Preventing and Eradicating Centipedes in the Home

Some varieties of centipedes can pose a hazard to your home. If you've been seeing more centipedes than you'd like, you should act now. A combination of treatment and prevention can help alleviate any centipede problems you may be experiencing.

Know Where They Live

Outdoors, centipedes are drawn to debris piles. Drifts of fallen leaves, overgrown garden beds, and piles of dead grasses will likely have a few centipedes dwelling in the detritus. Centipedes require moisture as well as organic matter to feed upon, which is why they are drawn to these areas.

Inside the home, centipedes are often found in dark areas, such as under appliances or inside cabinets. Dampness can make the issue worse, which is why you may find more centipedes in the basement than in a sunny bedroom. Utility rooms are another common place to find centipedes indoors, as are garages and sheds.

Know How They Get In

Centipedes get in primarily through small cracks in your home's exterior. These include cracks in foundation walls as well as cracks in the siding or trim. The opening only has to be a few millimeters wide for a centipede to squeeze through when they are seeking food and water.

A centipede can also get in around doors, especially if the threshold is wearing out or if there are gaps due to degrading weatherstripping. Although most centipedes get in primarily through ground-level entry, they can make their way in around windows that have gaps or screen tears. Wood rot, particularly around door frames, can also provide centipedes with an easy entry point. Once they get in, they may breed so that there are even more centipedes in your home.

/know How to Destroy Them

Fortunately, centipedes can be treated. The first treatment step is preventative. Make sure no brush or woodpiles sit within a yard or so of your home's exterior walls. Patch any cracks, replace the rotten trim, and make sure doors and windows are properly sealed with no gaps at all.

Your pest control service can perform a monthly exterior perimeter treatment of your home. This will effectively create a barrier around your home that centipedes won't survive to cross. If you already have centipedes, you may need one or two indoor treatments to eradicate the pests inside your home.

Contact a pest control service in your area if you are ready to eliminate centipedes in your home.