basement aren't going to hurt you unless you pick one up and give it no option. Among the bugs in your basement, centipedes are pretty good citizens. Centipedes do much more good than harm, and you have very little to fear from them -- they don't bite unless you really force them to.

If they're around, they're definitely doing you good. If you would like them to leave, then you can start by taking away those things that brought them to your house in the first place. Once they see that they're not finding the food and shelter they need, your centipedes will move on. That being said, there are also many reasons to keep centipedes around.

Centipedes have been on the planet for millions of years longer than we have, and after our species has gobbled up all the resources and died off, they'll still be here.

You can kill them if you really want to, but don't forget who's going to have the last laugh. These animals aren't fish, of course, but they are silver, and they do have a kind of fishy wriggle. They remind me more of liquid mercury spilled from a broken thermometer, so to me, the name "Quicksilver Fish" is more appropriate.

Either way, these slippery little insects are present in virtually every home, where they hang out in drains and dark corners. You will likely only see them once in a while, when they get caught out after sunrise, often in a sink or bathtub.

Silverfish are nearly impossible to catch and even harder to kill, so you should just wash them down the drain or find a way to ignore them. Like centipedes, silverfish are scavengers who consume the bits and pieces that filter down to the lowest spaces in your home.

You would really only notice the silverfish in your home if they disappeared, leaving you with, believe it or not, a dirtier dwelling. Silverfish are part of your home's nighttime clean-up squad, but if you do want to get rid of them, the process is very similar to how you get rid of other bugs.

Earwigs are among the most misunderstood, and unjustly feared, insects in the world. They're completely, and I do mean completely , harmless. Most people see those prominent pincers on their rear end and assume the worst, but they don't have enough muscle or control of those pincers to do any real pinching. They most likely have a role in a mating ritual, or perhaps to scare away predators, in which case they work, at least on fearful people.

Earwigs are happiest hanging out on flower-tops on sunny summer days. If they're in your house, it's because they're trying to escape the cold. So look at it this way, your home is an earwig's Cancun, and who wants to mess with someone else's well-earned vacation? Okay, this bug is a problem. They occur in big colonies and carve nests out of the wooden parts of your house, which introduces moisture and rot, which can literally destroy your home from the inside.

If you find insects that look like pale ants in your basement, especially around joints and other wood elements, don't hesitate, contact a good exterminator or the science department of your nearest high school or college.

They can help you decide what to do next. Another thing to remember about termites is that they have several different forms, including a winged male form. Bottom line, anything that you think might be a termite is a do-it-now emergency. There are many insects and spiders that share our dwellings with us, and almost all of them are either harmless or actually helpful. If you have a bug from your basement that you still can't identify, there are lots of excellent online resources to help you:.

Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. My adult children and some grandchildren sleep in our basement. It is very dry, pretty clean a few dust bunnies so I need to keep all the bugs gone while they are here.

Do those high frequency things work? Any suggestions will help. I found a bug in my parents basement that I never have seen in my life. It had four legs. It was black and had two extremely long antennas. I tried smooshing it with the quickest thing I could find.. When I went to pick it up it jumped like 8 feet in the air! Then it landed on my bed! I attempted to smoosh it with my sandel and again jumped high in the air and I herd it plop to the floor and scurry away!

Bugs hatching pushing faces of old brick fall to floor nothing but brick dust left? Reduce the humid conditions in your home by installing dehumidifiers and making sure that your home is well ventilated. For effective spider control and elimination, contact Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators.

Our home pest control programs and commercial pest solutions target the pests common to our region and will work with you to get rid of cellar spiders. I Am Interested In:. Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators received an average rating of 4.