There are more than 2000 species of centipedes in the world, most of which live outdoors. Sometimes they creep into homes, especially in the colder months. Although they are not dangerous to humans and help kill many types of spiders and other parasites, their bite contains some venom and they are not the most elegant guests in a home. If you want to know how to get rid of centipedes once and for all, here's how.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Part 1: Killing the Centipedes
Step 1. Kill them on sight
The long, weird legs allow them to be very fast, so you have to be quick too. Centipedes don't usually infest a home in large colonies, so you should be able to fix this by killing them with a fly swatter or spray as you see them. Know that if you are afraid to get close to a centipede, you can suck it up with a vacuum cleaner.
If you don't want to kill the insect, you can try to catch it in a jar and then free it outside, but this system usually ends in a scream, a broken jar and a free centipede
Step 2. Set up glue traps
Leave them in corners and near crevices where centipedes usually hunt other insects. You may also catch other parasites living in your home. A large centipede is able to break free from a glue trap simply by sacrificing a pair of legs. So these traps are better suited to smaller centipede species.
Step 3. Try an insecticide if other natural remedies fail
Remember that insecticides are temporary solutions. Any gardening store can provide you with them. Make sure you use them by following the instructions on the package. Although insecticides don't kill humans or pets, prolonged contact is best avoided.
- Sticky traps can alert you to a massive presence of insects, and allow you to intervene by spraying those particularly infested areas, or placing more traps. If you find a very full trap and another practically clean, focus on the first area.
- If you want to kill centipedes without poisoning the earth, yourself and your animals, you can use natural pesticides such as boric acid or the diatomaceous earth.
- Products containing plant-based pyrethrins will exterminate centipedes on contact alone, but they must be misted or sprayed.
Step 4. Create a barrier around your home
Whether it's a chemical insecticide, natural or otherwise, try to create a barrier that protects your home. Since centipedes come from the outside, when they come into contact with the pesticide barrier they die. Try to use pesticides that contain cyhalothrin, used mostly for ants, it could also be effective with centipedes.
Step 5. Call a professional exterminator
If you've tried everything to get rid of these creepy, loathsome pests, maybe it's time to get your wallet out and call an exterminator. A professional can locate entry points into your home, find and exterminate centipede eggs, and spray areas of your home with effective pesticides. You may not want to admit it, but a professional does a better job and ensures you get rid of the problem. It is worth the money it costs and is the solution you don't have.
Method 2 of 2: Part 2: Keep Centipedes Away
Step 1. Get rid of any other bugs you have around the house
This way the centipedes will have nothing to eat and hopefully leave your home to go to the neighbors. A centipede without food is a dead or moving centipede.
Step 2. Keep the house dry
Centipedes dehydrate and die if they cannot stay in a humid environment. Clean basements, closets and other wet areas in the house and use a dehumidifier.
Place packets of silica in damp places in the house. Silica has excellent absorbency and quickly frees the air from excessive humidity. Look for silica packets in your shoe boxes or buy some cheap. Keep them in humid areas of the house
Step 3. Remove all organic material near home
Keep firewood, mulch, compost, and tarpaulins as far away from the perimeter of the house as possible. Consider getting rid of wetter things like compost bins if possible.
Step 4. Close all entry routes
This will prevent insects from entering the house. It seals the cracks in the concrete of the foundations, the jambs of the doors and windows.
- Apply the seals to the outside of your home to discourage centipedes.
- Seal all holes in the wall.
- Check the gutters and drains and clean them of leaves, branches or other material that can block the flow of water creating stagnation. These could be potential shelters for centipedes.
Step 5. Try cayenne pepper
If you want a natural method to remove centipedes from your home, try sprinkling a thin layer of cayenne pepper near potential access routes, both inside and outside the house. Dogs and cats should stay away from pepper, otherwise they will get really hurt if they are too curious.
Advice
- The only creatures that need to worry about centipedes inside your home are other insects, because centipedes kill and feed on a wide variety of insects you probably want to get rid of, such as bedbugs, termites, spiders, and even cockroaches.
- Centipedes rarely bite people, and often their jaws are not strong enough to pierce human skin in an attempt to defend themselves. In any case, the bite of a centipede resembles that of a small bee.
- 'Raid' sprays kill them pretty fast if you don't want to get close to them.
Warnings
- If possible, close the drains of tubs and sinks.
- Be careful when using any type of pesticide, read the instructions very carefully.
