Centipedes look nothing short of terrifying. While they typically live outside, they will be more than happy to make a stop inside your home, too. Once they’re there, they may serve as a source of fear in your home. After all, they move fast, they have plenty of legs, and they just look scary. Understanding a bit more about these creatures, though, can help you control your fear, and get rid of centipedes in your home.

A Closer Look

Centipedes are fairly long, but they’re flat as well. Their bodies are segmented, and you’ll see about one pair of legs for every segment of their bodies. While they come in a number of different colors, the most common color you’ll see is brown. On their heads, you’ll see a pair of long antennae. While many people believe they have 100 legs, the reality is that they have varying numbers of legs. Some have as little as fifteen. Others, though, have as many as 177 pairs. House centipedes tend to be only about an inch and a half in length. Those you find outside are far longer.

Are They Dangerous?

As terrifying as they look, these creatures aren’t actually dangerous, in most cases. In fact, they’re rather helpful. They eat moths, roaches, and any other small bugs they can find. Unlike other household infestations, they don’t even damage your home. While some bugs will infest the food in your pantry, eat your home’s foundation, or hurt the furniture, centipedes really don’t do anything.

The scariest part is that they’re most likely to be active at night, so you may see one scurry across the floor when you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and that will certainly make your heart race. If you find a fairly large centipede outside of the house (they don’t usually come inside), you could get a bite that might swell slightly, but the variety you find inside your home aren’t actually very dangerous, and they don’t bite.

Centipede – Pest Removal Tactics

Despite the fact that they’re not really a danger to your home, the chances are good that you don’t actually want them hanging around, and there are several things you can do to make that happen.

  • Exclusion: As with most pests, there are a few exclusionary tactics you can deploy to keep them out of your home. Start with a closer look at the outside of your house. Seal and caulk any gaps you see in your siding or near your windows or doors. You’ll also want to check the pipes and wires entering and exiting your house. Often there are gaps in those areas that may need to be addressed.
  • Removing Habitats: When they’re outside, centipedes will hide in dark, damp areas. If you have piles of rocks near your home, a stack of boards, a compost heap, or lawn waste, you’re more likely to see centipedes come inside your home.
  • A Solid Cleaning: Centipedes will generally try to hide in your basement or bathroom. They may also live behind your baseboards. Often simply cleaning these areas and giving them a good vacuuming will help to eliminate the problem in your home. They lay eggs where they live, too, so that makes a good cleaning a particularly important step in eliminating an infestation in your home.
  • Dump the Moisture: Centipedes love damp places, and if you have a serious problem with them in your home, the chances are good that you may need to use a dehumidifier to make the space a little less attractive.
  • Professional Help: If you’ve tried all of the above and you can’t seem to get rid of the problem, your next best bet is to call in the professionals to help with centipede pest control. Professional teams can ensure the centipedes are gone from your house and won’t return in the future.

To learn more about how we can help with centipede pest control or any other pest that just won’t seem to leave, give us a call today at
321-259-7844 .