Get Rid of House Centipedes

Posted by Jamie McIntosh Apr 15, 2009

I always thought I had a pretty high tolerance for insect encounters. Like any gardener, I find the most interesting, and healthy members of the insect species in my compost pile. My squeamish level ranges from low for dime-sized spiders, to full-on heebie-jeebies for any unexpected swarm or colony of bugs that numbers in the thousands. So yesterday, when I saw a house centipede on my vaulted ceiling, I was only mildly concerned.

If you aren’t familiar with house centipedes, you must Google this insect to appreciate this frightful looking creature that resembles a silverfish on steroids. Many hours after observing this large specimen, I was seated under its perch, talking on the phone. My memory of the sighting was jogged only when I felt something land—FOOF—in my hair. “EEEEIIIIII!” I screamed, and threw the phone across the room. I know these arthropods are beneficial, as they eat small insects, but can’t they be beneficial in someone else’s home?

If you have house centipedes, get rid of them by cleaning and drying the places they like to dwell in, such as basements or firewood stacks. Homeowners can also sprinkle diatomaceous earth around foundations and basement crevices.