Like spiders, centipedes are also very beneficial in your house because they eat more harmful insects like termites, roaches, bedbugs, and silverfish. Still, a centipede crawling on the floor near your bed is the last thing you want to see. Follow these tips to get rid of centipedes in your house.
- Squish or spray: Centipedes are not easy targets because their rigid bodies and numerous legs make them extremely fast. You can still kill centipedes though by stepping on them or using an object to smash them. The only drawback with squishing centipedes is that you’ll spread centipede guts on the floor. The alternative is to spray centipedes with insecticide to instantly poison them. These insects don’t normally invade homes in huge numbers. If you’ve already killed one or two centipedes in your house, then you probably have already solved your centipede problem.
- Trap them in a jar: Compared to other insects in your house, centipedes aren’t bad at all. If you don’t want to kill these poor creatures, just trap them in a jar and throw them outside. Make sure to throw them far away though, because they might find their way back into your house if there’s plenty of food there.
- Deprive them of food: The reason why centipedes are in your house is that there’s probably lots of food in there. Get rid of termites, cockroaches, bedbugs, spiders, and silverfish to deprive centipedes of food. Clean all areas where these insects might live and centipedes will certainly leave your house alone.
- Keep your home dry: Like many insects, centipedes also love moist environments. Centipedes will stay in your house as long as it has plenty of moist nooks and crannies. Clean damp basements, closets, and other spaces to discourage centipedes from living in your house. You may also use dehumidifiers to ensure that your house is really unattractive to centipedes and other pests.
- Set up sticky traps: Sometimes, a jar and a roll of magazines just aren’t enough to get rid of centipedes. If you want to catch several centipedes without moving a muscle, simply set up sticky traps wherever these insects hunt. You’ll also likely trap other insects like cockroaches, termites, and bedbugs through this method.
- Block entry points: Centipedes are tiny, so they can exploit small holes to get inside your house. Keep them outside by sealing cracks in your walls and foundation. Also, eliminate spaces around windows and doors and cover floor drains using a window screen. You can’t really seal your house, but the less holes in it, the less chance of seeing a centipede crawling on the floor.
- Get rid of leaf and wood piles: Basements, bathrooms, and crawlspaces are the favorite nests of centipedes when they live inside your house. Outside though, they prefer living under dead trees, dead leaves, and mulch. Get rid of leaf and wood piles around your house if you see them because centipedes usually nest in these places. You may bring an aerosol insecticide with you and just spray the pile to poison all insects leaving underneath it.
- Hire professionals: Centipedes won’t leave your house if they’re getting a lot of food from it. In this case, even if you kill two or three centipedes, many others will come out to hunt food around your house. Unless you find all their nests and exterminate them, your centipede problem will not be solved. If your centipede problem is this bad, then it’s best to hire pest control professionals to do the job for you. They have all the right equipment and knowledge to get rid of centipedes for good. Make sure though that your centipede problem is really serious before you call professionals, or you’ll just waste your money.
- Use diatomaceous earth: Diatomaceous earth is very effective against many kinds of insects, including centipedes. Although the substance is nontoxic, you should still wear a breathing mask and a pair of gloves when applying it around your house. Read the instructions first before using the product to avoid accidents. It works by abrading the protective coating of insects, causing them to die. You can purchase it through hardware stores for a small price.
- Try borax: Powder borax works very much like diatomaceous earth. It abrades the cuticle of insects, killing them. Sprinkle powder borax around basement floorboards because centipedes usually live in these places. You may also sprinkle borax in cupboards, along wall baseboards, or wherever you’ve seen a centipede crawling before. Get powder borax in the laundry detergent area of any department store.
Using Insecticides to Get Rid of Centipedes
If centipedes keep coming back to your house no matter what you do to keep them outside, then you may want to use insecticides to kill the creepy crawlers. Put powdered insecticide on places where centipedes might live, such as crawlspaces, underneath furniture, basements, cracks in walls, and piles of dead wood and leaf. You can't catch centipedes using baits because they usually chase moving prey. They would have to follow their prey across the powdered insecticide for them to get poisoned.
You can also use insecticides to prevent centipedes from crawling near your house. Coat the bottom part of your house with insecticide and spray the soil around your house with a residual insecticide. Do the same to your yard to discourage these insects from making nests in it. Be sure to spray your lawn and patches of mulch with insecticide, as centipedes can also live in these places. Keep in mind though, that all insecticides are temporary. Centipedes will keep on coming back to your house and yard as long as they are damp and filled with other insects.
If your centipede problem is minor, consider leaving these insects alone. They will leave your house once they've eaten pests, like termites and cockroaches. These creatures may look nasty, but they are your allies against more harmful insects that threaten your health.
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Pests And Diseases
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