Get Rid Of House Centipedes

How To Get Rid Of House Centipedes?

Often referred to as ‘hundred-leggers,’ centipedes can invade your house in no time. Centipedes are harmless to humans, but their creepy appearance is enough to scare you to the core. Centipede’s bite isn’t lethal, but it can cause swelling or temporary pain in allergic individuals. Centipedes wander in your house in search for food, i.e. small insects including moths, flies, roaches, and termites. They have two antennae and around 15 to 177 pairs of legs that carry venom.

The usual response to centipedes involves squishing the creepy crawlies, but you must know that it is not the actual solution.  Centipedes are killing the bugs you don’t want in your house. So, the best trick to prevent centipedes from entering your house is to eliminate the food they feed on. That means all the unwelcome pests and insects need to be exterminated. Before you type ‘pest control near me’ to search for professional help, you need to have a basic understanding of the types of centipedes you are dealing with.

Types of centipedes

To understand the centipede problem, you first have to identify which type of centipede lives in your house. There are around 2000 species of centipedes worldwide, most of which are found outdoors. Centipedes have long, segmented bodies, and are long-lived arthropods with a lifespan ranging from one to six years. Here are the most popular types of centipedes:

– House centipede
– Garden centipede
– Aquatic centipede
– Stone centipede
– Red-headed centipede

House centipedes colonize in dark, warm, and moist environments like:

– Damp debris
– Basement
– Under bathroom sink and carpet edges
– Closets, and crawlspaces
– Cracks and crevices in your walls

How to prevent centipede infestation?

There are a handful of ways to get rid of house centipedes. Here are a few methods to prevent centipedes from entering your house:

Seal off any cracks –By sealing and caulking gaps in windows, and doors, you can prevent centipedes from crawling into your house.
Dehumidifier – House centipedes multiply in areas with high humidity levels. So, you must use a dehumidifier or install a fan in the bathroom to remove the extra moisture.
Make your house insect-free –Use insecticide sprays to exterminate bugs which will eventually starve centipedes to death.
Organic method – Strong smells like cayenne pepper and that of the essential oils, esp tea tree, can drive centipedes away.
Centipede traps – Place sticky traps in the corners where insects can be used as a bait and capture centipedes in an immobile state.

Conclusion

Maintaining hygiene is important to prevent centipedes from coming back to your place. Remove any compost, leaves, debris, and wood to accumulate around your house. Although centipedes are not considered harmful to humans, it is imperative to avoid squishing them directly. It is always a safer option to take help from a centipedes pest control professional.

FAQs

What do house centipedes eat?

Centipedes feed on flies, roaches, silverfish, moths, and termites.

How many legs do centipedes have?

An adult centipede can have between 15 and 177 pairs of legs.

What attracts centipedes?

Centipedes are attracted to dark, damp places like a bathroom sink or the basement.

Should I kill house centipedes?

It is recommended that rather than killing centipedes, you should first get rid of the food (pests) they eat.

Why you should never squish a centipede?

You should never squish centipedes because it feeds on other gross creatures in your house and also dead centipede can attract other scavengers.

What do centipedes hate?

One thing that centipedes cannot resist is the smell of peppermint. They also hate well-lit areas as they prefer to reside in dark places.

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