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Snakes and millipedes, Oh my!
By Richard C. Snell
Barton County Extension Agent
When I was only three years old, one day, we were in a field checking on some hay. While we were there, out pops a rather large snake. For some reason, I thought he was just a big worm and tried to pick him up. He let me have it. It drew blood and left a mark, but nothing real serious. My folks were somewhat worried that it might be poisonous but after confirming it with a neighbor, decided it was just a bull snake.
Now having been bit, you would have thought I would have been traumatized enough to be paranoid of snakes. However, although I'm not crazy about them, they really don't bother me and most of the ones we have in Kansas are good ones anyway, especially the bull snakes.
This brings me to my topic of the day and perhaps the year--millipedes. We have had over 100 calls on millipedes this fall. Now I do remember that we have had quite a few calls in recent years on these. As a matter of fact, I know I wrote an article on them a couple of years ago. But this year tops them all in terms of numbers. Several people have called them little snakes and shudder at the mere thought of them, almost in fear. Others call them wire worms and are just really disgusted with them.
These pests we are currently having are actually not wire worms but are millipedes. Wire worms are a crop pest. You see them often when you break out sod. They will hurt seedlings and can do the same to lawn grasses occasionally. Wire worms are the larva of click beetles and thus are a true insect. They are a totally different pest.
Millipedes do not hurt anything but are strictly a nuisance pest as they try to enter homes during the fall to seek winter quarters. They are called millipedes because they have 2 pairs of legs on each body segment and thus they may have a hundred or more. They usually are about an inch up to 2 inches in length. When disturbed or crushed, they coil up tightly and give off a foul odor. They will also leave a stain when crushed, so it is better to just vacuum them up. The ones that get into homes are in the order Julida. However there are many different kinds.
Barton County isn't he only place to have them but when asking around the state, we tend to be a hot bed. These things feed on decaying matter and they love moisture. My theory is that reduced tillage farming has probably increased the numbers because they are attracted by all that crop residue. You will also see them underneath garden or landscape mulch.
The best thing you can do is to seal your home up tightly. That means caulking over cracks and putting up storm doors and windows. It means putting weather stripping around entryways. However, some will still find their way in, unless you use a barrier spray around your home.
The best thing is to get one of several insecticides such as Sevin, Dursban, diazinon or any one of the permethrin products. For outside spray, you need something that has at least a 10 percent active ingredient. Spray these products two to three feet up the side of the foundation on the wall and then from the base of the foundation to two to three feet away from the house.
Once inside, it is hard to control them. You may be just as well off to get the vacuum sweeper out because they only live a day or two inside the home. So you have to get rid of them dead or alive. If it will make you feel better, you can purchase some Baygon or permethrin ready to use insecticide. Often it comes as Home Pest Defense or Home Pest Control. It may have any one of the permethrins (there are about 20 to 30 names in that family). But they all end with "thrin" as the last five letters in the active ingredient. It may say resmethrin, cyfluothrin or perthrin. Spray these products around the baseboards, and inside entryways.
Once we get a good hard freeze, they should go underground and be gone for the year.
Cattle conferences set for Kansas, Oklahoma
The O-K Cattle Conference is set for Oct. 25 and 26 at sites in both states. The Kansas meeting will be held Oct. 25 in El Dorado, at the Butler County Extension office. The Oklahoma meeting is Oct. 26 at the Craig County Extension office in Cowboy Junction near Vinita.
The schedule is the same for both days, so cattle producers need only plan to attend one meeting. The cost is $12, which includes dinner. Organizers say the conference starts at 3 p.m. and should end by 8 p.m.
The conference will provide information that helps cow-calf producers make key management decisions, whether their operation is large or small.
Ag lenders conference
The 2004 Kansas State University Agricultural Lenders Conference will be held in two locations--Garden City, Oct. 27 and in Manhattan, Oct. 29. The program will be similar at both locations, said conference coordinator James Mintert, ag economist.
The Oct. 27 conference in Garden City will be held at the K-State Southwest Research-Extension Center at 4500 East Mary Street. The Oct. 29 conference in Manhattan will be at the K-State Alumni Center at the corner of Anderson Ave. and Denison on the K-State campus. Registration at both events will begin at 8 a.m., with the program starting at 9 a.m.
The registration fee is $60 if paid by Oct. 22 and $65 thereafter. The fee includes coffee, juice and donuts at registration, and lunch.
Strip till demonstrations
Sedgwick County will hold strip tillage demonstrations, Nov. 1 and 2.
Date: 10/21/04
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