House Centipede Control: Don’t Let Them Control You
January 2nd, 2010 Posted in Centipedes & Millipedes 
They almost look like something out of a science fiction movie—a creepy crawly bug with tons of legs.
But these creatures are no alien to your home.
This article will tell you more about centipedes, including:
Meet the centipede
What does a centipede look like?
There are hundreds of species of centipedes. They are pretty similar, however. No centipede actually has 100 legs, though the name and their quick movements suggest otherwise. Centipedes are made up of segments, and each segment has a pair of legs. The front pair of legs are used to poison prey with a unique venom, usually small insects like ants. The venom isn’t poisonous to humans, but a bite can be painful and last for several days.
Centipedes generally live outside in moist areas, like compost piles or piles of decaying leaves. But there is one species that is slightly different from others in appearance and habitat- the house centipede.
What is a house centipede?
A house centipede is grayish-yellow in color and has three dark stripes on its body. It has much longer legs than a typical outdoor centipede, giving it a slightly creepier appearance. Don’t worry though, they may make your skin crawl but they probably won’t bite you. Some house centipedes can’t even puncture human skin because their mouth parts are too small.
House centipedes come indoors to avoid weather. They have fifteen pairs of legs and small rings of white and black around their legs. They are approximately one inch and length and very fast. If you catch one out of the corner of your eye, you might mistake it for a spider.
You’ll usually find house centipedes in kitchen cupboards, basements, bathrooms, and crawl spaces, since they like dark places. If you notice a house centipede in your home, don’t fret! There are ways to get rid of them.
How to control house centipedes
Control begins with prevention:
Make sure you eliminate small insect problems like silverfish or ants. Centipedes prey on smaller insects, so getting rid of them eliminates their food source and attraction to your home.
Also, keep your house dry. Centipedes love moist, dark places, so a basement flood aftermath is their dream scenario.
Sealing cracks in your walls and foundation will also keep centipedes out. Cut out the access to your home, no centipede problem.
If you do have a centipede problem, control it:
Controlling a centipede problem starts with killing them on site. Yes, they’re fast and might give you the willies, but if you kill a centipede when you see it then you might have eliminated a further problem. Unlike ants and other household pests, centipedes don’t invade in large numbers.
Setting sticky traps is a good way to discover the breadth of the problem. If you set sticky traps and catch multiple centipedes, they have probably started invading your home.
This leads you to the final line of defense: insecticides. Once you discover that you have a problem with multiple centipedes, you’ll want to pick an insecticide to control them. Centipedes aren’t attracted to bait because they prey on insects, so you’ll want to spray insecticide along the base of walls and other places where centipedes enter your home. This will kill them and keep them from reproducing.
Try EcoSMART Ant and Roach Killer. Despite its name, Ant and Roach Killer works on many crawling insects, including centipedes. It’s safe to spray along the walls of your home because its completely natural and won’t harm children or pets. It’s made from plant oils like peppermint and cinnamon, so it smells great, too!
30 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By Kimberly on Jan 8, 2010
Hey… we live in a 100 year old house and we currently have fleas, centipedesd, spiders, stinkbugs, mice, 3 cats, 1 dog, and a 6-month old!!! Help! we’ve been putting off treating because we want to do it naturally. Glad I found this website!… But now I am getting bit by the fleas and I am allergic,… found a flea on the baby’s ear…. They must go immediately!!! AAAAAHhhh!
By Kim on Feb 28, 2010
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every year that it starts to get above 40 degrees, my eyes are peeled and my skin crawls with just the thought of these house centipedes!! I HATE these things! I have a kitty and a dog and have been afraid to use “pesticides” because of them. But these buggers have to go.. as well as the HUGE spiders that appear later in the summer. THe spiders are so bad that you cannot walk around in the yard from June to late fall. Their webs are so big as well as the spider that you get smacked in the face. They invade my porch with up to 6 or more huge, and I mean huge webs. Last year I was going to put my coffe in the micro and I almost had a heart attack when I saw one and its huge web in my dining room!!!! It must have come in thru the air conditioner. I NEED HELP…. I tried soaking cotton balls with peppermint oil and leaving the balls stuffed in cracks and running the oil itself around the edges of my counter top for the house centipede problem. Not working.. we got a humidifer for the basement that runs 24 hours a day.. helps a little till its a humid day. I am desperate, the house centipedes show up in every room in the house on every floor in the house.. If your product works and is safe for the cat too, as I read peppermint oil is toxic to cats, I will buy a case of the stuff!!
