So, you want to get rid of house centipedes. One most likely crossed your path and you were a little creeped out by it. I do not blame you.
The name centipede means “100 legs”. However, no centipede has 100 legs because every one has odd pairs of legs. Many different species of centipedes are found in the United States. Many outdoor species are commonly found living in dark, humid spaces such as under logs and stones or within piles of leaves. Some species, such as the domestic millipede, can also be found inside the home.
Learn how to identify, control, and prevent centipedes inside your home.
What Are House Centipedes?
House centipedes are typically 1 to 1½ inches in length. They are grayish-yellow with three dark stripes running along the length of their backs. Their body has multiple sections, each with a pair of long, white legs.
House centipedes are usually solitary, so infestations are unusual. They can be found living in the house’s damp and humid parts, such as basements, cabinets, crawl spaces and bathrooms.
They can also be found in tubs and sinks occasionally. They can also be observed in attics during the summer months. They are most active at night and hide in floor drains or under carton boxes during the day.
What Do House Centipedes Eat?
House centipedes are active predators and are continually searching for prey. Many people may consider them advantageous to find in homes since they kill various unwanted insect pests.
They hunt and kill roaches, silverfish, spiders, flies, moths, and even termites. As a result, if you often find centipedes in your house, it might be an indication of a major pest problem.
However, with that being said, who really wants to find a centipede in their residence? I surely do not.
How to Get Rid of House Centipedes?
Centipedes hardly leave any evidence behind, indicating that they are in your residence. Instead of developing a nest, they seek a suitable hiding place every day. You are most likely to accidentally discover a centipede house resting on a wall, darting out of their hideout, or stranded in a sink or tub.
Even though they are harmless to people and help kill dozens of spiders and various other insects across the house, their bite does contain venom, and they are not the most stylish of the home visitors. If you want to know how to get rid of the centipedes once and for all, listed below are a few ways to do so.
Option 1 – Destroy or Remove Them on Site
Centipedes are quite speedy, however, they generally do not attack residences in massive quantities. For this reason, you may be able to get rid of your issue by either killing them on contact (squishing them underfoot) or trapping and later releasing them outside your home.
To trap a centipede, simply confine it underneath a cup or other container. Then simply slide a piece of paper underneath the cup to move the centipede outdoors. You may wish to locate the creature away from your home in order to prevent it from returning. Try not to touch the centipede with your bare hands, though, as they have been known to bite when alarmed.
Option 2 – Sticky Traps for House Centipedes
Place sticky traps in corners where the centipedes appear to hunt. You may also attract other insects that walk around your apartment. Know that more giant centipedes walking through sticky traps can escape by leaving behind a few legs. Sticky traps are most successful for tinier centipedes.
Below are a couple of sticky trap options to try out. Links to DoYourOwnPestControl.com.
Option 3 – the Use of an Insecticide
Please remember that pesticides are only short-term remedies. These items can be bought from most garden supply stores and also online at DoYourOwnPestControl.com. Just make sure you follow the instructions on the package. Although these products are not very harmful to human beings, it is best not to have continuous exposure.
Below is a proven insecticide that can be found on DoYourOwnPestControl.com.
LambdaStar UltraCap 9.7 is a micro-encapsulated lambda-cyhalothrin solution that is simple to measure and combine. For centipedes, apply 1/2 ounce of the insecticide per 1 gallon of water. Apply to all the entry points of your home and spray a 3-6 foot swath of yard around the house. Inside, apply to door thresholds, baseboards and any area where the centipedes have been previously spotted.
Option 4 – Placing a Barrier Down
Whether it is a synthetic insecticide or natural pesticide, or something else, consider creating a moat-like barrier outside your home. Because the centipedes emerge outside and come in. Try to use an organic pesticide carrying cyhalothrin, which is used mainly for ants but can be used for centipedes.
Option 5 – Seek the Services of a Professional
If you have attempted everything under the sun to help control the creepy insects, it might be time to hire an exterminator. Exterminators can crawl your residence for potential entry points, identify and demolish any centipede eggs, and spray parts of your home with recommended pesticides.
Although many do not want to spend extra money on exterminators. They are well worth the money if you can afford it. They will be able to identify the problem and make sure it goes away.
Get Rid of Centipedes With a Bundled Solution
An efficient bundle of products to get rid of house centipedes can be found at DoYourOwnPestControl.com and is called the General Pest Control Kit. The product contains, Onslaught’s Microencapsulated Insecticide, Intice 10 Perimeter Bait, PT Cykick Aerosol, and Trapper Insect Traps.
This bundled solution essentially contains everything needed for home insect problems. The kit will get rid of house centipedes as well as ladybugs, earwigs, crickets, silverfish and more.
>>> Here is the link to the bundle on more time. General Pest Control Kit
How to Prevent Future Centipede Problems?
There are also many ways to prevent future centipede issues inside your apartment.
1 – Reduce Humidity
Centipedes prefer to live in humid, high moisture settings. To minimize the humidity level in these areas, repair water leakage, use dehumidifiers to keep the basements dry, and run exhaust fans in bathrooms and attics to reduce excess moisture.
2 – Remove Clutter
Centipedes are going to look for spaces that provide safety. Reducing clutter in basements, crawl spaces, and attics will inhibit their ability to hide. Outside your home, remove any leaf piles, grass cuttings, and firewood from your residence.
3 – Eliminate their food source
Trying to control other pests and insects inside your home will also manage centipedes as their diet consists of insects and spiders.
4 – Seal Entry ways
Try sealing up any holes and cracks on the outside of your home to prevent centipedes and other insect pests from moving inside. Adding weather stripping to windows and doors also helps keep undesired pests away.
5 – Try Cayenne Pepper
For an organic way of discouraging centipedes in the home, try laying down a thin coating of cayenne pepper at the entry points, both outside and inside your residence. Centipedes dislike cayenne pepper and will go out of their way to avoid it altogether.
In Conclusion
Although centipedes are beneficial to your residence because they hunt various other pests, I get it – if you find one you want it removed or destroyed. I am with you on that point. Hopefully, the above methods can both get rid of house centipedes and also help you keep them away.
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