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House Centipedes

House Centipedes
Class: insect
Other Names: thousand-legger, hundred-legger
Color: yellow to brown with three dark stripes along its length
Size: Between .5 to 1.5 inches
Legs: 30 (15 pairs)
Diet: spiders, ants, flies, crickets, cockroach nymphs and other small insects
Interesting Fact: If grabbed by a predator, house centipedes can shed their legs and regrow them later.
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CALL: 410-653-2121
Invaded by multi-legged pests? The Brothers will give them their walking papers.

Many people refer to them as thousand leggers or hundred leggers, but house centipedes actually have just 15 pairs of legs when they’re fully mature. That’s more than enough to make them scary-looking, however, and they’re definitely not something you want to see scuttling across your basement floor when you turn the lights on.

A house centipede’s extended leg pairs and antennas make it look a lot longer and bigger than its true size, which is between 0.5 and 1.5 inches. Unfortunately, once you see house centipedes running along floors, up walls or on ceilings, you may have long-term visitors, since they can live up to six years. They don’t need to go outdoors at all, but can complete their entire life cycle indoors.

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Mostly harmless but always unwelcome.

House centipedes don’t cause any real damage, and their food source is other insects such as spiders, ants and similar household pests. But their presence may indicate that you have a moisture problem, since they love dark and damp areas like sump pumps, basement bathrooms and wet crawl spaces.

Touching a house centipede won’t usually harm you; only the bite of larger species— uncommon in this area—can penetrate human skin. These bites feel something like a bee sting, but some people may have an allergic reaction with swelling and pain. Even though they’re not dangerous, thousand leggers are always unpleasant to have around.

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As a Home Protection Plan customer, if you’re not satisfied with our pest control service, we will service your home at no additional cost until your issue is solved or receive your money back from your last scheduled service.

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Try this to keep house centipedes out.
  • Keep damp spots in your home dry.
  • Keep wood piles and leaves away from your foundation.
  • Install a dehumidifier in moist areas.
  • Ventilate crawl spaces to ensure adequate air circulation.

Still having problems? Call Brody Brothers to evict these unwelcome guests.

  • We’ll identify the sources of moisture to eliminate the damp spots where house centipedes like to live.
  • We’ll treat your home for secondary infestations of spiders, ants and other insects to remove centipedes’ food source.
  • We’ll seal the cracks and crevices around the exterior of your home to prevent them from getting in and treat the exterior walls to keep them away.

Don’t get surprised again by these multi-legged invaders. Call us today at 410-653-2121 to send them packing.