HOUSE CENTIPEDE CONTROL

House centipedes are usually about 1 to 2 inches long and have a yellowish-grey appearance. They have three dorsal stripes running down their length; the legs also have dark stripes. They have up to 15 pairs of very long legs, which enables them to reach surprising speeds of up to 1.3 feet per second running across floors, up walls and along ceilings.

House centipedes live both indoors and outdoors, and typically prefer to live in cool, damp places. Centipede respiratory systems do not provide a mechanism for shutting the spiracles and that is why they need an environment that protects them from dehydration and excessive cold. Most live outside, primarily under large rocks, piles of wood, and especially in compost piles. Within the home, these centipedes are found in almost any part of the house. Most commonly they are encountered in basements and bathrooms, which tend to be humid, but they can also be found in drier places like offices, bedrooms and dining rooms. The greatest likelihood of encountering them is in spring, when they come out because the weather gets warmer, and in autumn/fall, when the cooling weather forces them to find shelter in human habitats.

Centipedes are insectivores; they kill and eats other arthropods, such as insects and arachnids. They are mostly nocturnal hunters. Unlike most other centipedes, house centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed, faceted eyes. They have developed auto-mimicry in that their hind legs present the appearance of antennae. When the centipede is at rest, it is not easy to tell its front from its back. House centipedes can bite, however they are considered harmless to people.