Look in bedding and shoes to find intruding centipedes

Question: Help! There’s a centipede in my apartment. I’ve lived here for a long time and I’ve never seen one before. It ran out on the floor and then back under the baseboard. What do I do?

Question: Is there anyway to entice centipedes out of their hiding spaces so I can catch them? I can’t sleep knowing one is in my house somewhere!

Answer: It’s no coincidence that Kokua Line has received a flurry of questions about centipedes, including from frazzled callers leaving messages overnight. Centipedes are most active at night, and although they prefer dark, damp conditions, they don’t like it soaking wet. Recent heavy rain on Oahu likely has driven some indoors, said Julian R. Yates III, an extension specialist in urban entomology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Juvenile and adult centipedes live alone. Within a home, they generally stay in dark areas during the day and forage at night. It would be very difficult and potentially dangerous to search them out — you’d have to check every nook and cranny of the dwelling, a pair of tongs at the ready to snap one up. The feared species Scolopendra subspinipes is not aggressive toward people but does react when disturbed, resulting in a bite that may require medical attention (depending on the severity of the pain and swelling).

Yates suggested a more feasible precaution: Check your sheets and blankets before settling in for the night; bedding is a common hiding spot. Inside shoes and clothing, and in cracks and crevices (such as along baseboards), are other common areas. Because they prefer dark, humid areas, bathrooms, closets and basements also could be prime spots.

To prevent centipedes from entering a home, seal all cracks and crevices, including under doors. Ensure that window screens are tight and that the mesh is unbroken.

Controlling centipedes outdoors requires eliminating or treating damp habitats, such as rocks, logs, leaves and hollow tile blocks.

Numerous commercial products are sold to control centipedes. When it comes to using pesticides, though, Yates advised hiring a professional. “The average homeowner is not equipped with the necessary equipment or knowledge to do a perimeter treatment or to identify breeding areas for these pests,” he said.

Q: I have been trying to call the state Department of Taxation for two days, throughout the day, and I need to speak to a live person. One recording says the best time to call is between 7:15 and 10 in the morning, and then another afternoon slot. I did this. After hearing annoying recordings, I was either connected to a recording saying the office was closed, goodbye, or another recording that they were basically too busy to answer my call, goodbye again. The best one was getting through two layers of recordings to be put on hold for a minute, then getting another recording saying they were too busy and goodbye. … Is there any way we can find a real person to speak to about tax issues?

A: It’s no guarantee, but here’s one tip to improve your chances of getting through by phone: Avoid calling on or just before the 20th of every month, which are exceptionally busy filing deadlines.

A department spokeswoman acknowledged that taxpayers sometimes can’t get through Oahu’s main call-center telephone line (587-4242) and explained the reasons: “First, each year, the department receives hundreds of thousands of telephone calls; to date, we have received over 330,000 telephone calls in 2015 (or over 1,300 calls per day). Second, although we are authorized to have 16 individuals to staff our call center, we currently have six people, plus three temporary staff. While we are continuously attempting to fill these positions, keeping these positions filled has been difficult. Finally, our telephone system is old and beyond warranty. The good news is that the department has already started the process to replace our aging telephone system. We expect to have our new telephone system, with additional customer-service features, in place before next tax season,” said spokeswoman Mallory C. Fujitani.

In the meantime, if you are able, you might visit the office in person, at 830 Punchbowl St. in Honolulu.

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.