House Centipedes Guide

House centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata), often called "hundred-legged worms," can be an unsettling presence in your home. With their 15 pairs of legs and swift movement, they can be alarming, but rest assured—they pose no harm to your home.

If you suspect a house centipede infestation, you can effectively control them by applying the proper treatment and addressing the conditions that attract them.

Read on to discover the best methods for eliminating house centipedes and explore our guide on preventing future infestations in your home.

To effectively get rid of house centipedes, it’s important to make your home less appealing and hospitable to them. By addressing harborage areas through exclusion and sanitation measures, you can prevent centipedes from entering and make it easier to eliminate an existing infestation.

• Remove House Centipede Food Sources: House centipedes feed on other small pests and insects, often entering homes in search of food. Apply preventive pest control treatments and use glue board traps to monitor and reduce the population of other pests in your home, making it less attractive to centipedes.
• Reduce Moisture in Your Home: House centipedes thrive in cool, damp areas. Address any moisture issues by fixing leaky faucets and pipes. Use dehumidifiers to lower humidity levels and fans to improve air circulation in damp spaces.
• Seal Entry Points: Prevent centipedes from entering your home by sealing cracks and crevices with caulk, particularly around windows, doors, pipes, and wires. Use copper mesh to block gaps around pipes and wires. Ensure that door sweeps and window screens are tight-fitting and in good condition.

If you're dealing with a house centipede infestation, several pest control products can effectively eliminate the problem. Start by applying insecticides indoors to address the current infestation, then create a perimeter barrier around your home to prevent centipedes from entering.

A contact aerosol insecticide with a flushing agent is an effective way to quickly eliminate house centipedes already inside your home. Contact insecticides kill only the centipedes that are directly sprayed, while the flushing agent forces hidden centipedes out of their hiding spots so they can be treated. Although this method provides rapid reduction of centipedes, it does not leave behind a residual effect.

After using a contact aerosol to eliminate centipedes already inside your home, apply a residual insecticide to ensure ongoing control for months and prevent future infestations. Residual insecticides can provide effective protection for 30 to 90 days.

Choose a liquid insecticide and mix it according to the product's label instructions. Apply the spray indoors around baseboards, in cracks and crevices, near entry points where pipes and wires come into the home, and in other areas where centipedes are likely to reside.

The same residual insecticide used indoors can typically be applied around the exterior of your home to create a protective barrier against pests. Spray along the foundation, around windows and doors, where pipes and utilities enter the home, and beneath and around eaves. This perimeter treatment helps prevent house centipedes and other pests from entering your home through these access points.

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To enhance your pest control efforts, complement your liquid insecticide application with an insecticide dust. Apply the dust beneath baseboards and into cracks and crevices where house centipedes may hide. Insecticide dusts can remain effective for 8–12 months when undisturbed. Always follow the product label instructions for proper application and safety.

Granular insecticides offer extended control of house centipedes in outdoor areas like lawns and landscaping. For optimal effectiveness, distribute the granules around your home’s perimeter, extending 10–15 feet outward. Reapply as necessary to sustain control. Always follow the directions on the product label for proper usage and application.