If the number of legs indicates how frightening a pest is, house centipedes are at the top of the list with their dozens of legs. They are also alarmingly fast and their preference for dark areas can lead to very unwanted surprises if you have house centipedes in your home.
Although these pests are helpful because they can consume other bugs that cause infestations, you still likely do not want to have them in your home. The best way to manage house centipedes is to prevent them from coming in in the first place.
House Centipede Prevention Steps
It is possible to remove house centipedes once they are inside, but it does often require professional pest control since centipedes are good at hiding, like to live in hard to reach areas, and are most active at night. Because centipedes are consuming other bugs, there is usually also a larger underlying pest problem that a pest professional can help with in addition to centipedes.
But waiting for professional pest control will often involve several startling encounters with house centipedes. Instead, most homeowners prefer to keep them out altogether. Some of the best ways to do this are by:
- Reducing Clutter – Both inside and outside your home, areas of clutter are ideal for sheltering the centipedes. This Includes overgrown vegetation, yard waste, and firewood. Inside, trash, boxes, newspapers, clothes, and belongings on the floor can hide centipedes.
- Repair Leaks – House centipedes need moisture to survive. Dripping faucets or leaking pipes can make an ideal location for centipedes. Rooms with poor ventilation where humidity might be higher, such as bathrooms or kitchens, can also harbor house centipedes. Fix any leaks around your house as soon as you notice them and increase ventilation in spaces around your home where moisture often accumulates.
- Block Any Openings – House centipedes squeeze into your home through small openings that develop around the exterior. You can find many of these openings with a regular inspection of your house, looking around the foundation, doors, windows, pipes, utility lines, and anywhere else small holes may develop. Seal up these holes with metal mesh or caulking.
- Use Regular Pest Control – Bi-monthly pest control visits will protect your home from house centipedes and all the different insects that they eat which may attract them into your home. When done by a professional pest control company, these treatments act as an invisible barrier around your home against pests.
Properties in Greater Sacramento that are experiencing an ongoing problem with house centipedes should work with a pest control company that recognizes the challenges each property faces. At ADAPT Pest Management can help you remove house centipedes from your home and get the number of them outside waiting to come in under control, leaving you with fewer problems in the future. Contact ADAPT Pest today to learn more about our pest control in Rocklin, Roseville, and Sacramento.
