How to Get Rid of Centipedes in My House

Although they are not dangerous, the appearance of a centipede in your home can be disturbing. With their total legs ranging from 20 to 300 depending on the specific species, they can appear quite menacing. Luckily, treating an infestation of centipedes in your home is easy to do. By following a few simple steps, you can quickly control a centipede problem for little money and in the process treat other insect problems in your home.

Kill or capture centipedes when you see them. Usually centipedes do not infest your home in large quantities so the ones you see may be the whole problem. To kill them you can either use a bug spray or simply crush them with your shoe. Another option is to catch the centipede in a paper cup and throw it outside or down the toilet. You should be aware that centipedes move very quickly, so be prepared to move quickly yourself.

Get rid of potential food sources. Centipedes eat other arthropods and insects. Contact an exterminator to treat other pests in your home and remove the prey of the centipedes. It is usually not necessary to spray specifically for centipedes. When you remove their food source, they will generally move on. If you want to treat other insects yourself, consider using boric acid which is a natural pesticide. There are also other natural foggers and pesticide sprays available commercially. These will kill most other household insects as well as the centipedes.

Remove excess moisture from your home. Centipedes need moisture to survive. Set up dehumidifiers in your home. Also treat leaking pipes in your bathroom and kitchen.

Set up insect traps, such as sticky traps, around your home. These traps have a sticky surface that will trap the centipede's legs when it runs across them. You can then dispose of the traps.

Seal off all entrance points. Replace broken window screens and use caulk to seal cracks around windows and doors. Cover floor drains in your basement using pieces of window screen. Removing the entry points for centipedes will prevent more centipedes from entering your home once you have successfully treated your infestation.