How to Get Rid of House Centipedes Without Chemicals, Violence, or Money
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Get Rid of Centipedes
Last year I was faced with a very concerning house centipede infestation problem. I realize that some people don't believe that there is any reason to get rid of centipedes due to the fact that they eat other nasty creepy crawlies in and around the house. I personally don't subscribe to this belief, however, as none of those other critters were nearly as creepy as the centipedes themselves were.
I remember one instance, in particular (though it is hardly an isolated occurrance), when I had awoken in the middle of the night, thirsty. I haphazardly made my way into the kitchen to pour myself a cold glass of water.
The moment I turned on the overhead lights, I quite nearly went into cardiac arrest. Two house centipedes were on the kitchen floor doing who knows what, but the light startled them and they ran... fast! One centipede made its way under the kitchen sink, but the other brave little freak made a v-line right for my bare feet!
I jumped, ran, and yelled like an idiot at 3 or so in the morning. I got my water from the bathroom sink and returned to bed, more committed than ever to get rid of centipedes as soon as humanly possible.
How I DIDN'T Get Rid of House Centipedes
One thing I realized from reading forum posts and using my own good sense was that there was no way I would ever get rid of house centipedes permanently by way of extermination or bug bombs. This could work in the short term, but the world has an unlimited supply of centipedes and other insects, and as long as my home was still the kind of place that these creepy-crawlies found acceptable to live in, they would keep coming and coming.
So I didn't get rid of centipedes via genocide. Not only is this quite ineffective, but it can also get pretty expensive. And as I have a new son (only a year old at the time), there was no possible way I would be willing to fill my home with toxins. No way.
So killing was not the answer - not as a permanent solution, anyway.
So How Did I Get Rid of Centipedes?
I was lucky enough to stumble upon a book that walked me through the process. I applied it immediately and got immediate results. Here are the basics covered in the book:
House centipedes feed exclusively on other insects. They eat nothing else whatsoever. So if I were going to get rid of centipedes once and for all, I was going to have to eliminate all the roaches, silverfish, spiders, flies, and larva from my home. I learned exactly how to do this in detailed fashion.
It comes down to sealing cracks, doing a little house cleaning and drying up key damp spots throughout the home... especially in the basement, kitchen, bathroom(s), and laundry room. To dry these up, you can use a dehumidifier, or even a good old house fan.
Sealing cracks can be as simple as using masking tape or caulk in the areas where the floorboards meet the floor, around the toilet, and in other key areas in and around the house.
In addition, using screens on ALL of our windows, sealing off easy entrance points (especially around vents and under doors), and removing as many currently existing bugs (including house centipedes) from our home as possible, so as to control future reproduction, were some other things we did that made a tremendous impact.
How did my family and I get rid of centipedes? We turned our home into the kind of place where they would have absolutely zero interest in attempting to inhabit. We have been centipede-free and bug-free for nearly 11 months now.
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Delores, thank you for the comment. I think it's more important to seal off cracks WITHIN your home by using either electrical tape or (preferably) caulk. By doing this, you give the little suckers no hiding places, leaving them vulnerable. As far as sealing off entrance into the home, you're right, it's tough to be 100% - but the harder you can make it for them, while offering them no real reward for actually gaining entrance into your home... the better!
Hello! Thanks so much for all the information. They definitely all make sense, but I was wondering whether there is anything I can put or spray around to repel centipedes (I don't have pets or kids)? I am ready to treat my place everyday if necessary, as long as I can sleep at night and enter my kitchen without the fear that I'll step on a centipede (or rather they'll step on my feet or something). The thing is I am a single woman, renting a small apartment in two-storey apartment-building complex. The building was built in 40s, has not been significantly renovated since. I have a house centipede problem which I don't seem to get rid of on my own-- there are other apartments and buildings involved that I can do nothing about. I have done a lot of cleaning, disinfecting (bleaching, etc), and spraying in my own apartment in the last couple of weeks to keep centipedes and other possible bugs away which seemed to help but only partly. Unfortunately I still encounter a few big centipedes popping out of nowhere and running around like crazy, for example, when I go to the kitchen at night. I experienced your experience in this story just yesterday. I walk around scared of even my own shadow now and lose sleep at night, since these things can crawl up anywhere. I just asked for maintenance help to seal cracks and crevices in the places that I cannot reach, but there are huge bunches of bushes behind my building and some more around, the building has an attic, etc. I believe these factors also contribute my "a few centipedes a day" problem, but it doesn't seem likely the apartment management will do something about all these things. :-(
There was two centipedes in my room last night and I won't kill them...
