While it’s common for people to be creeped out by bugs or spiders, scolopendrphobia is a phobia you likely have but never heard of. It’s the fear of centipedes, perhaps the creepiest crawlie out there.
But beyond the sheer disgust factor, should you worry about these common pests?
Let’s take a look at how to eliminate these mini monsters, as well as how to keep them away. Then we’ll get to know centipedes a little better and discuss whether they’re actually more friend than foe.
Getting Rid of Centipedes
The good news is that there are quite a few inexpensive and simple ways to eliminate these critters. Let’s look at them from most to least effective:
Pesticides
When properly used, pesticides can be one of the most effective ways to eliminate centipedes. Look for products containing pyrethrins or other ingredients specifically labeled for centipede control. Apply according to label instructions, focusing on baseboards, corners, and entry points.
These three products work quite well against these critters and your local pest control companies will likely use the same:
Many modern pesticides are formulated to be both effective and relatively safe when used as directed. Just be sure to thoroughly clean any residue from surfaces once the treatment is complete, and keep kids and pets away from treated areas during application and drying time.
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Diatomaceous Earth
One of our favorite remedies, food grade diatomaceous earth (or DE for short) is a fine dust made from the crushed microscopic fossils of diatoms. Harmless to humans and pets (but try not to breathe it in regardless), the sharp edges feel like walking on broken glass to critters of insect size. It cuts through the protective wax coating of their exoskeletons, causing them to die of dehydration soon a day or two later.
To use, simply sprinkle it where you know the centipedes hang out. Focus on entry points like door thresholds, window sills, and utility penetrations. You can also create a barrier around the perimeter of rooms.
You’ll need to reapply every couple days or after the area gets wet. When no longer needed, vacuum it up (or let the rain remove it if outside).
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Boric Acid
You can sprinkle some boric acid along baseboards or other places centipedes may travel. It will damage their exoskeletons and, if ingested, eat away at their insides.
For best results, apply a thin, even layer in dark corners, under appliances, and along wall edges where centipedes commonly travel. Be warned, boric acid should be kept away from children or pets, so use with care.
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Glue Strips
These sticky traps are similar to fly strips but can be placed on surfaces. When the centipede crawls onto them, their legs get stuck and they either starve or suffocate.
Place them along walls, in corners, and near potential entry points like pipes and vents. Be careful to keep these away from children or pets, unless you want to deal with a sticky bath time.
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Natural Predators
Consider encouraging natural centipede predators in your yard, such as birds and lizards. Installing bird feeders or creating a bird-friendly environment can help keep outdoor centipede populations in check. Just be sure to maintain these features away from your house to avoid creating new pest problems.
Vacuum
If you’re quick, you can simply suck one up in your vacuum cleaner. The powerful suction usually prevents them from escaping, and most centipedes won’t survive the turbulent journey.
Just be sure to dispose of the bag or canister contents after so they don’t climb back out. For extra security, you can sprinkle some diatomaceous earth or boric acid into the vacuum bag before disposal.
Preventing Centipedes
Prevention is the best medicine, but to deter centipedes, you must first also prevent potential food sources. Let’s go over some common prevention methods. After, we’ll look at some ways to repel these creepy pests.
Common Methods
Centipedes seek four things: food, water, shelter, and darkness. By eliminating these things, you’ll take away any reason for them to visit.
Clean the Yard
Rock piles, leaf litter and grass clippings, tall grass, and other debris are perfect hiding spots for outdoor centipedes and their prey. Keeping a clear yard and tidy garden is one of the most basic yet important ways to control bugs.
Rake leaves regularly, remove dead plant material promptly, and store firewood at least 20 feet from your house. Consider replacing mulch near your foundation with gravel, which provides less shelter for pests.
Remove Leaks or Standing Water
Excess moisture is a huge draw to all sorts of bugs, including those on the hunt. Check to ensure you don’t have any leaky pipes or other sources of moisture indoors. Pay special attention to under-sink areas and basement walls. Use a dehumidifier for your basement, if needed, and aim to keep humidity levels below 50%.
Outdoors, fill any divots that tend to form puddles when it rains, and ensure your gutters and downspouts direct water away from your foundation.
Seal Potential Entry Points
Entry points can be anything from cracks and gaps in your siding to holes in your window screens or gaps around door and window frames. Be sure to caulk or seal any places these tiny critters might slip in and repair any broken screens.
Focus especially on utility entry points and foundation cracks. Indoors, you may wish to also seal any gaps beneath baseboards that allow access to inside the walls, using appropriate caulk or foam sealants.
