Where do house centipedes normally live?

Habitat. Centipedes are found throughout the United States and the world. They are typically found in areas of high moisture, such as in rotting logs, under stones, in trash or piles of leaves/grass. When they invade homes, centipedes are most commonly found in damp basements, crawlspaces, bathrooms, or potted plants.


Where do house centipedes live in your house?

Centipedes feed on home-invading species like cockroaches and spiders, so an abundance of prey often lures these pests into homes. Residents may find centipedes in cement block walls, boxes, clutter on the floor, or floor drains. The warmth and safety of a heated home may also attract centipedes inside to reproduce.

What attracts centipedes in your house?

Inside your home, they are attracted to cool, dark, damp places that are rarely disturbed. They are attracted to moisture and can often be found near food sources. They like to hide out in cement block walls, boxes, clutter on the floor, floor drains, on or near plants, leaky faucets, leaking hoses, and broken gutters.


Where do house centipedes stay during the day?

During the day, house centipedes hide in dark or moist locations and wait to find prey until night falls. House centipedes love to eat a variety of household pests including silverfish, firebrats, carpet beetle larvae, cockroaches and spiders.

Where do house centipedes go at night?

Centipedes are most active when temperatures get above 50°F. During the day, they will hide in damp, dark areas. At night, they will come out to hunt for food. If they are indoors, they might run toward you or up a wall when you enter a room and turn on the light, but don't worry!


Why You Should Not Kill House Centipedes



What season do house centipedes come out?

Centipedes are beneficial to the control of other insects, which may be a good reason to keep them around. The most likely time of year to see centipedes in your home is in the spring or fall.

Should I leave house centipedes alone?

House centipedes won't harm people or homes.

Unlike moths, they won't destroy clothing or furniture, and unlike ants, they won't wreak havoc in your pantry. While their cousins, millipedes, are herbivores that feed on wood, the house centipede is a carnivore that feasts on other insects.

Does one centipede mean more?

However, if you see one centipede, there's a good chance there are more nearby. Centipedes can range in color from yellow to dark brown. Although their name suggests they have 100 legs, in reality, they can have up to 177 pairs of legs. Fun fact: centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs.


What month do centipedes come out?

Although there is no set season for millipedes and centipedes, they do come out in large numbers twice per year: in the spring when they lay eggs and in the fall when they prepare to overwinter. Preventing centipedes and millipedes can be accomplished with these tips: Remove their hiding places.

How do you know if your house is infested with centipedes?

Seeing Centipedes Inside

The most common sign of a centipede infestation is seeing them in your home. Centipedes are yellow to dark brown with elongated bodies, about 1″ to 1-1/2″ in length. They also have dark stripes running down their backs.

Should I be scared of house centipedes?

Thankfully, house centipedes are frankly too afraid of humans and do not actively seek them out as any sort of prey. So don't panic; you and your family have nothing to worry about. However, larger species of house centipedes can bite if they feel threatened, especially when roughly handled.


Does killing a centipede attract more?

Even if you remove the dead centipede, you still have to clean up the fluids. The internal fluids can attract other insect-eating creatures and centipedes. If you kill a centipede using DE and leave it there, then other carnivorous insects would be attracted to it.

Do centipedes like clean houses?

Because food, protection and moisture attract centipedes in homes, control starts with creating dry, clean conditions. Seal cracks, holes and gaps in the foundation or around doors where centipedes might gain entry inside the house.

How long do house centipedes last?

Centipedes have long lifespans.

The common house centipede can live for more than a year, while other species have been know to live for as long as 5-6 years. This lifespan is considered long among arthropods. Check out the Centipede Pest Guide to find some more centipede facts and learn about centipede prevention.


What kills centipedes instantly?

What kills centipedes instantly? If you need to get rid of centipedes instantly, you'll need to rely on an insecticide. Look for spray insecticides that contain bifenthrin or cypermethrin, two chemicals that kill centipedes with a single spray.

Do centipedes lay eggs in houses?

Unlike many pests, house centipedes will reproduce and lay eggs indoors, so it's especially important to address infestations quickly. Centipedes hunker down in wood piles, concrete slabs, boxes, wall openings, drains, crawl spaces, and other damp, warm places.

What repels house centipede?

Tea tree oil or Peppermint oil are overwhelming to centipedes. Add 25 drops of either essential oil into a spray bottle with 6 ounces of water. Spray around door frames, windows, small cracks and basement doors. Repeat once a week to keep centipedes away.


Do centipedes like air conditioning?

First, centipedes need a humid environment to survive and thrive. Without lots of humidity they will dry up and die. Knowing this there are a few things you can do right away: Inside, crank up the air conditioning and use dehumidifiers to dry them out to make your home less hospitable to these foul creatures!

How many house centipedes is too many?

While one or two centipedes in the basement may be acceptable, several more crawling around your bedroom and bathroom are not. We'll explain more about centipedes, when you should be concerned and the best strategies for dealing with them.

What to do if you find a house centipede?

To get rid of centipedes in your home, thoroughly clean damp areas of your house, like the basement, bathroom, or attic and remove their hiding places. You can kill centipedes you find with Ortho® Home Defense Max® Indoor Insect Barrier with Extended Reach Comfort Wand®.


Do house centipedes go away in the winter?

Centipedes do not hibernate. During the cooler months, they find a sheltered location to live, which could be your home – especially if other insects have the same idea. As the weather warms, they become more active.

What do baby house centipedes look like?

Baby centipedes are almost identical to adult centipedes. Whether fully grown or recently hatched, all centipedes have a similar flat, oval shape. Regardless of age, the insect's body is brownish-yellow in color with black stripes down the back.

Do centipedes chase you?

And while a centipede dinner may not sound as appealing as turkey, there's usually a leg for everyone. 4. A centipede won't chase you around the room, the way most mosquitoes will. But, given the opportunity, they can (and will) bite you.


Do house centipedes serve a purpose?

But like almost every other bug out there, this particular bug does have a purpose. And yes, that purpose is actually good. House centipedes are known for killing pests in your house that are completely unwelcome. They kill roaches, moths, flies, silverfish, and termites.

What eats house centipedes?

What Eats Centipedes and Millipedes? Centipedes and millipedes that make their homes outdoors are prey to shrews, toads, badgers and birds, including domestic chickens. Ground beetles, ants and spiders may also hunt young millipedes and centipedes.