House Centipedes

House centipedes, also known as “hundred-leggers,” can be startling and distressing to homeowners. While their name suggests they have 100 legs, the actual number of legs that house centipedes can have varies. Their bodies are worm-like in appearance and range from yellow to dark brown in color. Because of their alarming looks, many wonder whether these centipedes are harmful or dangerous.

Controlling house centipedes using do-it-yourself (DIY) methods is not usually effective. Locating the source of the infestation indoors and out is the key to their eradication – something that Schendel Pest Services’s experienced home pest control professionals are trained to do.

What Are House Centipedes?

Easily recognized by their many legs, house centipedes are commonly found throughout most of the United States. 

Although the word centipede means “100 legs,” most of these pests have hundreds of legs. House centipedes feed on silverfish, carpet beetle larvae, firebrats, cockroaches, bed bugs, spiders, and other small arthropods. They are part of the family Chilopoda and are not really insects but are instead arthropod relatives.

They are yellowish to dark brown and may have darker stripes or markings. Their segmented bodies are long and flat and can range from 1/8th of an inch to 6 inches in length. 

Why Do I Have Them?

House centipedes live in damp places such as rotting logs, under stones, in mulch or yard clippings, and in trash. They are nocturnal creatures that primarily stay outdoors. But when conditions are right, they may come inside. House centipedes can enter our homes through cracks and other small openings and prefer the moisture of basements or closets if it mimics their natural environment.

Are House Centipedes Dangerous?

No – Although their bite can be painful, there are no long-lasting effects. The first pair of legs on the house centipede form claw-like poison fangs. 

Centipedes themselves shouldn’t create any long-lasting danger (besides maybe some anxiety at the sight of them). Centipedes are mainly nuisance pests, as they are difficult to remove from homes. They are nocturnal so you may not know they’re there until you snap the bathroom light on in the middle of the night. This makes it hard to know how many are actually present in your home.

House centipedes can be useful, however. Finding them can be an indication that other harmful pests are inside your home. Since house centipedes feed on other insects, this means there could be other dangers or threats inside your home that are worse than centipedes. 

How to Prevent House Centipedes

If centipedes get into your home, it is important that they find it unwelcoming. These are moisture pests. Reducing moisture and humidity will go a long way toward forcing these pests back outside. Centipedes also love a moist yard. If you have moisture near your foundation walls, you are likely to have more centipedes looking for entry points into your home. 

Top House Centipede Prevention Tips

All of these tips will help to keep centipedes out of your home, but centipedes and other bugs are resourceful. It is often necessary to have ongoing pest control from a professional to create a protective barrier that cannot be breached. 

1. Remove any attractants.

Pest control is often about the numbers. If you have fewer pests near your exterior walls, you’ll have fewer pests exploiting holes, gaps, and cracks to get into your home. So removing attractants is an effective way to reduce your chances of having centipedes invade.

2. Seal entry points.

These are resourceful bugs that can crawl up vertical surfaces. Keep this in mind as you inspect for entry points. You’ll need to start low and go all the way up to your roofline. 

Look closely at window and door frames, screens, weather stripping, and any door sweeps. Also look in dark, moist places that are hard to get into, like under your deck, porch, exterior stairwell, or patio. Examine pipes, conduits, and other objects that pass through your walls. 

3. Have an exterminator create a barrier.

The only way to fully seal centipedes out of a home is through the targeted application of pesticides to vulnerable areas. This is best accomplished by an educated pest control technician. Professionals are trained in pest control methods established by industry experts, and they follow strict safety protocols to ensure that the EPA-approved products they use are applied appropriately. An educated pest control technician is trained in monitoring methods that will ensure that all of the centipedes have been dealt with.

If you need a barrier you can trust, you can trust Schendel Pest Services. Clear-drying liquid repellent is applied to door and window frames, and other locations that are often targeted by flying insects, but also creepy pests like the centipede. We also use family-friendly products inside to ensure a complete barrier.

Get Help From the Exterminator Pros in Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, & Arkansas

If you’re dealing with house centipedes in and around your home, Schendel Pest Services is a call away. We know how important it is to eliminate pests from your home as soon as possible. In most cases, we can be there on the same day or the following day. You can trust Schendel Pest Services to handle your pest needs in a way that is safe for your family, pets, and plants. 

Schendel Pest Services uses the least amount of material possible while still resolving the problem. We utilize natural products, baits, and mechanical means as a form of treatment as much as possible. When conventional materials are required, we follow very stringent guidelines for the use of the product so that it poses no threat to people, pets, or plants. All products are found to be effective and registered by the EPA.

Find out more by giving us a call or scheduling your free inspection! We look forward to assisting you with your pest needs.

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