Ask anyone which pest they fear most, and most of them will likely answer with some variation of “spiders.” Maybe it will be cockroaches. Maybe bed bugs. But the vast majority will choose spiders as the pest they fear most.

That is, until they’ve seen house centipedes.

House centipedes may not be as common or as famous as spiders, but they are a pretty terrifying looking insect. They are larger than spiders. Their legs are longer – and they have more of them. They move extremely fast, and they LOVE to surprise people. They frequently hide in places like bathrooms, and prefer to feel safe by taking up space under something like a bottle of shampoo or behind the toilet.

These bugs are actually some of nature’s best pests. They eat all the bugs we hate – including bedbugs! – and they do not like to bite humans, although they will if they’re handled and feel in danger. While their bite can be painful, it is not dangerous. While they do have venom, it is barely enough to kill a termite.

But wow, do they look scary, and it is natural to want to keep them on the outside of your home. So what can you do to keep these pests away?

• Get Rid of Other Pests – House centipedes come into your property specifically because they sense food. They often follow other bugs or use the same entrances. Pest control in general will help you get rid of other bugs, which in turn will reduce the desire of house centipedes to come into your property at all. And, of course, regular pest control will prevent and eliminate these centipedes as well. Win/win/win.
• Reduce Moisture – If you’re not yet ready for pest control, another tasks you have to do is reduce moisture. House centipedes prefer warm and moist environments – like bathrooms and kitchen sinks – so if you run your fan, wipe up water, and make sure to fix plumbing leaks, house centipedes are less likely to come inside.
• Seal Small Holes – Pesticides may play a very important role in the pest control world, but they are not the only way to keep pests out. If you can seal any of their entrance points, pests will be unable to enter.

House centipedes are scary. But to pest control companies, what makes them the most scary is not their long legs or fast running. It is that the presence of house centipedes typically means that you have a lot of other pest issues that you need to address. Contact the team at ExtermPRO today for pest control in Virginia, and let us help you treat and prevent house centipedes – and other pests – in the future.