Scutigerella immaculata
Pest description and crop damage Adult symphylans are about 0.12 to 0.33 inch long, white, with prominent antennae and 6 to 12 pairs of legs. Their bodies are creamy white. They resemble centipedes, but centipedes usually are larger, yellowish to brown, and when mature have more than 12 pair of legs.
Symphylans are general feeders that eat the fine root hairs and germinating seeds of many types of grasses and crop plants.
Management-cultural control
Tillage reduces populations but usually not enough to achieve control where they are a problem.
Management-chemical control
There are no chemical control options labeled for grasses grown for seed to control garden symphylan.
When rotating out of grass seed, use an effective soil-incorporated insecticide, such as Lorsban or MoCap, on the rotation crop for which the insecticide is labeled.
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