Centipede Removal Services

There’s a good chance you’ve come across a centipede in your home at least once before and may or may not have considered calling an Orlando-based pest control company to help. House centipedes are, for many, a frightening pest thanks to their image, a long, slender body with seemingly hundreds of thin, long legs and incredibly fast speed. Studies have shown that centipedes can in fact be a beneficial house guest due to them eating more troublesome pests such as bed bugs, cockroaches, termites, and spiders. Regardless of this fact, one would probably not be too happy to see centipedes running around their home and will look for a proper solution of getting rid of them.

If you’re dealing with a centipede problem currently, it’s time to call Drake Lawn & Pest Control for help. We offer affordable and reliable centipede removal to get rid of your pest problem once and for all. There’s a good chance that if you notice too many centipedes in your home, you also have an underlying problem with another type of pest insect that needs to be addressed.

Centipede Appearance

House centipedes have a fairly distinctive appearance that’s quite different from a millipede. Provided below is how to recognize a centipede in your home:
• Seeing a yellowish to dark brown color, the centipede may have dark markings.
• 15 pairs of very long legs that extend far from the body and make the insect look much larger than it is.
• The last pair of legs on females are up to twice as long as the body.

Centipedes are nocturnal, hunting by night with their well-developed eyes and long antennae to find small insects to eat. House centipedes have incredibly sensitive antennae that can pick up vibrations and even sensitive smells. Centipedes feed on small arthropods like silverfish, carpet beetle larvae, spiders, and cockroaches. They are even willing to target potentially dangerous prey like wasps by sneaking up on them, stinging them, and quickly escaping while their venom takes effect before moving back in to eat.

Because centipedes have sensitive eyesight, they prefer dark areas and hide during the day. You are most likely to spot centipedes in dark, humid, or wet areas of your home such as a basement, in floor drains without water traps, in cardboard boxes stored on concrete, or in a bathroom.
If you have seen a centipede in your home, you have probably noticed their surprising speed. Centipedes can travel 1.3 feet per second thanks to their 15 pairs of legs.

Are Centipedes Dangerous?

Centipedes are often considered a beneficial insect because they kill the pests you will not want in your home. They are active hunters that are always looking for meals. They do not destroy wood in your home, build nests or webs, and they do not spread any diseases to humans. While centipedes do not pose any danger, they are venomous and are capable of “biting” or stinging with their front pair of legs. This is uncommon but if it occurs, it can be quite painful and cause swelling.

Why Do I Have Centipedes?

There are two reasons for centipedes to move into your home: food and warmth. In the more northern states, centipedes move indoors to escape the cold where they can’t survive. In Florida, they move in for safety and easy access to a meal. Because centipedes feed on small arthropods, frequent sightings of centipedes in your home usually indicates a more problematic pest problem. A centipede problem can also mean your home has a moisture problem.

Reliable Centipede Control

If you notice you have a centipede problem in your home, it’s time to call the experts at Drake Lawn & Pest Control. After an inspection, we will develop a personalized pest management plan to control the centipedes and their food source. Treating centipedes can involve chemical and non-chemical methods but the focus of our treatment will be identifying where the centipedes entered your home and what they are eating. Along with chemical treatments, centipede control can include:

• Reducing clutter
• Reducing moisture issues like water leaks
• Treating other pests in your home
• Sealing cracks, holes, and gaps the centipedes use to enter your home