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The best natural and chemical options for getting rid of centipedes
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House centipedes are generally harmless, but spotting these many-legged creepy-crawlies in your home can be cringe-inducing—it's understandable if you don't want them as guests. In this article, we'll explain exactly how to get rid of centipedes in and around your home, and we'll also provide useful prevention tips so they'll never return. If you're ready to get a leg up on your centipede problem and give these creatures the boot once and for all, read on!
Things You Should Know
- Put sticky traps in the corners and crevices of your home to catch centipedes and the insects that centipedes feed on.
- Spray a chemical insecticide that contains pyrethroids around baseboards, windows, crevices, doors, and the outdoor perimeter of your home.
- For a natural solution, sprinkle diatomaceous earth or boric acid across your home's entry points and exterior.
Steps
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Set up sticky traps in your home's corners and crevices. Sticky traps are effective at catching centipedes, and they'll also capture other insects in your home that the centipedes are feasting on. Centipedes will definitely be less interested in hanging out at your house if you eliminate their food source. [1] X Trustworthy Source Penn State Extension Educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities Go to source
- Don't forget to check your sticky traps regularly and dispose of the insects.
- Sticky traps can also alert you to heavy traffic areas. If one of your sticky traps turns out to be really popular, you can focus your efforts there.
- Sticky traps work best for smaller centipedes. Larger centipedes may walk over sticky traps and escape by simply leaving behind a few of their legs.
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Spray chemical insecticides around baseboards, windows, and doors. To kill centipedes on contact, look for synthetic insecticides that contain pyrethroids (cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, permethrin or tralomethrin). Apply the insecticide spray along points of entry like baseboards, cracks, crevices, doors, and windows to create a barrier of protection. [2] X Research source
- Apply a barrier of insecticide around the exterior of your home, as well, to prevent new centipedes from coming in.
- Remember that chemical pesticides are poisonous! Read and follow the product's directions carefully, and keep these chemicals away from kids and pets.
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Use diatomaceous earth or boric acid if you prefer non-toxic options. Natural dusts like boric acid and food grade diatomaceous earth kill centipedes and work well for continual centipede control. Sprinkle the dust at points of entry (baseboards, cracks, crevices, doors, and windows). [3] X Research source
- Sprinkle the dust around the exterior perimeter of your home, too, so new centipedes can't make it indoors. If they happen to make it inside, they should be dead or near death by the time you find them. Just wipe or vacuum them up when you see them.
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Repel centipedes naturally with essential oils like cedar and peppermint. Add 20-50 drops of your chosen essential oil to a spray bottle. Then, fill the bottle the rest of the way with water and screw on the nozzle. Saturate entry points and any other areas where you've spotted centipedes with the mixture. [4] X Research source
- As a bonus, the essential oils will make your home smell lovely.
- If you're dealing with just a handful of centipedes, spray them with undiluted vinegar to kill them on the spot. [5] X Research source
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Hire a professional exterminator to knock out tough infestations. If you've tried everything to get rid of the centipedes and you're still seeing them around your home, it may be time to hire an exterminator. Exterminators crawl your home for potential entrance points, locate and destroy centipede eggs, and spray with effective commercial pesticides to get rid of centipedes for good.
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Get rid of other pests in your home. Centipedes feast on spiders and other types of small insects that are common in and around residential spaces. Eliminating their food source is a great way to keep centipedes from coming back (and starve out any that are still hanging around). To prevent pests: [6] X Research source
- Store food in airtight containers and clean up any food spills right away.
- Remove household clutter like stacks of newspapers, magazines, and cardboard (which pests love to munch on).
- Get rid of any organic debris, like leaf litter, around your home and always use trash cans with tight-fitting lids.
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Reduce moisture indoors and keep your home dry. Centipedes are attracted to moist environments and need moisture to survive; without it, they'll dry out and die. Use a dehumidifier inside your home to get rid of moisture in the air and repair any indoor water leaks that you have. [7] X Research source
- Run the exhaust fan in your bathroom when you're taking a shower to minimize moisture and humidity.
- Place packets of silica in the dampest places of your home. Silica is an absorbent that wicks away moisture from the air and ground.
- Close or block off your sink and tub drains, if possible.
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Remove organic material around your home's exterior. Place firewood, mulch, tarpaulins, and compost bins away from the perimeter of the house and as far away as possible. Move or dispose of compost, leaves, wood, and any other organic debris in your yard. Trim any shrubbery back at least 1–2 ft (30–61 cm) from the sides of your home. [8] X Trustworthy Source Missouri Botanical Garden Oldest botanical garden in the U.S. and center for botanical research and science education Go to source
- Clean out the gutters and downspouts around your home, as well. Leaves, branches, and other debris can block the water flow and create the perfect environment for centipedes.
