Centipede Control: How To Get Rid of Centipedes

This page is a general Centipede control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Centipedes. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Centipedes.

Centipedes can be a startling bug to come across on a property, but believe it or not, they are pretty common in most gardens and lawns. Centipedes are elongated arthropods with a segmented body and many legs (most commonly 15 pairs of legs). 

Inside the home, the creepy Centipede is most commonly found in cool damp locations and areas that provide adequate moisture. Inside your home, you might find them in bathrooms, basements, and closets, and even close to drains.

Centipedes are nocturnal and might have entered your home by entering in cracks and crevices in the concrete slabs and through plumbing. Because their primary source of food is other insects, the presence of Centipedes usually indicates a large population of other insects that may be attracting them to your home.

If you are looking for a solution to get rid of Centipedes invading your property, this DIY guide can help. Read on to learn more about Centipedes and how to control them using expert techniques and professional-grade products.

Identification

It is important to first properly identify the pest you are dealing with is indeed a Centipede. Misidentification of pests can lead to using the wrong treatment method, which, in turn, results in a waste of time and money. Here are identifying traits of Centipedes to watch out for:

• Ranging in length between 1 inch to 6 inches long, the name Centipede literally means “a hundred legs” even though they don't really have that many. Centipedes can grow to the point where they have 30 to 300 pairs of legs. They come in a variety of colors but most common house centipedes are light brown or yellowish.
• Centipedes are arthropods and are often confused with a similar insect known as Millipedes. However, there are traits that separate the two. For example, Centipedes move very fast while Millipedes are much slower-moving.
• Centipedes have an odd gyration they do when they crawl which may appear creepy. Centipedes are predators and like to eat other insects and will bite if handled.
• Bites from centipedes, depending on the species, can range from minor to venomous but not lethal. The venomous centipedes use the venom to paralyze their prey. No matter the case, taking one into your hand is not a wise decision.

Use the description and image above to help you to properly identify centipedes on your property. If you are not totally sure, contact us and we will try and help with correct identification.

Inspection

After you have confirmed that you are dealing with Centipedes, you should proceed with an inspection to find out where the Centipedes are active. This will also help you to know where you should focus your treatment applications.

Where To Inspect

Centipedes enjoy living in damp environments to keep from drying out. This is why they are often found outdoors under rocks, tree bark, and leaves, and indoors in basements and bathrooms where there is plenty of moisture for them to be comfortable.

What To Look For

You're looking for damp or high moisture environments where Centipedes thrive and the Centipedes themselves. In basements and garages, look in storage boxes, equipment, and general clutter. Out in the yard, observe mulched areas, under bricks, stones, leaf litter, woodpiles, and decaying materials.

You should also look around the exterior perimeter of your home for possible points of entry where Centipedes may have found a way in.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Centipede activity it is time to begin treatment. Remember to first read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment.

Treating for Centipedes requires both indoor and outdoor treatment and addressing insects that are attracting the Centipede to the property. Outdoors we suggest using Supreme IT Insecticide as a barrier treatment around your home perimeter.

Indoors, we recommend a combination of D-Fense Dust to treat tight areas and tight points of entry and Solutions Pro Glue Boards for trapping.

Step 1 - Address Moisture Issues

Before utilizing pesticides, you should first address high moisture sites you detected during inspection. Indoors, you may need to repair leaks or reduce moisture in damp areas with a dehumidifier or air conditioner.

Outdoors, you should carry out cultural practices to promote air circulation and water evaporation. Some things you can do include raking and dethatching your lawn and cutting down overhanging tree branches to ensure your lawn retains the proper amount of water.

Step 2 - Outdoor Treatment with Supreme IT

Part of reducing the likelihood of Centipede activity is reducing insect activity with Supreme IT Insecticide since Centipedes eat insects for their survival and may be frequenting your property because there are plenty of insect options to eat.

Supreme IT is an insecticide concentrate designed to control over 70 different insect pests and also has repellent qualities. The best part about Supreme IT is its residual effect as the product can remain effective for up to 90 days after application.

