Chances are, you’ve seen one before—and it probably made you jump. With their long, slender bodies and what looks like hundreds of thin, twitching legs, house centipedes can be startling. They move quickly when spotted, darting across floors, up walls, or under furniture, their legs rippling as they search for a dark place to hide.
If you spot this occasional invader (known scientifically as Scutigera coleoptrata), the first thing you need to do is relax. The only way the house centipede is dangerous is if you happen to be another insect, such as a bed bug, cockroach, spider, termite, silverfish, or other pest. In fact, what you have there is a tiny exterminator that can help get rid of other pests. House centipedes like the cool, damp environment found in places such as Portland, Seattle, Spokane, and other parts of the Northwest. For more information about centipedes, see our centipede identification page.
House centipedes may look scary, but they’re more of a nuisance than actually harmful. However, it's worth contacting the experts if these critters have made their way into your home or business. If you need help controlling house centipedes around your property, call us today at 800-937-8398, or fill out the form below so we can get in touch.
The first thing you notice is that the house centipede has a lot of legs. The very name “centipede” hints at that since “centi-” means “hundred.” Although it looks like it has a hundred legs, the fact is that the house centipede has 15 pairs of legs. It also has two very long antennae on its head and two long appendages on its rear-end.
Most house centipedes are yellowish-gray and have stripes down the length of their body and across their legs too. Some common centipede characteristics include their elongated bodies, extremely long legs, and rapid, fluid movements. They typically grow to be about 1 to 1.5 inches long, although their legs make them appear much larger. Each time they molt, they grow more legs until they reach their adult form with 15 pairs.
There are several reasons for all of those legs. First, it helps make house centipedes very fast. Since they are both predators and prey, this helps out a lot. They can travel 1.3 feet per second, which means they can usually get away from predators and easily catch up to their intended meal. Second, those appendages, both fore and aft, mean it’s hard to tell which end is the front, which can actually deter predators.
Two of the house centipede’s legs, located right near the head and near the mouth, have been modified to carry venom. Technically, this means that house centipedes sting their prey rather than bite, but why quibble? Their venom is potent for smaller insects such as silverfish and termites. They are also capable of holding multiple prey in their legs, and if they get any of their legs caught, they can just break them off and scurry away.
House centipedes are active hunters, since they don’t build webs or traps. They seek out their prey and either use those legs to jump on the intended prey or wrap them around it in a technique that experts have come to call “lassoing.” Some observers have even noticed house centipedes using their legs to beat prey into submission.
If you have noticed an increase in the number of house centipedes in your home or business, it may be due to other pest issues. Contact us and discuss the problem, and get a free pest inspection with a local Western Exterminator pest control technician
If you have a problem with house centipedes, contact Western Exterminator for help.
House centipedes are nighttime hunters, mostly. As you can see from their head, they have two very well-developed eyes and, for an insect, have pretty decent vision. Despite this, it’s those long antennae that they use primarily for hunting. House centipede antennae are so sensitive that they can pick up smells, vibrations, and other tactile sensations. It’s like combining your fingers with a nose.
They are also very smart hunters. House centipedes are more than willing to go after prey that could actually be dangerous to them, such as wasps. They have been seen in the wild and in laboratories sneaking up on those types of insects, stinging them, using their legs to get away, and then waiting for the venom to take effect before moving in to feed.
House centipedes live much longer than many people expect: a house centipede can live for three years or more.
Some have even been known to survive up to five or six years under the right conditions. During their lifetime, they continue to molt and grow, becoming more active as they mature.
These critters prefer quiet, damp areas where they can stay hidden during the day and hunt at night. Indoors, they’re most often found in basements, bathrooms, crawl spaces, and closets, especially where there’s moisture and clutter.
Spotting a centipede in the bedroom is not unusual, particularly if the room is on a lower floor or has nearby moisture sources like an en-suite bathroom. You might also spot them near drains, behind baseboards, or inside boxes that haven’t been touched in a while.
Outdoors, they like to hide under rocks, logs, or piles of leaves before making their way inside through small openings.
If you live in an area of the world that gets harsh winters, you are more likely to find house centipedes in your home because that’s a nice warm place where it is likely to have access to a lot of food. Their eyes are very sensitive to light, so more than likely, they will find a place to hide during the day.
You are most likely to see house centipedes in your basements, bathrooms, and other areas that get wet and humid. It is also entirely possible for your average house centipede to live its entire life on the bottom floor of a building, eating insects and living its life undisturbed.
House centipedes are very crafty when it comes to getting indoors. They will seek out a place that is warm and where they can hide and seek prey. They will get in under doors, through cracks, and just about any opening. They are very small and narrow, so the space doesn’t have to be very big.
Need help with treating and preventing house centipede infestations in your home? Western Exterminator provides both residential and commercial pest control services. Click the button below to arrange an inspection.
The good news is that house centipedes, while startling when they come running at super-speed out from under the kitchen counter, are not considered dangerous to humans. While it is possible that one might bite a person, more than likely it would take picking up a house centipede and handling one for that to happen. They would much rather reserve their venom for food and humans just are not something on the menu.
If someone is bitten, more than likely it will just cause a reddish bump. People who are especially sensitive to bee stings and other insect bites and stings may need to see a doctor to make sure they don’t have an allergic reaction to the house centipede bite, but most people should feel no effects at all.
If you do not want to deal with house centipedes or are concerned about other pests around your home, contact us for a property inspection and evaluation from a Western Exterminator pest control technician.
It might be surprising, but house centipedes can actually be helpful in some cases. They feed on other common household pests like bed bugs, cockroaches, spiders, termites, and silverfish —often before you even realize those pests are there. In that sense, they act as a natural form of pest control.
However, their presence usually means there’s a steady supply of insects in your home, which points to a bigger issue.
And while they don’t damage property or spread disease, most people don’t want centipedes crawling around the house. So while they may do some good, they’re still not something you want hanging around for long.
To get rid of centipedes in your house, the key is to reduce moisture, seal entry points, and remove the pests they prey on. So, make sure that sweeps on doors are without holes and go all the way to the pavement. Ensure screens are fixed and that cracks in foundations are sealed.
If house centipedes are still showing up, it's likely a sign of a larger pest issue – and that’s where professional help makes the difference. Our pest control experts can inspect your home, find out what’s drawing them in, and offer a plan to remove house centipedes and the pests they’re feeding on.
If house centipedes are showing up more than you'd like or you’re unsure what’s drawing them in, Western Exterminator can help. Our team will inspect your property, identify what's attracting these pests, and recommend the right treatment to address the problem at its source.
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