Trim Plants
Keep a dead zone around your home of at least six inches where there are no plants. Trim back bushes and tree branches that touch your house, as these create bridges for pests.
A perimeter insecticide can also help deter bugs from trying to cross the gap to get to your home.
Repellents and Deterrents
While these two categories are similar, repellents tend to be more scent-based while deterrents can be physical or visual, such as a fence or a decoy. The following will work on a wide range of pests, including centipedes.
Salt
While generally non-lethal, a lot of bugs prefer to avoid salt. Its ability to absorb moisture and the general discomfort of walking on it works surprisingly well.
However, use salt with caution as it can damage flooring materials indoors and kill plants, grass, and soil organisms outdoors. It’s best to limit salt use to non-organic indoor areas like concrete basement floors or behind appliances where plant and material damage isn’t a concern.
Strong Scents
One of the most common forms of repellent is the use of plants or essential oils that have a strong scent. This includes peppermint, tea tree oil, garlic, or various citrusy scents including lemongrass and citronella.
These smells are all pleasant to humans, but they overpower a bug’s ability to smell chemical trails or food, causing them to avoid the area. For best results, apply these scents near entry points and known travel paths.
Of course, a desperate critter won’t be deterred by mere smells. Also, unless you’re using a living plant, you’ll need to reapply the scent every few days or after it rains.
Will Light Deter Centipedes?
Light is a bit of a catch-22. While a centipede will run from light, moths and other common prey will be attracted to it. Thus, in the process of scaring off the hunter, you’ll end up making its hunting ground even more attractive.
Getting to Know Centipedes
The average person knows very little about these critters, which is a shame. There’s no way to stop them from being ugly, but there are several aspects that at least earn them some respect.
We’ll mainly focus on the house centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) here, but most of this info will apply to other species as well.
What Are Centipedes?
Centipedes are myriapods, a type of arthropod with multiple body segments. They have a pair of legs per segment, plus forcipules, pincer-like appendages to inject venom into their victims.
They are extremely nimble, evading obstacles as they run. A house centipede can travel as fast as 1.3 feet per second! Thankfully, that species only lives a little over a year while some other species can live up to six years.
Their body length can range from .16 inches all the way up to eight inches, although most species are four inches or smaller, and house centipedes are most often one to 1 1/2 inches long. However, a centipede’s hind legs and forcipules make them look much longer.
Don’t Believe the Name
The word centipede means “100 feet”, but this isn’t actually the case. House centipedes only have 15 pairs of legs (or 30 legs) while other species have more. The record number so far is 177 pairs of legs.
Habitat
Centipedes are nocturnal, and can usually be found anywhere that’s dark and damp. In nature, this includes caves, woodlands, swamps, or under tocks and debris. They’re especially fond of firewood piles (which is why proper firewood storage is so important for pest control).
House centipedes will most often seek out basements, kitchens, or bathrooms where there’s excess moisture or humidity. Not only do they need a source of water to survive, but these places also serve as ideal hunting grounds.
A female will lay around 35 eggs in a sac during the summer. The sacs are laid primarily in dark, damp places. Much like the infamous video game, hatchlings will start off with only four pairs of legs but gain new segments every molting until they reach adulthood.
Diet
Centipedes are avid hunters and actively seek out insects, arachnids, and other arthropods. They have no problem attacking a black widow, but their venom is mostly harmless to humans.
Do Centipedes Bite?
Yes, they can bite if threatened. For American species, the bite is about as bad as a bee sting. However, the bite can also lead to severe allergic reactions in some individuals.
If bitten, be sure to clean the wound immediately and seek medical treatment if you have any reaction.
I Saw a Centipede. Do I Have an Infestation?
Thankfully, infestations are rare. Centipedes tend to be solitary, and only the house centipede will breed indoors. Thus, if you see one and eliminate it, the chances of spotting another are rare.
That said, try not to simply squish it. Many bugs are attracted to the pheromones that escape when another bug is crushed, so you could be inviting trouble.
SHOULD I Get Rid of Centipedes?
The simple truth is that centipedes are a symptom, not the problem. They’ll be present where there’s a viable food source, meaning you likely have an infestation of some other critter such as roaches.
If you can deal with their appearance, they can be useful allies, keeping spiders or other bugs from taking over your home. But beyond that, there’s no reason to keep them around.
Centipedes vs Millipedes
While closely related, these two critters are somewhat easy to tell apart. Unlike centipedes, millipedes have two pairs of legs on each segment, no forcipules, and their heads are turned downwards. They feed on fungi and rotting plant matter.
The giant millipede, a popular pet, can grow to around the size and thickness of a sausage or hot dog and has much shorter legs relative to its body size.
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