How To Get Rid Of House Centipedes
New Jersey is a perfect habitat for house centipedes to thrive in with all the moisture swirling around from lakes, rivers, ponds, and all the way to the ocean. House centipedes are long and extremely long-legged, toting anywhere from 15 legs, at least, all the way to 100 legs. They scurry on floors and on walls, leaving an impression that will take your breath away, and not in a good way. If you see one, there is a good chance you’ll let out a scream or two. House centipedes are so creepy.
How to Identify House Centipedes
House centipedes are undeniably identifiable by their never-ending legs. They have legs totaling 15 at the very least but certainly can have more. House centipedes are a pale yellow in color with brown streaks throughout. They also range from 1 to 1 ½ inches long, with some species of centipedes reaching up to 6 inches in length. House centipedes pretty much look like a worm surrounded with legs, which means they run really, really fast.
Female house centipedes will only lay eggs in the summer when it’s warmer. She can lay up to 35 eggs over several days in a moist, protected area within soil. It is very interesting to know that a female house centipede displays maternal instincts to protect her eggs by wrapping herself around them. Once the eggs hatch, the new house centipedes will molt many different times to rid themselves of the hard exoskeleton to make way for the new exoskeleton on their growing body until they reach their adult size. House centipedes can live up to an astonishing 5 years. House centipedes have a hearty appetite for other insects. They will eat all your other pests in your home, from spiders to cockroaches, crickets, and worms. When desperate, they will even eat other centipedes.
Typically, house centipedes will be found outdoors around places with high moisture levels, like in the woods, around trees, and under rocks. When seen indoors, house centipedes will hide in dark corners in basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, under sinks, and anywhere there is a hint of moisture. It is rare to spot one during the day since these creatures are only active at night but if disturbed, they will run like the wind under your feet. This makes for a good scare tactic and to make matters worse, with all the legs, you can’t tell the head from the back of a house centipede.
Entering Your Home and Prevention
House centipedes will sneak into your home through any crack or crevice they can find. That means your garage door, front door, or a basement door will be easy access points for centipedes to find their way in. Once inside, they will gravitate towards areas of water source and can even make their way into your drains in your shower or sinks. At night they will be most active and go on a hunt to find food of spiders and other insects.
House centipedes are not dangerous to humans because they do not spread diseases and they don’t bite humans unless you’re trying to handle one; then there’s a chance it could. The only way a house centipede would bite a human is if they were holding it and being rough. The roughness will trigger it to defensively bite you and inject venom that would feel about the same as a bee sting. House centipedes have small mouths but inside their mouths they have a pocket of venom that they use to subdue their prey so they can chow down. House centipedes are nature’s way of natural pest control solutions.
To prevent house centipedes from becoming your next roommate, it’s wise to place some barriers. Checking entry points around your home for even the slightest gap and modifying the area to be tightly secured is one way to prevent house centipedes from sneaking inside. Identify if you have any leaks and fix them, making sure to dry up all remaining water and checking for other insects in your home that house centipedes may find appetizing. An easy way to check and see if you have a bug problem is to lay around some sticky traps. When you check on the sticky trap the next day and it has several insects stuck to it, that is a big sign you have a bug problem on your hands.
Calling in the Professionals
Just because house centipedes are harmless to humans does not mean that you want to encounter their creepy presence. It is nice to know that they are helping remove other insects in your home but they don’t need to stick around. Professional pest control techs with Kapture Pest Control are ready to help you kick house centipedes to the curb along with all the other insects lurking around your home. Kapture has solutions that will effectively eliminate house centipedes along with assessing your home for sensitive areas where they can lurk or sneak inside. Reducing active moisture spots around your home will prevent house centipedes from calling your space, home. This is done by removing piles of leaves, piles of wood, and even piles of stone. At Kapture, we know this can be an issue within itself due to the high moisture habitats in the area so establishing a good, solid prevention plan is necessary. Solutions that only professionals carry may also be necessary to eliminate house centipedes since the New Jersey climate is often full of moisture. Also, seeing one or several house centipedes in your home is a good indicator that you have other insect problems as well. House centipedes will gravitate towards food sources over anything else, which also indicates they are all getting inside from somewhere. Replacing weather stripping on doors and windows is a quick fix that can provide protection from insect invasions. When all else fails, Kapture Pest Control readily awaits your call and will quickly put a stop to them all.
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