Texas Centipedes - Info & Removal

What do centipedes look like?

When you see a centipede crawling across your floor, you have no doubt that it is a centipede because of its distinctive look. Centipedes look scary. Centipedes look like they can hurt you simply by touching your foot with one of its wiggling legs. Yikes! The distinctive features of a centipede are:

• Yellowish to dark brown or red, with or without stripes that run down the body and legs
• 15 to 177 pairs of legs
• Long, flat, segmented body
• 1/8 to 6 inches in length, depending on the species
• Two sensitive antennae
• Small mouths
• Two claw-like appendages (forcipules) near the mouth that can pinch and inject venom
• Forward facing head

Centipede Habitat

Centipedes can be found throughout the United States. Centipedes need moisture to survive so anywhere there is moisture around your home, centipedes are likely to be found. You are likely to see centipedes as they are out hunting insects to eat. Centipedes are driven by their need for food. Often, a good source of food for a centipede is inside your home where insects have taken up residence. When centipedes are not hunting, they will be resting in dark, moist areas in and around your home. Without moisture, centipedes cannot live long. In the right conditions, centipedes can live up to seven years. If you suspect you have centipedes in or around your home, here are some places to look:

• Under rocks
• Under wood piles
• Among leaf litter
• In cracks and crevices
• Inside floor drains
• Basements
• Crawl spaces
• Any high humidity area in your home

Don't Allow Centipedes In Your Home Or Business

Centipedes are flat creatures that are likely living in the well-watered flowerbeds around your home or business. Centipedes will strike out of their hiding place as they hunt for insects to eat. This hunt for insects will often find centipedes inside your home or business. Centipedes can enter your home or business through any unsealed door or window, a crack in the foundation, weep holes, vents, and around pipes. Once inside, centipedes like to hide in dark corners, cracks and crevices in the walls and under anything you might have on the floor. Basements are prime hunting grounds for centipedes since basements tend to be high moisture areas. Centipedes will also migrate towards bathrooms and kitchens as they hunt for food and places to hide since they can find moisture under sinks and in drains. Centipedes are hunters so will go where the insects are but they cannot live long in dry conditions.

Can Centipedes Cause Damage To Your Home?

Centipedes are a nuisance. There is no doubt about that. Centipedes are sinister looking. You are probably afraid of centipedes and you certainly don’t want centipedes in your home. While centipedes look scary, they do not damage your property. Centipedes have small pincers they use when hunting to catch and inject a poison to paralyze their victims. Most centipede species don’t have strong enough pincers to pierce human skin. If the pincers can’t pierce your skin, they can’t inject their venom. In fact, pets have been known to play with and eat centipedes without being harmed. Still, you don’t want to take any chances if you see a centipede crawling across the floor.

How To Control Centipedes

It is important to you that your family be safe. You don’t want your toddler getting bit by a centipede. You don’t want anyone in your family to be hurt so you do everything you can to make sure your home is safe. That includes taking care of any potentially harmful pests like a centipede. You want to be sure you have done everything you can to maintain control of pests in your home. You want to be sure there is no centipede crawling across the floor. If you do see a centipede inside your home, you know there are plenty more outside and you want them all gone. You don’t want any more centipedes making their way into your peaceful home.

How To Eliminate Centipedes From Your Home

Prevention is important when it comes to centipedes. There are things you can do on your own to eliminate an inviting environment for centipedes. Keep firewood stacked away from your home. Don’t let leaves, pine needles, or grass clippings pile up next to your home. Make sure gutters drain away from your home. Seal your doors and windows. Seal any cracks you can find in your home. Seal around pipes and vents. Control leaks in your kitchen and bathrooms. Use a dehumidifier in your basement.  Prevent other pests from living in your home so centipedes can’t find a source of food inside.  If you have waited too long to eliminate the moisture in and around your home or if other pests have invaded your home and you see a centipede, you will want to contact a licensed pest control professional to safely and effectively eliminate all centipedes from in and around your home. A licensed pest control professional knows exactly how and when to apply appropriate pesticides to stop the life cycle from continuing. A licensed pest control professional will become your best friend when he eliminates centipedes from your home.