Centipedes Are Carnivorous Insects

Centipedes are carnivorous insects and natural predators. Although their eyes are only capable of discerning light and dark, their extremely sensitive antennae are more than adequate for locating their prey. Like spiders, these insects are important in maintaining healthy ecosystems by feeding on other damaging insects. Most adult centipedes prefer moist, dark, quiet places during winter and place their eggs in dampened soil during spring or summer.

As insects, centipedes live abnormally long lives; most usually survive up to a year in the wild, although some have been known to like up to six years. Centipedes do not roam during the daytime, but they will sometimes make inroads into human habitations and seek damp areas in bathrooms, closets, basements, and other similar spaces.

Unlike termites, centipedes are unlikely to consume wood. Millipedes, however, are herbivores and detritivores and feed exclusively on dead or decaying plant material as well as cellulose-based materials like wood.

While some pests, like cockroaches or mice, may leave visual clues that they’ve been using your home as shelter, no such indicators exist for a centipede infestation apart from actually seeing the centipede itself. In North America, the most commonly encountered centipede is the house centipede which ranges from 25 to 38 mm in length. This particular species possesses extremely long legs and has the ability to travel on both floors and walls without issue.

As mentioned above, centipedes are carnivorous insects, which means that limiting their access to potential food sources is a step in the right direction when it comes to eliminating them from the home. It’s for this reason that a comprehensive approach to pest control is best; ideally, your pest control expert will be able to identify all species of pests that may be invading your home, and from there, he or she can put the most effective control method for your home.

While the venom produced by these pests is not fatal, the bite from some larger species of centipede can be as painful as a bee sting and can lead to severe pain, numbness, discoloration, and inflammation of the afflicted area. For common house centipedes, commercially available sticky traps may be enough to stem the population of these pests in an area. Moreover, these traps will be able to give you a more accurate idea of where these pests are coming from, as well as the routes they’re taking to get around your home.

If an infestation is confirmed, it’s recommended that homeowners take special care to seal off uncommonly moist areas like bathrooms and reduce entry points to the outside like cracks and crevices.

Cantu Pest & Termite is proud to be the first company in Texas to offer Cantu Green Services to our customers in search of a more prevention-based solution to their pest removal while minimizing the use of pesticides.

If centipedes or other pests have made unwanted appearances around your home or business, call Cantu Pest & Termite and schedule an appointment today with one of our friendly, experienced centipede removal experts.