Fast-moving and hard to miss, house centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) are known for their long legs and alarming speed. While they donโt sting or bite like some household pests, just spotting one skitter across the floor can be enough to make your skin crawl. If youโve recently come across one indoors, youโre likely wondering what brought it in, and if you should be worried.
Despite their creepy appearance, house centipedes arenโt invading anywhere out of malice. Like many pests, theyโre simply searching for food, moisture, and a place to hide. If your home supplies all three, it becomes a perfect hideout.
Hereโs what attracts them and how you can reduce their interest in your property.
Sneaky Ways Centipedes Enter Your House
These pests arenโt trying to startle you, theyโre just following their natural behavior. House centipedes are nighttime hunters, spending their active hours searching for insects and their resting hours tucked into dark, damp corners. They commonly slip inside through tiny cracks in the foundation, loose siding, open vents, or even unsealed windows. Once indoors, they quickly seek out damp, shadowy places where food is abundant and they wonโt be bothered.
Dinner Leads Them Indoors
Centipedes usually start out in your yard, hiding beneath mulch, stones, or garden debris. But when their prey becomes harder to find, or easier to catch inside, theyโll follow the trail. Many people are surprised to learn that house centipedes could be considered helpful in one way: they feed on other pests. However, that also means their presence likely indicates a hidden pest infestation.
If youโre seeing them inside, it could be a sign that your home is also welcoming:
- Ants
- Bed bugs
- Cockroaches
- Crickets
- Earwigs
- Moths
- Silverfish
- Spiders
- Termites
- And many more
What Else Brings Them Inside?
House centipedes also have a strong preference for moist environments. Outdoors, they thrive under wet mulch, in decaying logs, or shaded leaf piles. Inside, theyโre drawn to crawl spaces, basements, bathrooms, and laundry rooms, anywhere that stays humid or has poor ventilation.
To make your home less appealing, try these moisture-control tips:
- Repair leaky spigots and hoses: Excess water around your foundation attracts insects, and the centipedes that eat them.
- Clean and maintain your gutters: Clogged gutters can overflow, soaking the ground around your home.
- Improve landscaping drainage: Trim back overgrown bushes to allow sunlight to dry soggy areas.
- Control indoor humidity: Use a dehumidifier in damp basements and ventilate bathrooms after showers.
Clutter Creates Perfect Hiding Spots
Because theyโre light-sensitive and reclusive, house centipedes are drawn to cluttered, low-traffic areas. Whether itโs piles of yard debris or cluttered corners inside your home, these spots offer them the perfect place to rest. Without regular cleaning or organization, youโre unintentionally giving them exactly what they want.
Here are some simple ways to cut down on their hiding places:
- Stack firewood neatly and keep it raised off the ground.
- Remove unused items from the yard, like tools or old patio furniture.
- Collect and store outdoor toys when not in use.
- Rake up fallen leaves, especially after rain.
- Mow frequently and control overgrowth around your home.
- Seal any cracks or openings in the foundation, around pipes, and along windows.
- Replace damaged screens and fix worn-out weather stripping on doors.
House Centipedes Live Outside First
Although you may spot them rushing across the floor or disappearing into a bathroom drain, house centipedes donโt originate indoors. These arthropods begin life outside, preferring damp, dark environments that offer both protection and plenty of prey. Youโre most likely to find them hiding in moist leaf piles, beneath landscaping stones, inside rotting logs, or within mulched garden beds.
One of their favorite zones is the soil surrounding your homeโs foundation. This strip of land tends to stay humid and cool, while also supporting plenty of small insects, a perfect hunting ground for centipedes. Once theyโre living close to your walls, it doesnโt take much for them to wander indoors, especially when outside conditions become hot or dry.
To help reduce their chances of invading your home, take a look at these common outdoor hiding spots:
- Shrubs and garden plantings: These attract bugs like aphids and mites, which serve as easy meals.
- Hardscape features like bricks or pavers: These offer excellent shelter for insects that centipedes pursue.
- Poorly managed trash bins: Decaying waste attracts flies and spiders, which in turn draw in hungry centipedes.
A soggy, cluttered yard isnโt just appealing to bugs, itโs an open invitation to the predators that feed on them.
Should You Be Concerned About House Centipedes?
They may look intimidating, but house centipedes arenโt generally considered harmful. Theyโre reclusive creatures that prefer to flee rather than fight. Their sudden appearance might be alarming, but in most cases, theyโre just moving through, hunting for insects.
Even so, you shouldnโt try to handle them. Like all centipedes, house centipedes are venomous to their prey and may deliver a defensive pinch if threatened. This sting is typically mild, often compared to a quick bee sting, but it can still be unpleasant.
People with insect venom allergies could react strongly. Signs like swelling, breathing difficulties, or lightheadedness should be treated as medical emergencies.
While house centipedes arenโt dangerous for most people, itโs wise to make sure children and pets steer clear of them.
What Do House Centipedes Look Like?
There are many types of centipedes, but the house centipede has a unique appearance that makes it easy to identify once you know what to look for:
- Legs: Long and feather-like, their legs fan out from the body, creating a spider-like appearance.
- Leg count: They have 15 pairs, less than some larger species, but more than enough for speed.
- Movement: These centipedes are fast, often covering more than a foot per second.
- Coloration: Their bodies are typically a pale grayish-yellow with three dark stripes running lengthwise.
- Antennae: Thin and extended, ideal for navigating through crevices.
- Temperament: They avoid confrontation and flee quickly when startled.
- Venom: While effective on small insects, their venom is weak and rarely causes more than minor irritation in humans.
Seeing One Might Mean Youโve Got Other Pests
Just one centipede sighting doesnโt necessarily mean your home is infested with centipedes, but it does often mean something else is crawling around. These predators stay where food is plentiful, and their presence typically signals a larger insect population hiding out of sight.
Squashing one may feel like a win, but it wonโt stop the problem. To truly eliminate house centipedes, youโll need to remove whatโs attracting them in the first place.
Thatโs where we come in. Our team can inspect your property, identify insect activity, and create a personalized pest control plan that targets both the centipedes and the bugs they feed on.
Contact us today to book an inspection and reclaim your home from unwanted pests.
