What do centipedes look like?

The adult centipede has a long, flat body that is segmented. On each body segment, you will find a pair of legs. Depending on their exact species and size these “hundred-leggers” typically have between 15 and 177 pairs of legs.

An interesting fact about centipedes is that no matter how many legs they have, the number of pairs will always be odd, meaning there are actually no centipedes with 100 legs!

Centipedes come in many different color patterns but most are brown or reddish orange in color. In order to paralyze their prey, the centipede is equipped with a pair of elongated mandibles, the first pair of which end in sharp claws which contain venom glands.

Are centipedes dangerous?

Centipedes are not considered to be a dangerous pest, they don’t cause any structural damages to homes and they pose no real health threats to people or pets.

Centipedes do have the ability to bite people, the bite is very painful and is likened to a bee sting; however, their venom is not strong enough to typically cause any reaction in a person and centipede bites are a pretty rare occurrence.

Why are centipedes in my home?

In most cases, centipedes are found living outside in dark, damp moist areas. Typical places where centipedes can be found living include underneath of landscaping ties, underneath of mulch, underneath of piles of wood and rotting logs, and underneath of rocks.

Centipedes usually find their way inside of homes while searching for food sources. Once inside, if they find that there are other insects living inside of your home to feed on and damp dark conditions for them to live in, they most likely will decide to stay.

How do you get rid of centipedes?

Due to their many hard to reach hiding spots and their nocturnal nature, ridding your home of nuisance centipedes can be a tricky and frustrating task and one that should be left up to the Service Professionals found at Spencer.

Spencer Pest Services will control centipedes and the insects that they are feeding on from your property with our year-round residential pest control. Our Service Professionals have the experience, dedication, and training needed to control centipedes in your home and prevent future problems with them.

Centipede prevention tips

In addition to implementing year-round home pest control program, there are several things property owners can do to prevent problems with centipedes. Centipede prevention tips include:

Seal gaps found in the foundation and exterior walls of your home.
Caulk gaps found around windows and doors; make sure that weather stripping is intact.
Make sure that door sweeps are placed on all exterior doors; especially basement doors.
Reduce humidity levels inside of your home by installing dehumidifiers, fixing leaky pipes, and make sure that crawl spaces are properly ventilated.
Keep logs, rocks and other organic material away from the exterior of your home or building to prevent centipedes from living near your home.