Mix 0.25 to 0.5 ounce of Supreme IT with a gallon of water in a pump sprayer. This application rate will treat 1,000 square feet.

First make a broadcast application over your entire lawn, ornamental beds, overlaid bricks and other areas to address insects that Centipedes hunt as a food source.

Next, you will do a perimeter treatment all around the foundation of your structure. To do this, you will spray 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the foundation. Go all around your property spraying in this manner, while also spraying window frames, door frames, eaves, soffits, rain gutters, electrical/plumbing penetrations, and small cracks and crevices.

You can also treat your home indoors but be aware that Supreme IT is limited to only spot applications and crack and crevice applications around plumbing and baseboards. When you are finished spraying, do not let people or pets enter areas treated until 2 to 4 hours have passed.

Step 3 - Apply D-Fense Dust

Centipedes often move in and out of a home through smalls gaps and holes, using them as points of entry. They also hide in tight cracks and crevices that most pesticides can't reach. This is when D-Fense Dust is useful. D-Fense Dust is a moisture-resistant insecticidal dust that will be perfect to target Centipedes their hiding spots, and which will work for up to 8 months.

To use D-Fense Dust you will need a handheld duster. Simply fill your handheld duster halfway with D-Fense Dust, and leave plenty of room inside the duster for the air to circulate. Close the Duster and apply by squeezing on it. The typical rate of application is 0.5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.

Apply D-Fense Dust in cracks and crevices in rooms where you have noticed Centipede activity. In bathrooms and kitchens, check under the sink where plumbing penetrates walls, and apply D-Fense Dust inside this opening.

Also, apply this product in small cracks and crevices inside the home, in basements all along baseboards, and in small openings. Apply in this manner in all rooms of your home that are prone to build moisture.

Step 4 - Trap Centipedes with Solutions Pro Glue Boards

If you know there is a Centipede in the home but aren't sure where they are, lay out Solutions Pro Glue Boards to capture the invading pests. This glueboard comes in increments of 12, which allows for complete coverage around an average-sized home or property. 

Simply unpeel the protective film and place alongside entry points in the home, where Centipedes might enter. You can put them in the garage, outside patio doors, and especially in the basement, where a lot of insects are most likely harboring.

Place the traps about 10 to 15 feet apart, to catch any wandering Centipedes that might have escaped the previous treatments.

Prevention

In DIY pest control, prevention is always the final step for control. There are many things you can do around your home to prevent Centipedes but start by sealing cracks and crevices outside your property. By closing any potential entry points into your home, insects (including Centipedes) won’t be able to get inside the structure.

You can use caulk or pest control foam to fill openings and cracks and crevices outside the property to prevent insects from coming inside. 

After the Centipedes have been eliminated from your home, you will want to keep it that way with preventative measures. Consider adding screens to your drains, this will prevent insects from coming inside your property from the plumbing, and it will also seal potential hiding places. 

In places where high moisture builds up, like the basement and crawl spaces, or even the bathroom, do your best to fix any leaks in plumbing, or even consider using a dehumidifier to reduce moisture in these rooms. Use caulk to seal up cracks, crevices and other points of entry into your home.

Continue to apply Supreme IT treatments every 90 days around your home and property to reduce the insect population and keep Centipedes away long-term.

Key Takeaways

What are Centipedes?

• Centipedes are an arthropod that can commonly infest homes, often lured by an abundance of insects on the property. 
• If you have Centipedes living in your home, you likely have other pests in your home, which the centipedes are feeding on. In short, to control and eliminate centipedes from your home, you need to eliminate their food source as well.

How To Get Rid of Centipedes

• To eliminate Centipedes from your home and lawn, use a combination of Supreme IT Insecticide, D-Fense Dust for voids and crevices and Solutions Pro Glue Boards.
• These products not only address Centipedes directly, but also indirectly by taking away the food source that is attracting them to your property.

Preventing Centipede Reinfestations

• Prevent potential reinfestations of Centipedes by sealing cracks and crevices outside your home to prevent insects (and Centipedes as a result) from coming inside and reducing moisture as much as possible.