I am scared to and I know that's silly becuse I am like 1000 times
bigger than it but long story short I ended up sleeping on the couch
I woke up in the morning to see one of these things (an adult) crawling on the head tip of my bed. I went into the bathroom to get some kill tissue. When I came back it was gone. I moved the bed, looked under, ripped off the sheet and could not find it. I went to work with it on my mind all day. Later that night I thought I need to clean the junk underneath my bed. Then I wondered if my book was still between the mattress. When I lifted the mattress, I saw it clinging upside down. I am purchasing a dehumidifier on Friday (payday) immediately after work.
Duane.
I have a four month old son. And I am scared to let him sleep in his crib due to the silverfish or creepy crawlers!! I mainly see these things in my master bedroom. I can't stand the site of them and can't sleep at night until the problem is slove! I am sealing up every crack ! Even the key hole in the door!!
I miss my bed, I miss sleeping, Tired of looking over my shoulder, Tired of not being able to sit & watch TV, because I'm too busy looking at the walls & floor. Where does all this come from? HOUSE CENTIPEDES!!!!
About 10 months ago after seeing one of them crawling up the side of my bed(while trying to relax & read a darn good book), needless to say, I could not get out of bed fast enough(I tripped on the bed sheets), I ran for the "Raid", came back to my bed, and it was still there, I started spraying it, till I almost used up the whole can(they keep moving after you spray them), and cursing it out. From that night on, I stopped sleeping in my bed, and went downstairs to my couch-I was safe for about 4 months, when one night I was lying on the couch, watching TV, when out of the corner of my left eye, I caught a movement, I looked and there it was next to the my arm, again, I jumped off the couch, stubbed my toe on my coffee table, you would have thought Godzilla was on my tail. Following night my avon customer came over to pick up her order-asked if she could use the bathroom. Well, as she is about to reach for the toilet paper-low & behold, what is sitting on the top of the roll-Yep! you guessed it! And it wasn't a baby one either-Her loud scream, made me rush upstairs(somehow I new), and there she is standing outside the bathroom, almost half dressed, with this look of terror-I grabbed the can of spray, and started spraying as it was walking up the wall. Oh, by the way, in case you're wondering, where do I now sleep. Well,please hold back your laughter, but I sit at my kitchen table, with my head resting on a pillow, and my feet resting on a small step stool.I'm lucky if I get an hour of sleep, due to not the most comfortable position to sleep in. I recently went out and bought "EcoSmart" Home Pest Control(it's organic & safe for pets & children), I've sprayed upstairs and downstairs, in every nook and crannie. I'm hoping it works, because I want my bed back, and most of all, I want & need my sleep back. I don't know about you, but this is pathetic, not to feel relaxed & safe in your own home. Well, if the centipedes don't get me, the organic odor, sure will.
House Centipedes are no fun. They are creepy and I hate to sit and watch TV only to be distracted by one moving behind the TV. However, I used to live in Hawaii.. Tropical Centipedes are even creepier and much bigger (I've seen one about 7-8 inches long... and the move just as fast.) If you try to step on them and don't get their entire body.. they will whip their little segmented bodies back and bite whatever they can get a hold of. Crafty little buggers.
Nice post, really gave me some advice/courage to get my own work uniform from the laundry room after being terrified. But why post the picture lol...
Either way, I saw a huge one relaxing in the middle of my laundry room, I could only thank God that I was on the phone with my female friend so I could scream and have somebody to calm me down. I thought it was dead because it wasn't moving, when I finally built the courage to kill it and toss it in the garbage, it started moving. I swear I would've fainted, but in the back of my head, I knew I would be stuck there. I quickly threw the laundry in and ran for my life.
My son and I recently moved into an older home with a basement. I have never seen "house centipedes" before so the first time I saw one being freaked out and scared would be understatements. After killing it with toilet paper and flushing it I was able to calm myself by thinking it was a freak thing, outside bug and I wont see anymore. Wow...was I wrong! I have been seeing them a lot in my living room and bathroom (a few in the kitchen). I have done a lot of research and discovered that they eat other bugs. Before we moved we got roaches from the neighbors. I exterminated my apt an extreme 7 times within 2 weeks before moving and also washed and dryed everything posible. With my appliances I left them sitting in a garage during the end of winter to freeze any roaches or eggs that may still exist. Since moving I have not seen any roaches but now I am seeing a ton of house centipedes. I keep my house very clean, I even work for a cleaning company so I make sure my house stays very clean due to some of what I have seen at work. Could I have roaches again and not see them due to the house centipedes eating them? Please someone answer me. I REFUSE to have insects of any sort in my house. I am not a country girl and DO NOT like bugs!!!!!!
