How to Remove Centipedes and Prevent Them From Returning

Centipedes often make people uneasy with their many legs and tendency to appear in dark corners of your yard or home. If you do spot one inside, you're likely wondering how to get rid of it quickly.

Here’s everything you need to understand—along with effective techniques to remove centipedes and prevent them from entering your home in the future.

Essential Information About Centipedes

Although many people mistake them for insects, centipedes are not actually insects. They belong to a different class of animals known as Chilopoda, distinguished by their numerous legs.

Centipedes are more active at night, as explained by Thomas Dobrinska, BCE, PHE, and technical service manager at Terminix. "Centipedes seek shelter during the day in moist, shaded locations such as beneath stones, logs, and in mulch. They are excellent climbers, capable of scaling exterior walls or using tree branches that touch your home to travel."

Centipedes can bite and inject venom that causes a reaction similar to a bee sting, so it’s best not to handle them directly or try to squash them with your bare hands.

What Lures Centipedes Into Your Home?

Like earwigs and many other household pests, centipedes are drawn to clutter, moisture, and other insects. They can also be attracted to outdoor lighting, as they often feed on the bugs lured by the lights.

How to Eliminate Centipedes

Unlike some pests that seek out a cozy place to hibernate during the winter, centipedes are perfectly content to make your home or crawlspace their permanent residence. "They can survive indoors for extended periods, especially if there’s enough clutter, humidity, and other insects, particularly in basements and crawlspaces," says Dobrinska.

• Clear out clutter (this gives centipedes fewer hiding spots)
• Lower humidity levels
• Reduce the number of other insects and spiders, as these serve as food for centipedes
• Vacuum or squish centipedes when you encounter them (this helps manage their numbers)
• Apply an insect barrier treatment

If these methods don’t work and you continue to encounter centipedes, Dobrinska suggests reaching out to a licensed pest control professional. They can help develop a treatment plan to eliminate the centipedes in your home and prevent future infestations.

How to Keep Centipedes Out of Your Home

The most important step in eliminating centipedes from your house is preventing them from entering in the first place. You’ll need to make both your home and the surrounding area less inviting to these pests to encourage them to stay away.

"Prevention starts with removing mulch, leaf litter, splash guards, stones, and landscape timbers from around the structure," says Dobrinska. "Make sure water is directed away from the building. Also, using sodium vapor bulbs will attract fewer centipedes and the insects they feed on."

Indoors, use dehumidifiers to maintain proper moisture levels, fix any leaks that could create the damp conditions centipedes love, and declutter your basement and other areas to eliminate dark hiding spots.

Dobrinska also suggests sealing cracks, screening weep holes, and repairing damaged screens to prevent centipedes from gaining access to your home.