Need all your help in Connecticut..
Kim
By EcoSMART Megan on Mar 1, 2010
Dear Kim,
Yikes, you’ve tried a lot to get rid of these things! If you are already following the suggestions in this article, time to try pesticides.
The Ant and Roach Killer is best and 100% safe to use around your cats. Just don’t let them ingest it.
Good luck!
By Michael on Mar 22, 2010
We are getting centipedes in our house now every spring, spiders all year round and those orange lady bug looking things in the fall. We have 2 children and a cat so we’re leary of using anything, but my wife wants them gone because they “creep her out”. Any help would be great, especially if it won’t hurt the kids, the cat or us!
By Brett on Apr 26, 2010
I use this stuff, and it does a fairly good job of keeping these vile creatures out of the house. The draw back is I have to do it every 1.5 – 2 weeks. Sealing up entrances is also a good strategy.
This brand atually does work on bees to a point as well. I sprayed it on a hole bees are using to get inside my home, and they wouldn’t go in.
I would use this over the chemical kind any day.
By Chelsey on May 2, 2010
We recently moved into an older home split into 3 apartments and last month, my fiancee found a centipede in the bathtub!!! Then last week, another in the kitchen sink!!! Then today, as I was climbing into the shower, one was on the shower curtain! I ran out screaming! He killed it and on my way back into the bathroom (after working up the courage to be in there again) I saw another one! I am sick over it. I hate them to be around and I am afraid to sleep tonight or ever! We left for a while today, but as soon as we came back, I was scared out of my mind again! We would LOVE to try this product!
By Matt on May 15, 2010
We have house centipedes during the summer months. I’ll walk out into the living room in the pre-dawn morning and out of the corner of my eye I’ll see a dark form on the wall or ceiling. I can’t stand the things. (I’m trying not to look at the photos of them on this website.) Like others, we have small children, so using sticky traps isn’t an option unless the location is very inaccessible. We also want to avoid sprays that may harm the house’s non-insect residents. I don’t mind the fact that we have a few centipedes, as long as they stay out of sight. When I see them, I try to muster the courage to kill them, although they’re usually out of reach (and they make a mess when smashed). I’d really like to get rid of them, as well as the other insects that we see on occasion.
By Maria Walker on May 15, 2010
I live in Hawaii and we have very large centipedes here. we are starting to see them in the house and are looking for ways to get rid of them- their sting is more painful than a bee sting. this stuff sounds excellent since we won’t use any pesticides anywhere on our property.
By Missy on May 15, 2010
I have a problem with tiny black ants every year now for the past 7 years, plus I am getting a lot of spiders and now I am noticing centipedes too. I have 3 cats that bat them around and when I can catch them I throw them outside. I don’t want them in my house and I worry that my cats might eat them or get bitten by them and get sick. I also, have a canary and fish so I have to be very careful as to what I use. I would love to be a tester and try your product out. I want to avoid dangerous spray and love the fact that your product is natural. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me.
By Ann-Marie Chok on May 20, 2010
For the past month i have been experiencing some centipedes.I live in Jamaica and my house is unfinished which makes it worse.i have a baby and he doesn’t know about centipedes and i
am afraid that he will play with them and get stung.i would love to try out you product to get rid of them.please give me further information for this product.
By Teresa Pavoldi on May 23, 2010
I’m so happy to know we’re not alone! I dread the warm weather and the appearance of these horrible creatures in our home. It used to be we would see a few a season, but now, since we had a pipe burst in the basement, it’s almost nightly. I woke up to my 19 year old screaming last night – she saw 3 of them in the bathtub! I cannot describe how much we hate them. I’m off to buy sticky traps, but would love to try your product as well. We can’t use chemicals because my daughter is ill. Thanks so much!
