Lots of people are afraid of spiders. So imagine taking a bunch of large spiders, gluing them together in a line, and teaching them to run fast in unison. That is what you have with a house centipede, one of the largest pests we have here in the Greater Roseville area. These pests are mostly harmless to people, though they can bite, but they are both stressful to look at and a sign of a larger pest problem.
Professional pest control is the most efficient way to get rid of house centipedes. ADAPT Pest Management provides the option of bi-monthly pest control to remove all common insects, including centipedes, with affordable treatments performed by highly trained specialists. To find out more about how ongoing pest control works against centipedes, call us at 916-755-6555. We are based in the Roseville and Rocklin area, and serve Auburn, Lincoln, Sacramento, Citrus Heights, and more.
Identifying House Centipedes at Your Home or Business
It’s hard to mistake a house centipede if you have one in your home. These pests measure up to an inch and a half long with a long, flat body. Their legs are long, with 15 total pairs that move quickly together. In addition to the legs, there are also two long appendages in the back and two antennae on its head. These make the centipede look even larger and make it difficult to determine which is the front and back, a benefit for the centipede when it comes to chasing prey.
Centipedes are carnivorous and eat other insects you have around your home. They hunt at night using their legs and venom to capture and subdue prey. Their legs also help with hunting by allowing centipedes to travel at a speed of 1.3 feet per second. Inside homes or businesses, centipedes like spaces that are dark and damp. Common locations include kitchens and bathrooms where they can be found inside tubs or sinks making for some surprising interactions when you find one of these large bugs. They will travel to wherever insects are present, and you may find them anywhere in your home.
What Makes Centipedes a Pest?
Centipedes can technically bite and the front legs release a small amount of venom, so if you are bit by a house centipede it may hurt in ways similar to a bee sting. Luckily, the cases of one biting a person are rare. They would rather avoid humans altogether. Most bites would only occur if the centipede was picked up and handled, and those that do receive a bite typically experience no more than a small red bump that goes away after a few days.
House centipedes are also not damaging to your property or belongings, but between the numerous legs and the speed with which a centipede moves, many people have a natural dislike for having them inside their home. There are situations when their numbers can become extensive, which adds to your chances of coming across one.
Still, if it wasn’t for their appearance, house centipedes are actually one of the most beneficial pests to have in your home. They are voracious eaters and, unlike spiders, are happy to run around your home looking for new meals. They even eat bed bugs and other pests that are typically difficult to remove, and will help keep other pest populations that might be destructive at bay.
But that also represents the other problem with house centipedes: the presence of a house centipede frequently indicates another pest problem. House centipedes go where the food is, so if you’re finding them in your home, it means that you probably have other pests living indoors that could be more damaging or dangerous for your family. That means that not only are they difficult to look at, but they also mean that you could need immediate pest help for moths, roaches, silverfish, flies, and other common and more damaging pests.
How We Get Rid of Centipedes in Roseville
Because house centipedes are most often the result of another pest invasion, the pest control method must be comprehensive. Simply removing house centipedes will not fix the underlying issue, as more centipedes will return following treatment.
Instead, we use ongoing pest control that targets all pests, including house centipedes and their food sources. We do this through bi-monthly treatments in which we inspect your property and eliminate any pests that have emerged since the previous visit.
During the initial inspection at each visit, we search for the following to help us eliminate centipedes:
- Other Pests – Insects for the basis of a centipede’s diet. If you have an infestation around your home, we eliminate this first. This naturally prompts centipedes to go elsewhere for food.
- Areas with Excessive Moisture – Damp or poor draining soil, a pipe leak, a dripping faucet, or humid places like bathrooms are more likely to host centipedes. By removing sources of water from these areas, you can make your home less hospitable to centipedes.
- Potential Habitats – Outdoors, centipedes can hide in brush and wood piles. We can recommend treating these areas or removing them to keep house centipedes away.
While our ongoing pest control has no commitment on the customer’s part, it is most successful when we maintain a schedule of consistent visits. Centipedes are not a one-time pest as infestations can happen all throughout the year. Long term monitoring enables us to confront every threat, preventing centipedes before you even see them.
Get Started with Ongoing Pest Control
Despite being one of the most alarming-looking pests we handle, house centipedes are one of the safest. They don’t belong in your house, however, and we offer guaranteed removal so you don’t have to deal with them. Our services are the pest control solution of choice for residential and commercial properties dealing with centipedes and other pests throughout Placer County and Sacramento.
We are always happy to discuss our services, competitive rates, and advanced knowledge of local pests with you. We also want to know more about any pest challenges you’re experiencing in order to share how our techniques can meet your needs. Call us today to start the process with a scheduled service. We are based in the Roseville and Rocklin area, and are happy to travel around the region to places like Auburn, Lincoln, and more.