Finding centipedes in your home can be alarming, but it does not necessarily mean you have an infestation. There are a few reasons why you may suddenly see more centipedes inside:
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Weather Changes
Centipedes prefer dark, damp environments. When the weather turns colder and wetter in the fall, they may seek shelter inside homes. Heavy rains can force centipedes indoors as their natural habitats flood. Drier conditions in the summer may also drive them inside in search of moisture.
Lack of Natural Prey
Centipedes are predatory and eat other small insects and arthropods. If the local insect population declines, centipedes will go looking for food sources elsewhere, like inside your home. An infestation of their natural prey in your home can also draw centipedes inside.
Disturbed Habitats
Landscaping work, construction projects, or digging outdoors can unsettle centipedes natural habitats under rocks, logs, leaves, and soil. This forces them to find new environments, and they may wander indoors through small cracks and crevices.
How to Get Rid of Centipedes
While centipede sightings can be startling, there are ways to discourage them from entering and staying in your home:
Seal cracks and crevices
Centipedes can squeeze through very small openings to get inside. Seal any cracks around windows, doors, pipes, vents, and the foundation using caulk or weather stripping. This helps block access points.
Remove exterior habitat
Get rid of leaf litter, mulch, rocks, wood piles, and excessive vegetation right against the foundation. This eliminates protective habitats near your home.
Use insecticides
Apply EPA-registered insecticides labeled for centipede control around the perimeter of your home. This helps deter them from entering your property. Reapply as needed.
Install dehumidifiers
Centipedes prefer damp conditions. Running dehumidifiers indoors during humid weather can make your home less attractive to them.
Remove indoor habitats
Centipedes seek out dark, humid areas to hide and lay eggs. Eliminate clutter like stacks of newspapers, boxes, and shelving where they could nest. Keep bathrooms and basements dry.
Use desiccant dusts
Apply diatomaceous earth, silica aerogel, or other desiccant dusts in crack and crevices, crawlspaces, basements, and attics to dry out centipede habitats.
Preventing Centipedes
Stopping centipedes before they enter your home is key. Here are some tips:
Trim vegetation
Prune back trees, bushes, grass, and plants around the exterior to eliminate shelter and humid microclimates.
Install screens
Put screens over vents, windows, and doors to physically block centipedes. Make sure screens are in good repair.
Use fans and dehumidifiers
Proper airflow and lower humidity levels make indoor spaces less welcoming to centipedes. Run fans, ventilate crawlspaces, and use dehumidifiers.
Keep the home dry
Fix plumbing leaks and clean up standing water. Eliminate moist habitats indoors where centipedes can survive.
Manage outdoor lighting
Exterior lights attract insects at night, creating a food source for centipedes. Use yellow bulbs or sodium vapor lights to minimize this effect.
Clean up debris
Rake fallen leaves, remove rocks and rotting wood, and eliminate piles of debris around the foundation. This takes away protective hiding spots.
Understanding Centipede Behavior
Learning more about why centipedes enter homes can help with control efforts:
Looking for food
Centipedes are predators and enter homes in search of other insects to eat. Kontrol indoor pest populations to avoid attracting centipedes.
Seeking shelter
Centipedes need protection from light, heat, and dryness. They often find refuge in basements, crawlspaces, closets, and bathrooms inside homes.
Laying eggs
Female centipedes lay eggs in the spring and summer. They search for suitable habitats with shelter, moisture, and food sources, like inside homes.
Overwintering
As cold weather approaches, centipedes will seek out protected spots to spend the winter, moving indoors. Sealing up the home early in fall prevents entry.
Escaping dry conditions
Centipedes need fairly high humidity levels to survive. During hot, dry periods they escape the heat and dessication by entering homes.
Signs of Centipedes
Watch for these indications centipedes may be present:
- Seeing centipedes inside, especially bathrooms and basement
- Pinching or biting sensations on skin at night
- Leggy insects with elongated, flattened bodies up to 1.5 inches long
- Brown to gray body coloring with yellowish legs
- Up to 15 pairs of legs with a single pair per body segment
- Two legs near the head that act as fangs or claws for capturing prey
Dangers of Centipedes
Centipedes are generally not considered dangerous, but their presence can mean:
Possibility of bites
Centipede bites are uncommon, but the large claw-like front legs can pinch exposed skin, causing pain and swelling.
Damage to stored goods
Centipedes could potentially eat into materials like papers, books, and fabrics if infestations go unchecked.
Potential household pest issues
A centipede influx may indicate presence of their prey like silverfish, cockroaches, or bed bugs.
Allergic reactions
Sensitive individuals may have severe allergic response to centipede venom, seeking medical help for symptoms.
Nuisance concerns
While not a serious threat to health, many homeowners find centipedes unsettling and want to remove them.
FAQs
What attracts centipedes into my home?
Centipedes enter homes looking for food, shelter, and moisture. They are drawn indoors by other insect infestations, clutter, moist environments, and cracks that allow access.
Should I use pesticides for centipedes?
Insecticide sprays and dusts can help control centipedes and deter entry when applied properly around baseboards, vents, and the home’s exterior.
Will centipedes infest my house?
While individual centipedes may wander inside, they do not infest structures in the same way as social insects like ants. Preventing entry is the best method of control.
Are house centipedes dangerous?
House centipedes pose little threat to people or property. They have a painful bite but are not venomous. They help control other insects by preying on them.
How do I keep centipedes away?
Sealing cracks, dehumidifying indoor spaces, removing clutter and pest habitats, and spraying insecticides around the exterior foundation all help deter centipedes.
Conclusion
A common nuisance pest, centipedes occasionally find their way into homes searching for food, moisture, and shelter. While they rarely bite, their appearance can be upsetting. Preventing access through sealing, cleaning up clutter, controlling humidity, and destroying outdoor harborage sites is key to limiting centipede encounters indoors.