The name ‘centipedes’ would remind you of a creepy, crawling arthropod who has numerous legs. One can easily locate centipedes outdoors. And, they generally prefer dark and humid areas. But, this doesn’t necessarily mean that centipedes can’t sneak into your home. There are different species of centipedes, and one of them is the house centipede.
So, it would be of no surprise if you discover a centipede in the washbasin or lurking inside the kitchen or the dustbin. However, centipedes create a visual nuisance. Additionally, if house centipedes bite then, it can cause swelling and redness in the human skin. Hence, it’s not a wise idea to simply ignore them and do nothing in order to prevent them.
But, before you go down terminating them from your home, you should have the proper knowledge about centipedes. There are other insects that might look alike but are more dangerous. Here’s what might benefit your quest about centipedes and how to fight against them.
House Centipedes: A Brief Identification
The myth regarding the centipedes is that they are insects. But, they are arthropods, confirmed by the Pest Control Dubai experts. These arthropods might vary in size from three to six centimeters. House centipedes don’t possess decent eyesight, and they use their smell and sense powers to prey on insects.
Moreover, they are generally brown or gray. And, an adult centipede can have at most thirty legs. In contrast, they got only sixteen legs at the time of birth. However, the number of legs increases with each molting phase. Thus, keeping these facts in mind, you can identify how an adult a house centipede looks like.
In addition to this, they can live a time span of three to seven years. Another surprising fact provided by Pest Control Dubai professionals is that house centipedes can move at a speed of 40 centimeters every second. And, you can easily assume that the speed is owing to their so many legs.
Eating Behaviour of House Centipedes
Indoor centipedes are predators by nature. And, they keep hunting pests and insects that are most unwelcoming to your household premises. Even many homeowners prefer not to kill or terminate house centipedes as they are beneficial in restricting other dangerous pests. However, house centipedes hunt roaches, moths, silverfish, spiders, flies, and termites.
But, the good news is that centipedes don’t eat your woods. So, you can expect no loss because of house centipedes. Additionally, they are not responsible for spreading deadly diseases. In case you can spot a few house centipedes in your house, then there are chances that they are breeding in large numbers. And, that’s too in your home.
How can Centipedes Get Access to your House?
House centipedes might have entered your home in search of food and shelter. Centipedes basically favor places that are dark and damp. As a consequence, a home with enough moisture would be their first preference. You can notice centipedes in sinks, tubs, basements, bathrooms, or even in the closets. However, centipedes are naturally nocturnal and like to stay away from being sited by humans. And they prey on insects where they live.
How Venomous are Indoor Centipedes?
No doubt, house centipedes look extremely disgusting due to such a segmented body and creepy legs. Even, their mouths have claw-like structures, and there’s a venom gland. However, house centipedes are not aggressive in nature. They would counter-attack anyone if that particular individual tried to harm them. And, by an attack, we mean a bite, and that’s too rare. The bite would feel just like any bee sting, normally.
In addition to this, the area where the house centipede has a bit might turn red and swollen. You can use a cold compress to neutralize the redness and swelling. Well, you can get rid of them if you can observe a noticeable breeding proportion of house centipedes around your home.
Additionally, centipedes don’t affect your wooden furniture or anything, and they eat other insects. But, once they start increasing in number, you should take control and get rid of the aesthetic menace.
What can you do to Keep House Centipedes at Bay?
The main problem with house centipede infestation is that it might barely show any kind of symptom. It would start with noticing a centipede or a couple of them being visible in the kitchen, basement, or bathroom. Additionally, they don’t build a nest. Moreover, they keep interchanging the places where they normally hide to keep their distance from human beings.
To terminate house centipedes from your sweet home, you should start with a very basic tip. Initiate with cleaning your house, especially those places which are extremely dark and humid. Don’t skip places and corners such as bathrooms, attic, basement, and any place where centipedes might hide. In addition to this, you can make sure to keep your house free from excess moisture.
Another effective way to get rid of house centipedes is to terminate those insects that they eat. Keep your home free from unnecessary clutter or congestion with furniture. Such a circumstance might provoke the enhancement of humidity indoors. Moreover, refill the seams on the walls to make sure that house centipedes can’t nest there.
Ways to Prevent House Centipedes from Returning
Once you eliminate house centipedes from your home, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t return anymore. It’s possible that house centipedes can come back in greater quantity. The fun fact is that you need to apply the same strategies that you used before to eliminate house centipedes.
Here are some effective ways in detail to lessen the chances of house centipede infestation in your house.
- Keep humidity out of your place. You can invest in a dehumidifier. Additionally, don’t wait for the water leaks to create any kind of bigger trouble; fix water leaks beforehand.
- Keep an eye on other insect infestations in your home. Spiders, moths, silverfish, and termites can easily attract house centipedes to live in your home. Therefore, keep these insects out of your place.
- On the other hand, house centipedes achieve the chance to enter your home through holes, cracks, and seams of your house. Repair or seal such entries to stop house centipedes from entering your home.
- Moreover, you can utilize chemical products to create a barrier between your home and the house centipedes. You can purchase any dedicated chemical formula and apply it to window and door casings. Don’t forget to apply the same formula on baseboards and outdoors to keep those nasty pests away.
Finally, you can easily get rid of house centipedes with the help of a vacuum cleaner.
So, what’s the Effective Approach to Eliminating Indoor Centipedes?
To make it efficient, one should rely on chemical centipede control approaches. According to surveys and results, chemical control techniques are way more powerful. Additionally, the results are long-lasting. Apart from applying chemical products at the barriers, you can apply the same chemical product in the seams. This would definitely reduce the possibility of the house centipedes crawling into your home.