- Cleaning up clutter in damp indoor areas, like basements, can also discourage centipedes from taking up residence there.
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Seal cracks and crevices with caulk or expanding foam . Check around your home for cracks in concrete foundation and fill them in with caulk. It also helps to caulk the spaces around doors and windows to eliminate gaps where centipedes get inside. [9] X Research source
- Apply weatherstripping to discourage centipedes.
- Caulk any holes between the walls in your home, and seal sump pump covers with screen and caulk.
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How Do You Get Rid Of House Centipedes?
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I smush the centipede with my shoe?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerSure, but then you'll have to clean up the mush! If you need to get rid of a single centipede quickly and you don't want to deal with a mess, vacuum it up with a hose attachment instead.
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QuestionHow can I stop centipedes from entering my house?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerSpray a chemical insecticide that contains pyrethroids around baseboards, windows, crevices, doors, and the outdoor perimeter of your home. If you prefer a natural solution, sprinkle diatomaceous earth or boric acid across your home's entry points and around the exterior.
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QuestionWill Lysol spray kill them if you spray the baseboards or directly on them?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerA direct hit of Lysol might slow a centipede down and it could possibly even poison/kill it, but it's really not an effect control measure. If you have a large infestation, try using a synthetic insecticide that contain pyrethroids instead.
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Tips
- Be careful using pesticides since they're poisonous. Read the instructions carefully and keep them out of reach of children and pets.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Keep in mind that some kinds of centipede can and will bite. It's always best to keep your skin far away away from them, if you can help it.
- In my experience, centipedes are sensitive to heat, so using a hair dryer or hot water usually kills them.
- Use sticky pet hair rollers to catch centipedes manually. Then just tear off the paper and throw it away.
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about pest control, check out our in-depth interview with Wilson Christner .
References
- ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/house-centipedes
- ↑ https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/house-centipedes
- ↑ https://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/house-centipedes
- ↑ https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/pest-control-tips/centipedes-millipedes-sowbugs-pillbugs.html
- ↑ https://www.beyondpesticides.org/assets/media/documents/alternatives/factsheets/CENTIPEDE%20CONTROL.pdf
- ↑ https://pestsinthehome.extension.org/pest-prevention/how-to-prevent-pest-infestations/
- ↑ https://haltonwildlife.ca/6-tips-getting-rid-centipedes/
- ↑ https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/insects-pests-and-problems/insects/centipedes-and-millipedes
- ↑ https://faes-webmain.org.ohio-state.edu/ohioline/factsheet/ent-50
About This Article
Article Summary
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To get rid of centipedes, try sprinkling some cayenne pepper around the entryways to your home, which will deter the centipedes so they don't come inside. You can also try setting up some sticky traps on the floors around your home to catch the centipedes when they walk on them. If the centipedes persist, sprinkle a natural pesticide, like boric acid or diatomaceous earth, over the areas where you usually spot them. For more tips, like how to seal off entrance points to your home so centipedes can't get in, keep reading!
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Reader Success Stories
- "This piece did help me because l now know how these Centipedes invaded my home in the first place. There is a crack on the side of my bath tub! They must have gotten into there and made it their abode. I am just going to go and cover every crack in my bathroom and room. I would also make the place as dried out as possible!" ..." more
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"This piece did help me because l now know how these Centipedes invaded my home in the first place. There is a crack on the side of my bath tub! They must have gotten into there and made it their abode. I am just going to go and cover every crack in my bathroom and room. I would also make the place as dried out as possible!"
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"Not afraid of centipedes anymore. Now I will know what I can do to either prevent them from coming into my AZ home or how to catch them. I did lay sticky pads around the house, and before leaving for our vacation we set off foggers throughout the house."
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"I was wondering if centipedes come in through drains, and this article confirms that they can and do. I'm definitely going to find some screening to cover drains. Also, I didn't know cayenne pepper works, too. Bedbugs are a centipede's diet? Good info!"
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"What stood out to me was the fact that centipedes eat other harmful insects. We have a centipede that eats peanut butter off our mouse traps, we couldn't figure out how the trap didn't go off, but the peanut butter was always gone, surprising!"
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"I was so happy to hear other people can't stand the sight of these! Will try some of these tips. Have tried some of the sticky traps, caught lots of spiders and centipedes. Will go to the larger size. Hate it that they are so fast! Thanks."
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