By Brandi on May 24, 2010
We started getting these horrible looking centipedes in our house when the weather started warming up. I usually see them in our downstairs bathroom and in the den. I have been looking for something we can use that is safe and not harmful to my 3 children and our cat. I have heard some good things about Ecosmart products and am looking so forward to trying it and even more hopefully getting rid of these creepy looking bugs. Thanks You in advance!!!
By MONICA on May 26, 2010
last night my husband woke me up to ask me a question and there was this centipede on the bed(an air mattress on the floor) i have not seen any of these creatures before inside. ihave seen them outside but this was inside upstairs, is this common? also this was not the normal silver centipede you see inside.
By EcoSMART Jocelyn on May 29, 2010
Hi Monica,
Finding a centipede in your home is unfortunately common. House centipedes enter the home to avoid bad weather and scurry around in usually dark places.
EcoSMART’s Ant and Roach Killer takes out most crawling insects, including centipedes!
By Nancy Jay on Jun 11, 2010
This is a very icky creepy story of a centipede in my bed. I live in an old house in Albuquerque. I had seen an occasional centipede in the house and had usually “drowned” them in that horrifying Raid stuff. One night I was dreaming about being waxed on my legs and then on my arms. As I was dreaming this I must have awakened to that in between state and I tried to scratch at the tweezing feel of my dream. Then I felt a very big “tweezing” feeling up around my shoulder so I swept my hand on my shoulder area and felt something there. I awaked to see I had just flicked off a HUGE 6 inch (yes I measured him after I had finally killed him). Of course I jumped out of bed and then had the horrifying task of getting him out of my sheets. Once that was accomplished I had to quickly find something with which I could chase him around the room and finally cornered him in my closet. I drowned him in Raid and then took a photo with a ruler added to prove to my family that I had indeed had this experience. I did suffer a big red welt on my clavicle and I don’t sleep in that room anymore! A nontoxic and better smelling alternative would be great. I’d love to be a tester for you.
By Amanda on Jun 30, 2010
hey everyone, i get house centepedes everywhere! and they are rally annoying and scary.im scared my dog might eat one. im so worried!
anyhow i would so try your product!
By Joe on Jul 2, 2010
I quite literally just found this site after killing a 3 inch long centipede in my bed. I was reaching to turn the light off and felt something odd on my leg. I lifted up the comforter and there it was, scurrying off my leg and trying to escape under more bedding. I grabbed the tv remote and managed to smash it (I don’t normally like to kill anything but was pretty freaked out considering its size and that it was IN MY BED). I can pretty much forget falling asleep now, haha. I have seen one or two in my basement before and recently my cat had a large swollen bite near his eye, so I’d definitely be interested in trying this product. Thank you!
By jsquared on Jul 9, 2010
one time I was outside with my boyfriend and one of my friends and we saw this crazy creature…..we were unsure of what it was…we took pics of it and it crawled underneath my steps of my house. Two months later, I witnessed the same creature in my basement just inches from my feet. It was centipede in nature with longer legs near it’s head. These legs were black and white striped and very spider like. I live in central new york, just curious what this this is. I am unable to find a picture of something that looks exactly like it online.
By heather beese on Jul 9, 2010
hi, i cant stand those nasty critters. Its like everytime i turn around i see those house centipedes crawling on my walls or on my ceiling and then once they are on the ceiling they bend back and fall on the floor or on whatever is there when they fall. They freak me out and my apt complex said it doesnt matter how clean your house is they still are there and they cant do anything about them. uhg, i have a two yr old daughter and i dont like seeing those nasty things in her room i freak…then i see babies in my kitchen…i cant stand it really. We just got over this cricket problem we had and now we have this problem…please help i would love to test your product and im sure if it works i can get my friends and neighbors to use it as well. Thanks
By Katrina on Jul 15, 2010
For months we’ve been frustrated with the annoying presence of spiders, ants, pincher bugs and most recently, silver fish. Eww!
But last night topped the cake! I was just about to go to bed when something caught my eye. It was the ugliest, creepiest insect I’ve ever seen in my home before. As I started to reach for my shoe it started to scurry. Wow, it was fast! I didn’t waste time. I hauled off and smacked the wall with my shoe as hard as I could. Most of the legs were then stuck to the sole of my shoe and the body was sitting on my carpet, inches from my bed. I was instantly set into panic mode. Were there more? What was it? Does it bite/sting?
Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep. I instantly got online and started searching insect images until I found it. It turned out to be what one person called the “hairy scary”, a type of house centipede. It wasn’t like the centipedes I was familiar with. It looked less like a worm with legs and more like an alien crossed with a spider and a silver fish. EWW!
So now I’m obsessed with trying to find out how to rid our house of them before they end up in one of our beds. My worst nightmare, right now!
We have a cat, fish and a 5 year old with asthma so I’d love to stay away from toxic pesticides. If I could try this product and find that it works, I’d be able to sleep at night and would be super happy to spread the word about the product.
By Deanna on Jul 19, 2010
Call me old fashioned, but they have a right to be here more than we do. As long as the spiders don’t bite me and my family, they are welcome in my home. We have the giant orb spiders here in PA and they visit my backyard every summer as well. My mother has the house centipedes as well. We have never had a problem. I’ve removed the webs so many times that the spiders now build above our walking height and the centipedes only come out when my mother is not in the room. She has a very ear-piercing scream.
We only see the centipedes when the light is first turned on before they scatter. So, kill them if you must; but, remember, Karma will come back and seek her justice for what is done.
By Roberta on Jul 22, 2010
Hy, i am getting sick because this terrible bugs named house centipedes. I just got married 2 months ago and my husband and I moved to a beautiful house and could never imagine have this problem in our lives. Since we back from our dream honeymoon we start to see this scary insects in our home. After see some of them I started to worry about this and we got an exterminator company to solve the problem but they didn’d! So after 2 months sharing our space with these creatures and working so hard to seal spots, clean, putting all kinds of medicide and praying to get rid of these nasty creatures i am really getting so tired and sick. I just don’t sleep anymore. I spend all night awake and when i finally feel asleep so i wake up thinking the centipede will come to my bed and bite me. I am so allergic since child and i am afraid what could happen if they ever bite me. My head hurts so bad and my breast hurt sometimes too because i almost have no sleep anymore. When i sleep is during the day for few hours because i just can’t be awake anymore. I am also so scary what this insect medicine can do to our health. I already saw more than 40 house centipedes in 2 months and now the beautiful dream house became a nightmare and i would love to be able to move here but we just can’t afford this now. The centipede problem is even affecting our marriage since we spend so much time working to get rid of these terrible centipedes and don’t much have time to have fun anymore and we just got married. Please help us! I would love to be a tester for your product!
By Mark on Jul 30, 2010
I live in nYc. i am a 30 year old recently engaged. in a few months i will have my fiance living in my apt. with me. the apt. is a first walk in so it is ground level. there is also a porch and stoop made from concrete, stone and brick that is above and toward the front of my apt. it holds alot of moisture and is usually damp under the stoop where i have some of my sotrage and the water , electric meter , and gas meter. the walls are all pretty sealed up tight, i usually see these House Centipede’s in my bathroom, hallway area , close to the stoop and coming from behind my couch which is pressed up against the wall. i also get teh occasional red spiders, black spiders with big belly’s and waterbugs. i have some sticky traps under the fridge, under the stove and under the couch . they dont really catch much jus tone or two here or there. these bugs are very annoying to me. i was watching tv a little while ago and noticed a centipede crawaling on my arm. it grossed me out. if my fiancee moves in here and the situation doesnt change, this will cost me more problems and probably a new apt.
please helpp !!!!!!!!!!!!
By Marianna on Aug 1, 2010
I cannot stand house centipedes–they are so creepy! We just moved into an older house and have been seeing them more and more often. My boyfriend can’t even sleep at night because he is so disgusted by them. Please help!!! We would LOVE to test your product.
By Ren on Aug 2, 2010
My husband, me and our baby transfered in a new apartment and there we saw a crwaling centipede inside the house especially in the bathroom. We are so worried that it might bite out 1 year old baby who was roaming around the house. We don’t know any other means to control centipedes here we just use any hard object to press it until it dies. Hope we coul have the honor to be one of your tester to use and comment on your endorsed prodcut – EcoSmart. Thank you!!
