How to Get Rid of Centipede Infestation
The first day in our new house and as I am moving a left over sheet of sheet-rock out of my will-be-office, I notice something dead on the floor. Upon closer inspection, I realize it is a centipede!
The next day I am vacuuming the office and I find yet another dead centipede along the wall.
Noticing that all the centipedes I am finding are dead, I sleep well at night thinking that maybe the last owners of our new home sprayed for bugs and that is why I haven’t found any live ones.
A week later I am making our bed. As I shake our blankets out, something gets flung across the room and it hits the far wall. Not thinking much about it, I continue to make the bed. The out of the corner of my eye I notice the thing crawling at a fast rate of speed across the wall. I run to it and quickly identify it as a living centipede. Screaming for my husband now, he runs in and chases the monstrosity to a corner where he picks it up with tissue and disposes of it.
At this point I am so afraid of going to sleep that I log onto the net for some fast research about house centipedes. I find out that they are harmless to humans and most times they never even bite. When they do bite, it feels like a bee sting but it is not poisonous at all.
They can live up to 6 years old and they get about 2-3 inches long in most areas of the USA. Since I live in New Jersey I am assuming 2-3 inch long centipedes are a safe bet. The Southwest part of the US, the centipedes can get up to 6 inches long.
Centipedes live in dark, damp areas. Bathrooms, basements, and crawlspaces are favorites of these creepy crawlies. They feast on spiders, roaches, and other insects. Outside they live under dead leaves, dead trees, and mulch.
I get enough info to know who my new enemy is and how I should eliminate them. In the meantime, it is time for me to get to bed. As I am about to brush my teeth in the bathroom, I am talking to my husband about what I learned on the internet. In mid-sentence I look up and notice something scurrying down our hallway outside the bathroom door. It is going fast and I suspect it to be another centipede. A second later my dog runs after it and manages to corner it on the wall. My husband gets a tissue and picks this one up like the first. He looks at it, determines it is yet another centipede, and throws it down the toilet.
I cannot sleep. Tossing and turning all night. Afraid I will open my eyes to the sight of a long centipede or feel one crawling up my bare leg. I realize why we are being invaded by these creatures. The previous owners left a pile of dead leaves and wood against our house. According to the internet, that is centipede habitat. Something must be done.
After a fitful night of sleep, I wake up and tell hubby that before we do anything today, we are taking care of that wood and brush pile. In 90 degree heat for 45 minutes, my husband and I clear out the wood and leaf pile and throw it all on the far end of our wooded property away from the house. In doing so we managed to see several very large centipedes, a few fat spiders, lots of beetles, and two snakes. All living against the exterior wall of our bedroom.
According to some sources, chemicals like borax or insecticides such as Talstar and Demon WP are great ways of getting rid of centipedes and other unwanted pests. I have personally not tried any of those yet.
I only had a small arsenal of ant spray, wasp spray, and OFF! When the pile of wood and debris was cleared off I spent another 5 min spraying every type of bug spray I had. I don’t know if they did any good, but at least the centipede “nest” is now gone. Maybe they will find someplace else to live.
Once we get enough money, I plan to call a company like Terminix or Orkin to have this problem dealt with once and for all. Until then, I will be sleeping with one eye open.
Tips For A Centipede-Free Home:
1. Clear all wood and leaf piles away from your home.
2. Invest in a good pesticide. If you have pets and children and you would rather something less harsh, try looking into diatomaceous earth. It is a non-toxic, safe alternative made out of crushed fossils and marine life that is deadly to bugs but harmless to humans and animals.
3. Keep your house as dry as possible. Dehumidifiers work wonders at keeping your indoor air dry and they also deter centipedes from making your home their home.
4. Kill the food and the centipedes go away. Since centipedes live off of other bugs like spiders and roaches, keep your house free of all bugs by cleaning regularly and using insect spray when necessary. If centipedes don’t have food, they will go elsewhere.
5. If all fails, look into hiring a professional pest exterminator for the job.
