{"id":7732,"date":"2025-03-10T12:24:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T12:24:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/2025\/03\/10\/publishhouse-centipede000openopen\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T05:37:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T05:37:06","slug":"house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/blog\/house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/","title":{"rendered":"House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata):Infestation, Behaviour, Signs &#038; How to Get Rid of Them"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How was your encounter with this greyish, yellowish creature which appears to be running with hundreds of legs? You clicking on this post shows you want to quickly get rid of your house centipedes. This article informs you about the proven ways to get rid of centipedes. But are you sure you are not mistaking <a href=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/blog\/millipedes-in-house\/\">millipedes in your house<\/a> for centipedes?<\/p>\n<p>If you watch closely, the centipedes in your house have a single pair of legs on each body segment. But if you see two pairs on each part, it\u2019s a millipede. Also, the legs of centipedes are longer than millipedes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/blog\/house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/#What_are_House_Centipedes_Scutigera_coleoptrata_What_Do_They_Look_Like\" >What are House Centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) &amp; What Do They Look Like?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-5' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/blog\/house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/#Are_House_Centipedes_Dangerous\" >Are House Centipedes Dangerous?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/blog\/house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/#Do_House_Centipedes_Bite\" >Do House Centipedes Bite?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/blog\/house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/#What_are_the_Signs_of_House_Centipedes_Infestation\" >What are the Signs of House Centipedes Infestation?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-5'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/blog\/house-centipede-scutigera-coleoptratainfestation-behaviour-signs-how-to-get-rid-of-them\/#How_to_Get_Rid_of_House_Centipedes\" >How to Get Rid of House Centipedes?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_House_Centipedes_Scutigera_coleoptrata_What_Do_They_Look_Like\"><\/span>What are House Centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) &amp; What Do They Look Like?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<div class=\"part_sec\">\n<div class=\"part1_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/house-centipede.jpg\" alt=\"what does house centipede look like\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"part2_sec\">\n<p>House centipedes are the laymen&#8217;s term for the Scutigera Coleoptrata species. You can identify house centipedes by their flattened and long bodies with numerous segments. As stated earlier, each segment has a pair of legs attached.There are many <a href=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/blog\/bugs-with-lots-of-legs\/\">bugs with lots of legs<\/a> but centipedes can have as many as 15 pairs of legs. The last pair of legs in females is the longest, which looks more prominent than their whole body. Common house centipedes are yellowish-grey in color.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_House_Centipedes_Dangerous\"><\/span>Are House Centipedes Dangerous?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>You can\u2019t put house centipedes in the category of dangerous species for humans. Although they are venomous pests, they rarely pose any significant danger to humans. The venom is only good enough to kill other insects that are their prey.<\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_House_Centipedes_Bite\"><\/span>Do House Centipedes Bite?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>A similarity between you and house centipedes is you both want to be far from each other. So if they spot you, they run in the opposite direction and would never charge at you. There are hardly any chances that house centipedes will bite you. However, they can bite in self-defense. Their bite causes redness, swelling, and stinging pain.<\/p>\n<p>House centipede bite marks look like two puncture marks from where they insert venom. The bite mark would be red and swollen into the proportion of poison injected. The bite mark of a large house centipede would be more significant compared to the smaller ones.<\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_Signs_of_House_Centipedes_Infestation\"><\/span>What are the Signs of House Centipedes Infestation?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Centipede infestation in the house is not apparent. You won\u2019t find these creatures crawling around you often. They won&#8217;t damage your home or leave a trail. They prefer to stay away from humans. So the most obvious sign of house centipede infestation is sighting a house centipede itself.<\/p>\n<p>You can identify them by the features described in this post. Look for a house centipede in the night in damp corners of your house.<\/p>\n<h5><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Get_Rid_of_House_Centipedes\"><\/span>How to Get Rid of House Centipedes?