When you observe a house centipede moving around your house, hunting for a hiding spot beneath the baseboard molding or making a dash for the kitchen cupboards, it can be a little unsettling. Nobody wants these multi-legged creepy crawlers to be unwelcome guests in their home.
They’re also difficult to catch. House centipedes have 15 pairs of legs and can move at 1.3 feet per second, which is much faster than it sounds for such a small creature. Despite their speed, you might be tempted to catch up to them and squish them with your shoe if you encounter one. However, you might want to reconsider murdering that centipede.
Never, ever kill a house centipede.
A centipede, like nearly every other bug, serves a purpose. Continue reading to see why you might want to keep them around.
Where Do Centipedes Live?
You’ve undoubtedly seen them previously in your firewood pile and under rocks in the yard. House centipedes like wet, colder environments. It’s also typical to locate them under piles of leaves. They use a similar strategy indoors. Look for them in the garage or basement. They’ll also creep into restrooms.
What Do Centipedes Eat?
House centipedes are well-known for eliminating the most undesirable pests in your home, including cockroaches, moths, flies, silverfish, and termites. Centipedes scoop up the bug with the two legs closest to their head, which contain poison. This is a “lassoing” technique in which a centipede pounce on its target and wraps it around with its numerous legs.
House centipedes not only eliminate the pests you don’t want in your house, but they also don’t build nests or webs. They are called active hunters because they are always on the lookout for their next prey. Centipedes aren’t consuming your wood or bringing a deadly disease. House centipedes just want to hunt bugs.
How to Get Rid of Centipedes in Your Home
Don’t be in a hurry to get them out of your house. Keep in mind that they can be beneficial. If you prefer them to remain outside, just follow a few easy guidelines.
The answer to permanently removing home centipedes is to remove their food source.
Get rid of the domestic pests that they prey on. You can accomplish this by ensuring that there is no excess moisture in your walls by using a dehumidifier or placing a fan in the bathroom.
Seal any entry points into the house to prevent pests from laying eggs.
Clear out any debris that may be allowing moisture to leak into your walls.
How to Keep House Centipedes Away
After you’ve made these centipede-removal improvements, follow these 26 pest-controlling tips in and around your home to ensure you never come across one of those frightening-looking house centipedes again.