By Randi on Aug 3, 2010
So, I was sitting on my bed when I felt something on my foot and I jerked it off. When I saw it scurry into my sheets I figured it was the usual ant or spider (which don’t bother me anymore) and it was this nasty centipede. I instantly freaked out and reached for the nearest thing to kill it with. It is the first time I have ever seen a centipede in this house since I have lived here (almost 2 years), and I am worried, since it has been storming out, that there is going to be more.
It is midnight and I can’t sleep for fear of waking to one of them being in my bed again, or on me. I am even afraid that they will get into one of my orifaces. This is ridiculous. I don’t care what psycho lady above me says, they do not have a right to intrude in our homes and give us anxieties like this. They affect our lives because we are scared of them and that is not right.
I do not believe karma will come around and get us for killing something that has come into our home and affected our lives, I don’t care how much of a right she may think they have. I am only 20 and new to this whole situation, so I would like to try out something non-harmful that will get rid of these disgusting creatures. I do not feel they have a right to scare me so much I won’t sleep. Thank you.
By Pam on Aug 11, 2010
Am interested in testing this if you still are making this offer available. live in a 2nd floor apartment; and do not have control over the basement situation; or the yard around the house; so am looking for effective means for my little area of the house to stop them from entering.
By Leigh Ann Travis on Aug 13, 2010
We just moved to a new house 2 weeks ago, and mine and my 5 year old’s room is in the basement. I’m a single mom with 4 children, and we are all scared to death of any kind of bug. I didn’t think I could be more scared of anything but spiders. But I can’t decide which I hate worse, spiders, or these things! I have seen dozens of these things since we moved here. I don’t know where they are coming from.
I haven’t bee able to sleep at night because of them. Yesterday, a baby one was in my bed. I know they crawl more at night, so I have been sleeping what little I do with all the lights on. I stay up all night, and finally fall asleep for a little while during the day. I can perfectly relate to what most of these others posters are saying. A huge one got away last night before we could kill it. It must have been 5 inches long. How could anyone want these things in their house just because they eat spiders? They are as bad as having a spider! They are just as creepy if not creepier!
I don’t know what to do, it really is affecting my life. I keep looking over my shoulder, and getting the willies constantly. I’m always thinking they are crawling on me. I would LOVE to be a tester of your product. I’ll follow any instructions you give me, I want these things out of my home. I want to be able to sleep at night, with the lights off. I am exhausted. Please allow me to be a tester, I will follow all instructions, and give feedback.
Thank you
By Phil Smith on Aug 24, 2010
I live in Maui where we have really large centipedes that give very painful bites. Until this morning I’ve never had one in my house, I just got about a 4″ one. I can’t wait to try a green solution as mine was a little less that green, I’m sure. I used a can of Napa Auto Parts carb/choke cleaner. It’s a clear solvent in a pressurized can and evaporates almost immediately leaving no stain. Unlike ant spray that has little or no effect on these pests, carb cleaner slows them in a few seconds and kills within 10-15 seconds, it seems to work that way on all bugs but like I said, it’s probably not the greenest solution – although it doesn’t leave a poison residue so maybe it is better than ant spray etc. I look forward to a green solution to remove any further little beasts from my house. thanks and RSVP
By Gross! on Aug 26, 2010
I’ve been living in my house for around 12 years and never any of these… until this year. I hate them! So far I’ve had at least 3 terrifying experiences with them. The first was when a friend was over for the night. I had told her about them but I think she was imagining the small ones you see outside. The next morning I woke up to one on my foot! I then proceeded to jump about 20ft in the air and wound up landing on my friend who got a pretty good sized bruise from where my elbow landed (oops). As a result, she now refuses to sleep in my room.
The second time was when I was watching TV and saw a dark blob in the corner of my eye, moving fairly quick, across the ceiling right overhead of me. Turns out they move extremely well on “pop-corned” ceilings. Again, I freaked out and spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out where it went.
The last, and most recent encounter was when I was on my computer in my room (which is in the basement). I spotted something moving along the bottom of the wall next to my desk. It was small though so i didn’t think it was a house centipede…until it got closer. It turns out one had babies! Just thinking there’s dozens of them crawling throughout the house makes me sleepless! Ooooh I can not stand them one bit! I’d gladly try your product, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get rid of them safely. Is EcoSMART safe for small animals? I have a cat and a puppy so I haven’t been able to use traditional sprays and pesticides.