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h5>\n<p>Following is the collection of tried and tested ideas to get rid of house centipedes and also to prevent future infestation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cleaning.svg\" alt=\"Cleaning\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Maintain Cleanliness<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Keep the inside and outside spaces of your house clean. Pour bleach or vinegar inside your drains to eliminate accumulated food waste. House centipedes survive on pests like cockroaches, spiders, etc. Maintaining clean interiors and exterior ensures these pests don\u2019t get attracted to your house. That\u2019s how the food source of house centipedes gets eliminated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dehumidifier.svg\" alt=\"Dehumidifier\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Run a Humidifier<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>House centipedes flourish in moist areas and warm temperatures. You can dry the air and space of your house by running a humidifier in your home. These troublesome creatures will use all their legs to run away from such dry areas as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-13110\" src=\"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/set-Trap-Icon.svg\" alt=\"set-Trap-Icon\" width=\"64\" height=\"64\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"liststyle-icon-1\" style=\"margin-top: 25px;\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<p><strong>Use House Centipede Traps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the idea of squashing the next house centipede you spot with your shoe repels you, using sticky traps is your solution. These traps are made of other insects to attract the centipedes. The small centipede in the house sticks to these traps when they go near them. You can place sticky traps near your house\u2019s baseboards and damp corners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Vacuum-Up-Earwigs-icon.svg\" alt=\"Vacuum Up Earwigs Icon\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Apply a High-powered Vacuum Cleaner<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you doubt there are cracks and spaces which can be the hideout of these creepy creatures, run a high-powered vacuum cleaner through them. They will be sucked out with the trash in the vacuum bag. Transfer the garbage from that vacuum bag into a sealed plastic bag and dispose of it outside.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/seal-gap.svg\" alt=\"Seal Gap\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Seal Openings Such as Holes, Gaps, and Cracks<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are the entry points of the house centipede in your house. Do an audit of your home and seal the tiniest of cracks, holes, and cracks of your house. Look especially around damp areas such as drainages, basins, and bathrooms. Keeping these areas dry as much as possible helps as a dry and cold atmosphere repels house centipedes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/insecticide.svg\" alt=\"Insecticide\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use Insecticides<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can use insecticides and pesticides. But you need to be careful before using them. They can be toxic for yourself and your family, so choose them as your last resort. However, it is better to call a professional instead of applying insecticides in your house.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sv_sec\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0 !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/insecticide-1.svg\" alt=\"Insecticide\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"content-list-sec\">\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get Professional Help<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>House centipedes in your house indicate the presence of other pests in your house. Therefore it\u2019s a good idea to call pest control professionals to identify and eliminate all infestations in your home at once and for a longer duration.<\/p>\n<p>Contact us if you are looking for efficient, experienced, and reliable <a href=\"https:\/\/takecaretermite.com\/\">pest control professionals in Tracy California<\/a> to get rid of house centipedes or other bugs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- FAQ Schema --><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How To Get Rid of House Centipedes\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"1. Keep the inside and outside spaces of your house clean. \n2. Run a Humidifier in moist areas and warm temperatures.\n3. Use House Centipede sticky traps near your house\u2019s baseboards and damp corners.\n4. Run a high-powered vacuum cleaner through cracks and spaces which can be the hideout of these creepy creatures.\n5. Seal Openings Such as Holes, Gaps, and Cracks around damp areas such as drainages, basins, and bathrooms. \n6. You can use insecticides and pesticides.\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Do House Centipedes Bite?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"House centipedes usually don\u2019t bite you. However, they can bite in self-defense. Their bite causes redness, swelling, and stinging pain.\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Are House Centipedes Dangerous?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Although they are venomous pests, they rarely pose any significant danger to humans.\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Can cats eat house centipedes?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Most house centipedes are harmless for your cats to eat.\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What causes centipedes in the house?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"\u2022 A warm and damp environment\n\u2022 Leftover food everywhere\n\u2022 Dark places\n\u2022 Wet and Humid areas like bathrooms and basement\n\u2022 A lot of insects and other pests as their food\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"Where do house centipedes come from?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"House centipedes or Scutigera Coleoptrata originated from the Mediterranean region and spread worldwide.\"\n    }\n  }]\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How was your encounter with this greyish, yellowish creature which appears to be running with hundreds of legs? You clicking on this post shows you want to quickly get rid of your house centipedes. This article informs you about the proven ways to get rid of centipedes. But are you sure you are not mistaking &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7732"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13124,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7732\/revisions\/13124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnsfly.com\/takecaretermite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}