Centipedes

What do centipedes look like?

An adult centipede or a nymph has a unique and unmistakable appearance, even from a distance. Centipedes are flat bugs with 15 sets of legs and two antennae. Their leg joints rise higher than their body, and the legs shoot out to the sides, giving a centipede a comb-like appearance on each side. Dark lines run down the center of its thin, tan, worm-like body. There are dark bands on their bodies.

A centipede has three stages of development: egg, nymph, and adult. The egg of a house centipede is very small, and a female lays between 35 and 100 of them at a time—but you're not likely to ever see these eggs. Centipedes lay their eggs in dark, secluded spaces like wall voids. What you will see are the nymphs that emerge. A nymph looks like a tiny centipede, and because of its size, it can move about the interior of a structure quickly and efficiently.

What do centipedes eat?

They are predators with a varied diet. Some of their favorite dietary staples are beetles, spiders, and crickets. Their preference is for live prey, which makes these bugs beneficial to have around our homes. But you don't need to have them inside your home; they can do their job just fine outdoors.

Where do centipedes live?

Understanding the habitat preferences of centipedes is helpful because it is possible to alter conditions to reduce the number of centipedes on a property and thus reduce the risk of an indoor infestation. Here are a few common places you can find centipedes living and why:

• Underneath leaves: Centipedes love the damp conditions underneath leaf litter. This is also a great hunting ground for creeping pests.
• Underneath rocks: Centipedes crawl in rock cracks, as do many of the insects they eat.
• ‍Underneath and inside logs and brush piles: Centipedes are strongly attracted to decaying wood. They love the moisture, texture, and bugs that are available to eat.
• Underneath mulch: A layer of mulch will trap moisture and create a damp, dark place for centipedes and the crawling pests they eat.
• Around and on compost and in trash containers: Many insects are attracted to compost as a food source. Centipedes come to feed on these insects.
• In garden beds and landscaping: These two locations are alive with insect activity; they provide a veritable buffet for centipedes. Gardens are also watered on a routine basis.
• Under and inside junk piles: Many pests feed on decaying paper products or cloth. Centipedes find these things in junk piles.

Did you notice a theme? Moisture and available food sources are what motivate centipedes most. Controlling these factors can reduce the number of centipedes near your exterior.  

Are centipedes poisonous?

Most of the centipedes we encounter are house centipedes, and there is little to no risk of harm from them.

How do centipedes get inside?

Centipedes will exploit any opening, but they tend to get into homes in a few common ways. Here is a short list of ways centipedes can get inside:

• Centipedes target areas of wood rot where there is moisture to hydrate them and moisture pests to nourish them.
• Centipedes get in through gaps around plumbing as they search for food and seek places to hide from the hot sun, which can dry them out.
• Centipedes slide underneath doors that are missing sweeps or slip past damaged weatherstripping.
• Centipedes crawl through cracks in foundations.
• Centipedes get into homes through gaps in window frames. They are apt climbers, and a window frame void is a good hiding place.

The more centipedes you have near structures on your property, the higher the risk becomes of having them enter through these and other gaps, cracks, and openings.

How do I get rid of centipedes?

At Marathon Pest Control, we offer home pest control services that eliminate and prevent centipedes. Contact us today to find out how we can keep these bugs and other pests out of your home and off your property!

Can I prevent centipedes from getting into my house?

You have many options for keeping centipedes out of your home. It is essential to consider the facts provided on this page so you can take steps to counteract them.

• Keep your trash covered.
• Keep lights turned off at night or use yellow lights.
• Clean gutters and make repairs to your gutter system.
• Remove wood litter and store dead branches in a container.
• Keep grass and landscape plants trimmed.
• Address weeds.
• Rake leaves and remove plant clippings.
• Use caulk and expanding foam to seal gaps in your exterior.
• Replace weather-proofing materials.
• Repair damaged screens.

For added protection or to reduce the stress related to centipede control, contact Marathon Pest Control to learn about our year-round pest control service plans that include coverage for these multi-legged bugs. We can help.

‍