while lying in bed eating a snack and watching tv, seconds passed and a very hugh centipede appeared from in between my pillows that i was resting on. question-if their normal habitate is around moisture why or what would cause it be in my bed and do they leave any type of droppings when on bed. this is the one absolute bug that i am terrified of along w/spiders. i have put down regular sticky house mouse traps thru out my home and have caught many centipedes dead because once on the trap they loose their legs from adhering to trap and they die. i had no idea they get into your bed, could this mean they are confused and maybe ill? i need answers quickly please.
I saw two big house centipedes in my room. I got so scared, I slept in my sisters room. Now my sister found one in her room and we trying to figure out what we going to do.
I Just moved into my sisters apartment with her 3 month old son And my 2 month old daughter. She warned me about the centipedes but I thought they were small! My first encounter was When I was putting away dishes there was one under the pot. I cursed as it tried getting away and flushed it down the sink. This one was just a baby. Today we had another one. We were Just sitting watching TV and saw one on the wall. I squished it with a mop And was gonna flush it down the sink but realized it fell off the mop!! I'm really hoping I killed it. I'm afraid to letter daughter sleep in her crib in fear ones going to be crawling around her. I'm definitely going to do something about this. They get up to 6 inches long! I can't even fall asleep without thinking one Is going yo pop up in my room! Nasty things!!
I can't sleep I seen one in the living room by my 1 year old and I picked him up so fast and ran! I get so pissed and my adrenaline starts pumping!!!! like I want to kick its ass for being in my house with my family.... I HATE these things =( our house has so much moisture our window seals get water droplets on them. I had no idea this would happen before we decided to rent this house. I was hoping to get rid of the huge spiders and be done after that became a short issue. but here we go again!! and I'm not really sure why but when we run our dryer in the basement the air down there is complete moisture. I'm not really sure what to do any more. I do not want to deal with all of these issues.
Bet no body here can top this one. Last night at around 4am I felt a tickling sensation in my mouth!!! Instinctively I flicked it away with my finger. I turned the lights on and there to my horror saw a house centipede. I, like many here, cannot even stand to see a picture of those freakin' creatures. I am in despair!
I even prayed to God to get those freakin' creatures out of my house. My 4 yr old boy goes, "God makes bugs."
I couldn't muster the courage to say, "I hate God."
I would like to know if organic products would kill centipedes. I call an exterminator each spring at the first sight of them. I live in a two family, and have the upstairs. My landlord is extremely dirty and lives in the downstairs apartment. He does not care about the bugs. However, one or two visits by an exterminator usually gets rid of them or most of them for the summer season. I know it won't kill them all but that's ok. Something has to get rid of some of the bugs downstairs and I guess it has to be centipedes! If anyone knows if the organic services will work to kill these things please let me know!
Something bit my finger from under my pillow at 6:30 am!!!! Got up like crazy checking what it was. Its still a little dark in my bedroom. I freaked out when i flipped the pillow- it's a 4 inch centipede. Ran to the bathroom to get tissue to pick it up but its gone. Checked inside the pillow case and lo and behold it was there. I had my husband get rid of it outside the house. The worst thing was it was probably inside my pillow since the other because i could hear something crawling when i was lying on it but immediately dismiss the thought that something is there because i thought it was just my ponytail making that sound when i move around. OMG i can't get back to sleep anymore.
OMG I JUST KILLED ONE WITH AT LEAST EIGHTY LEGS AND IT WAS THE LENGTH OF A LIGHT SWITCH. It was on my ceiling, in the kitchen :( I rent a basement apartment so I can't spray anything, I really hope the dehumidifier works cause I will not sleep now. I also just killed four other "baby" ones ( if you can even call them that ) and I thought I was afraid of spiders ! My goodness. I will never ever sleep again :(
Wow. This is a much bigger problem than I realized!!! So last night I the second centipede in about 1 1/2 months. I tried killing him with windex as it is all I had at the moment and he appeared to be dead, but then when I returned the spot he had been laying in (drenched in windex) HE WAS GONE!! He ran into my kitchen and is probably still there. OMG I am going to go pesticide crazy. I keep all the windows open but they all have very good screens. Now I'm afraid to go sleep tonight :(
Three nights ago I stayed up a little later than I normally do, and thank God I did. Around 1 in the morning crawling up the foot of my bed while I'm laying in it was a two inch long centipide. I flipped out, oh by the way I'm 6'5'' 235 lbs and I am scared to death, needless to say I killed the damn thing. Now tonight I again stayed up later and once more around 1 another one is coming up the wall next to my bed! I can't sleep anymore. I am loosing my mind. I hate them more than spiders I think. This sucks.
i saw one today crawing on my blanket on my bed, needless to say im sleeping without covers on my couch tonight! Thank god its not too cold! I hate them damn things with a passion!!!
