When someone says the word “infestation,” centipedes are rarely the pest that comes to mind. Your mind probably jumps to some of the pest superstars, like bed bugs, termites or rats. However, centipedes are very real threats to the wellbeing and security of your household, although some cultures see them as beneficial.
Not only are these creepy-crawlies alarming to encounter, but their bites can be painful and dangerous. To limit any contact that you, your family, or your pets might have with these insects, it’s a good idea to contact a professional team of exterminators as soon as you notice that you may be dealing with a centipede infestation.
What Are Centipedes?
These venomous arthropods fall under class Chilopoda and inject their prey from maxillipeds located behind their jaws. There are two misconceptions about centipedes: a) many suppose that all centipedes have 100 legs, per their name, and b) many misidentify them as millipedes.
Unlike what its name implies, the house centipede, or Scutigera coleoptrata, does not have a hundred legs. Female centipedes sport up to 15 pairs, which is plenty. House centipedes’ bodies are composed of separated segments, each of which sprouts a pair of legs. The older the centipede, the more segments it has, as they grow a new one every molt.
You can easily tell a centipede from a millipede by looking at the number of legs sprouting from each segment, and by the way the legs are positioned on the body. Millipedes have two pairs of legs (four total) extending from each segment, as opposed to centipedes’ one pair. Also, millipede legs are also located directly under them, unlike centipedes’ flatter appearance.
Why Are Centipedes Harmful?
These insects have worm-shaped bodies that appear flattened and elongated. The females have an extended pair of back legs as well, making them even more threatening. Although they have poisonous bites, their jaws can’t easily puncture human skin, and they usually only bite people in self-defense.
Like a bad bee sting, centipede bites can get infected and swell up, but are rarely fatal to human beings. The smaller centipedes have trouble piercing the skin, and can be treated like other insect bites.
Not all people consider the house centipede a pest. In fact, many Japanese people consider centipedes geji, or good bugs, because they prey on more harmful household pests, much like the way many folks praise spiders for eating mosquitos.
Like so many other pests, centipedes are attracted to easy sources of water and food, so you can find house centipedes in many damp, dark corners of your home. These speedy bugs are not keen on running into humans, so you will have to go out of your way if you’re investigating a centipede infestation.
Since they’re nocturnal, you will have to conduct your observations when most people are asleep. In the quiet of the night, poke around the areas most likely to have leaks or open water. Under sinks, in basements, or other dank spots are ideal living conditions for the house centipede.
Signs and Sites of a Centipede Infestation
One amazing fact about the house centipede is that it is a surprisingly long-lived insect, with some recorded specimens living as long as five years in favorable conditions. Like many pests, they also reproduce aggressively, as one female centipede can create up to 150 little centipedes in her lifetime, according to a Penn State study.
What this means to the average homeowner is that a small contingent of house centipedes can swell their ranks very quickly, creating a severe infestation in no time at all. Here are some of the most common places house centipedes like to hang out:
- Under concrete slabs: The house centipede finds easy access around sump pumps, through expansion cracks or other breaches in the slabs’ integrity.
- In any floor drain without a trap: If a floor drain is connected to a dry sump as well as missing a water trap, they’re even more likely to provide access for these speedy pests.
- In concrete walls: Centipedes can easily fit around pipes where they pass through the wall or through uncapped concrete blocks; if you have missing mortar, centipedes can also slink through these cracks.
- In cardboard boxes that are stored on slabs: Plastic bins that seal against the outside environment are the best storage choices, especially if you’re putting them in a damp-prone area.
A few clues that you may have centipedes as opposed to another type of pest are: live centipedes and bite marks. Especially when they start reproducing, if you have a severe infestation, you will see centipedes. Baby centipedes are identical to adults, only smaller, and they’re not quite as fast, so you may be able to catch a glimpse of them more often than their speedier parents.
What Can the Homeowner Do?
The main tactic for a homeowner in the face of a full-blown centipede infestation is to modify aspects of the centipedes’ environment so that it no longer is comfortable. The two ways to alter the centipedes’ comfort levels is to reduce their food sources, which include other pests, and harborage reduction — removing storage in which the insects live and reproduce.
First, you’ll need to get rid of all the pests a centipede likes to dine on, like roaches, silverfish, and earwigs. By cleaning up your house, out-buildings and exterior areas, you reduce the centipedes’ food source naturally.
Using sticky traps, you can also figure out what kind of pests along with centipedes are present in your household. Put out a tape trap for a few days and observe carefully what you catch in addition to house centipedes.
To accomplish harborage reduction, you have to clean up the areas that can attract house centipedes. Any boxes, especially open ones or those stored on concrete slabs, which centipedes are fond of, should be moved to a less-damp location. Even better, swap out the cardboard for plastic with sealable lids.
A homeowner must also fix any leaks or other sources of standing water, and get rid of any puddles so that centipedes, which especially love a dank environment, won’t want to trespass. Use dehumidifiers to make spaces in your home less moist, and while you’re next gardening, make sure to grade the dirt away from your foundation so that water doesn’t become an issue.
What About Pesticides?
Pest control specialists will use pesticides and poison bait traps to address a centipede infestation. As you’re narrowing down your choices of exterminators, you should consider whether you want a speedier solution with more intense chemicals or a more natural approach with boric acid or diatomaceous earth (DE).
- Chemical options: For pesticides, you can either use emulsifiable concentrates or wettable powders that one mixes with water, or a powder. Some chemical solutions are available to homeowners, like cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, permethrin, cypermethrin, or tralomethrin.
- Natural options: If you want to go a more natural route, you can use DE or boric acid. Get a bag of DE and sprinkle the powdery substance around the perimeter of your home, where it will act like a barrier to any invading centipedes. Boric acid can be applied similarly, to places like underneath appliances, in crawl spaces, and next to doors and windows.
Although not 100% effective and slightly slower than the more intense treatments, DE and boric acid are excellent green alternatives. Another outstanding and great-smelling solution is peppermint oil. Centipedes hate the aroma, and the oil is strong enough to burn them, so it is a great way to get rid of them.
You can spray peppermint oil and water onto centipedes to scorch and kill them. Mason jars with peppermint oil and water at key points on your property will also deter centipede infestation. Centipedes have very sensitive antennae, and it’s not just peppermint oil that repulses them; you can also use tea tree oil, lavender oil, or various citrus scents to keep the centipedes out.
Two other unusual choices are spices usually found in a chef’s seasoning drawer and not in an exterminator’s toolkit are cayenne pepper and cinnamon. You can even use the same spice jar you have in your kitchen. Just make sure to deter pets from eating it, although they aren’t naturally drawn to eat cayenne because of its strong odor.
If you’ve seen bite marks — two puncture wounds and localized tenderness and swelling — or seen live centipedes, you may be dealing with an infestation. If you inspect the dampest corners of your house in the dark of night and have run across centipedes, contact At Home Pros. We’ll connect you to the most trusted Pest Control service providers in your area to get rid of these venomous insects once and for all.
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