How To Get Rid Of House Centipedes
HOW TO GET RID OF HOUSE CENTIPEDES
There are over 2000 centipede species worldwide. The house centipede is greyish – yellow with a slender flatish body. It has fifteen pairs of legs with a pair attached to each segment. Protruding from its rear tip are two long appendages and on its head two rather long antennae.
The two legs near the mouth carry venom. This is what they use to sting prey such as termites and Firebrats. These appendages on both ends confuse and deter predators because they find it difficult knowing which end is the back and which one is the head. The centipedes legs are not only for mobility, they can hold multiple prey using their legs. If any of their legs get stuck or caught on something they just pull them off and scuttle away.
House centipedes multitude of legs are not for show. They are very fast covering 1.3 feet within a second enabling them to overtake and grab their prey easily and on the other hand quickly escape from predators.
House centipedes are ferocious hunters going after prey that could pose a danger to them, sneaking up on them and stinging. Then sitting back and letting the venom work before feeding. They are mostly nocturnal hunters. They use their long extremely sensitive antennae to feel vibration and smell out potential prey. They are sensitive to light so during the day they hide in dark moist areas. In the home you’ll find them in bathrooms and basements.
House centipedes are not dangerous to people. They would rather not waste their venom on humans unless provoked.
During winter they will get into homes looking for warmth and food. Being rather narrow and small the house centipede will get in to the home through cracks in the walls, under doors, through damaged windows, striping and where utility pipes access the wall of the house.
Keeping centipedes out of your home
Set sticky traps placing them in areas that habour centipedes. Such as basements, under the sink and in bathrooms.
Remove all the clutter that can offer centipedes a hiding place.
Use a vacuum cleaner to rip the centipedes from their hiding place.
Dry out wet areas in your house. Without moisture centipedes can’t survive. Clean up damp areas and dehumidify them.
Put boric acid on pieces of paper and place them in high centipede traffic areas.
Spread silica packets in damp places around the home. This absorbs the moisture from both the ground and air.
Put compost bins, firewood and mulch away from the wall of the house and it’s perimeter.
Seal off all entry points including crevices in concrete foundations and gaps around windows and doors.
Seal gaps between walls with caulk.
Lay down a barrier of water resistant insecticide dust all around your house. Centipedes come from outside to enter your home and they will have to cross the insecticide barrier.
Get rid of all the pests that centipedes prey on. Without food they will leave or face starvation.
Conclusion
In as Much as centipedes are harmless to humans you don’t want them crawling all over the house.
