What big is this in my houseplant soil?

[Patti]

We bought a scraggly ficus a couple of months ago that we are trying to nurse back to health. Had (has) scale, so we took it outside and sprayed it with Neem oil. Now it has little tiny centipede-like creatures in the soil. They are brown, about 1/3 inch long, with lots of legs. They are fast little creatures, and there are a lot of them! Don't know if they came with the ficus or if they jumped in when we had it outside to spray for scale. What are they, and more importantly, how do I get rid of them?!?

Many thanks!

[Doug Kanter]

Oh my goodness. Is this true? :-)

[Darren Garrison]

Mabe tiny centipedes? Or milipedes. Babies. That will grow up into much bigger centipedes or milipedes. And will sneak into your house, climb into your ear as you sleep and eat your brains.

[Toni]

I knew a guy once whose mothers sisters nephew had it happen. He's the guy they wrote the "Night Gallery" earwig episode about. Rod Serling even visited his grave and left him a Raid scented thank you note.

[Cereus-validus.......]

Absolutely.

Earwigs will do that too!!!

Didn't you see Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn?

[bamboo]

Nothing to worry about. Fast is probably little centipedes ( one pair of legs per body segment) Slower might be millipedes ( 2 pair of legs per body segment) centipedes are carniverous, millipedes tend to eat decaying vegetable material . See if they congregate under a cucmber slice or two and remove by hand.

[bamboo]

Nothing to worry about. Fast is probably little centipedes ( one pair of legs per body segment) Slower might be millipedes ( 2 pair of legs per body segment) centipedes are carniverous, millipedes tend to eat decaying vegetable material . See if they congregate under a cucmber slice or two and remove by hand.

[Bourne Identity]

bigger centipedes or

and eat your brains.

Steve, that you? Another huge laughage for today!

[Bourne Identity]

Oh yeah, I know the nurse who removed the gerbil from Richard Gere's butt! LOL