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Europe

Hello everybody,

please help me find out more amnout this centipede, which feed on roots.

http://www.lucianabartolini.net/immagini/miriapodi/Haplophilus-subterraneus.jpg

I could not understand why my pumpins did not want to grow this year. I have suspected it was orande strings (sorry I don't know the name) that eat roots. I put some potatoes it the soil to check if they came to eat it. The did't so my problem werent thoose strings. There were many littlie holes on the surface of my soil.

The cover crop that I sow was also growing poorly on some spots so I tried to dig the soil there to see what is in the ground. I found many orange centipiedes from the picture.

Any advice will be very welcome.

10/14/2012 3:04:13 AM

Boscawen, NH

I believe your picture is of "soil centipedes". From everything that I have read about them they only eat other insects and do not feed on plants. I would guess that you have problems with another insect(s) eating your roots and the centipedes are feeding on them.

10/14/2012 9:14:19 AM

Europe

Thank you, it would make sense. But I did not see any other insect in my soil and have read on the web that this centipedes eat roots too. There were no data on weather they eat live roots or only dead ones.
http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th11d%281%29.htm
I have some earthworms in my soil.

Mojca

10/14/2012 11:59:17 AM

Boscawen, NH

Mojca, After a little more reading on the soil centipede it appears that it's favorite prey food is earthworms and other soft body insects. The "symphylan" is commonly called the garden centipede and these can do major damage to crops by eating the roots. Your photo is of the soil centipede and not the symphylan. Not sure if nematodes (root knot & stinging) are a problem in your area but it is something that you might want to check into.

10/14/2012 4:26:28 PM

Europe

Thank you, I will check about nematodes.

10/15/2012 4:06:36 PM