I am renting a basement apartment, its not damp, its a new renovation and everything including baseboards have been sealed. I keep my home clean and do not leave towels or laundry on the floor yet I have been faced with centipedes nearly everyday for over a month. I have found them everywhere from my bedroom ceiling to my bath tub to my kitchen floors. Last night I got up to get a drink and turned on the light to find 3 centipedes at once in my kitchen! 2 were about a foot apart on the floor and the other was on the trim around my window (a window that doesn't open) the 2 on the floor were the largest I've ever seen close to 2 inches in length. I got the vacuum out to suck them up as I wasn't sure I'd be fast enough to get both by hand. I was worried they would clog the vacuum they were so big. I've been reading about this for months and have done everything recommended from sealining cracks to fans and dehumidifiers, I keep my house clean, I don't have pets nor do I have any other insects except an occasional spider. I need to know what to do to get rid of them for good? I am haunted by the idea of finding them in my bed or my food. I am ready to call an exterminator but I've read that even that is only a temporary fix! Please help!
Well, it's nearly summer once again and my favorite petrifying pest has made its long awaited return to my home, the centipede. I feel like Sigourney Weaver in Predator (many nights) attempting to single handedly eradicate the presence of an unwelcome alien species... Die you putrid predatory scum, die!!!! Fearless alien slayer I'm not, but I've had some meager success with glue traps for any of you interested in giving them a try. They do some of the work for you when you can't sit up all night--fly swatter in one hand, can of poison pest spray in the other just waiting for your attackers to pounce. I put them beside doors, under windows, and next to cold air return vents. I've been fortunate enough to catch me some biggins! I caution you, however, if the centipedes don't make it all the way onto the glue trap, they will find a way off the trap leaving whatever legs or other body parts successfully stuck behind. Oh yes, I've found evidence of legs without bodies on the corners of my traps before... Talk about the heebie jeebies folks! With that said, I've still nailed quite a few nasty lil' scum this way and managed to sleep better at night.
OMG last night as I was laying down and getting ready to go sleep, I kind of felt a movement on my bed right above my head. When I opened my eyes I saw one of those nasty creatures! I ran to turn the light on and tossed it with a small pillow and finally pushed it against the wall with the broom and it died. Put the creepy body in the trash can. It was 2am or so and I couldn't go back to sleep (it's 6 now)... I actually see them here and there from time time but that's the first time I see one in my bed, like what the heck? I hate them with a passion and I'm more than ever ready to do whatever it takes to get rid of them! I'm so fed up with then!!!
So I'm going to buy a dehumidifier and glue traps ASAP!!!
Oh and btw I rent a basement apartment too..
Thank you for posting this. However, I have to admit that the reason I have postponed looking up the solutions on the internet was the giant picture that would come with the article... I was right... I jumped in my chair and my heartbeat accelerated, I could not scroll down fast enough. Reading the comments of the rest of the people and your article, I see that I am not alone in my sheer terror when confronted by these creatures. I can only force myself to attack them when they are small enough. Like others I am sick of living my life in idiotic fear, I constantly glare around and jump at every movement at the corner of my eye when I am at home. Needless to say, a dehumidifier is moving into my house ASAP.
I have been experiencing these nightmares for the last 10 years in my home. Same as everyone else on here... beautiful, clean, great house, but it doesn't matter, they still enter. A lot of lost sleep and restless nights. Just in case anyone reads this... I don't know if there is any value in this measure, but I read an article from a guy a few years back that said he completely eradicated the devil insect by pouring a thimble filled with bleach down every drain he had in his house once every three months. I don't know if that works but I just killed a three inch Centipede with a hunch back with my timbo's tonight- Sick of this shit... lol.
Dolores Monet Level 7 Commenter 2 years ago
I would so freak if I saw a centipede in the house. I've been using a dehumidifier in the basement and now am glad to know that it helps keep those monsters away. However, I can't see how you can seal cracks enough to keep bugs out. There are cracks you can't even see and insects (like pizzy ants) are so tiny!