What Attracts Centipedes In The House?
The average person will likely tell you that they don’t like centipedes. The arthropod's weird head, scary pincers, and many legs can seem creepy. So, what attracts centipedes into the house?
High humidity and household pests, such as spiders, moths, and silverfish, attract centipedes into your home, as they are predators. Centipedes enter a house through gaps and cracks in doors, windows, siding, and drains. You must seal these gaps and cracks, or these insects will get into your home looking for a warm place during the fall.
While centipedes look scary, they can help you eliminate unwanted bugs in your house. Centipedes only bite humans defensively, so you don’t have to worry about them attacking you. Follow along as we explore why centipedes are in your house.
Why Are Centipedes In My House?
1. Household Pests
Centipedes don’t target people, but they’re quite aggressive toward bugs. You’re more likely to find centipedes in the house if your home has many bugs and pests. They eat everything from silverfish, moths, spiders, and bed bugs to crickets and cockroaches. Centipedes are arthropods, not insects, and they have no problem eating as many insects as possible. You may not notice centipedes in the house during the day, because they primarily hunt at night.
Some people don’t mind having centipedes in the house, as they’re some of nature’s best natural pest control professionals. Finding a bunch of centipedes inside can even alert you to pest infestations you didn’t know about to begin with.
2. Shelter
As nocturnal predators, centipedes spend a lot of time hiding during the day. The more hiding spots your home has, the more centipedes you’ll attract. Much like brown recluse spiders, centipedes seek shelter in cluttered corners, boxes, basements, and closets. They especially like hiding in unventilated, dark spaces with high humidity. You can help deter centipedes and other pests by decluttering your house, but you must be careful.
You may unknowingly encounter some centipedes while decluttering, and they can bite you. They don’t intentionally hurt people, but they will bite defensively if needed. It’s a good idea to wear gloves and shine a flashlight in dark corners before cleaning to avoid bites and get a better idea of how bad your centipede problem is.
3. Excessive Humidity
There’s a good chance your home’s relative humidity is too high if you keep finding centipedes. High indoor humidity attracts silverfish, spiders, springtails, cockroaches, earwigs, centipedes, and other pests. The ideal indoor humidity is 30% to 50%; exceeding 50% can attract centipedes in areas where they’re prominent. They often enter homes when the outdoor conditions become too dry and unpleasant.
You can deter centipedes by lowering the relative humidity in your house. The best way to do so is to patch pipe leaks and improve your home ventilation. For example, you can install a powerful bathroom fan to prevent excessive moisture after showering. Ideally, run the fan while showering and for at least 15-20 minutes afterward.
4. Warmth
Centipedes are like many other crawling creatures that don’t thrive in cold weather. Because of that, they seek shelter in warm places throughout th fall and winter. That’s why many homeowners notice an influx of centipedes in the house as summer turns into autumn. The warmth inside is just as enticing as the spiders, silverfish, and other bugs in your house.
This creates a twofold problem where the bugs that centipedes eat also enter your home seeking warmth. You can keep centipedes out of your house by installing weatherstripping on your doors. That way, no heat will escape, so your home won’t be so enticing for centipedes.
5. Cluttered Landscaping
Do you have lots of groundcover plants and dense shrubs backed up against your house? If so, there’s a good chance that centipedes are hiding in the shade cast by you lush landscaping. Groundcover plants, shrubs, flowers, weeds, and rock gardens provide plenty of shade, which centipedes love. The more overgrown and cluttered the landscaping, the more centipedes you’ll find. You probably prefer having centipedes in your yard over having them in the house, but the problem begins when those centipedes eventually head indoors when summer ends.
You can keep centipedes away from your house by regularly pruning shrubs and mowing the lawn. Some centipedes will stay in the yard, but you can prevent infestations by maintaining it. That way, fewer centipedes, if any, will enter your home when temperatures plummet.
6. Overwatering
Many people have soil beds right up against their homes. This is appealing in many ways, especially when you plant a bunch of vibrant flowers alongside your house. However, you must be careful, as overwatering these soil beds can attract centipedes. That’s because soil beds pushed up against exterior walls typically get lots of shade.
Overwatering is a bad idea, as it will take longer to dry out than if it were in direct sunlight all day. Centipedes love cool, damp soil, so they linger in damp soil beds for as long as possible. They are so close to your house, they can easily head indoors when it gets cold. Only water those soil beds when the top 2” of soil becomes dry. Not only will that help deter centipedes, but it will also promote healthy plant growth.
When Do Centipedes Come Out?
Centipedes typically become active during the spring, when they mate and lay eggs. During the fall, they go wherever they can to seek shelter and warmth. You’re more likely to find centipedes in your house during the fall and winter than during spring and summer. Regardless of the season, centipedes primarily hunt their prey at night.
Do Centipedes Lay Eggs Indoors?
Centipedes often lay eggs indoors throughout the fall and winter. That’s especially true in homes with plenty of clutter and nice hiding spots, like closets and crawlspaces. Female centipedes can lay 10 to 60 eggs every few days, especially in dark, damp spaces. The eggs will hatch within 1 to 3 months, depending on the temperature.
For example, centipede eggs often hatch faster in warm spaces than in cold. Mature centipedes may not reproduce as much if the food sources run out, and you declutter your house. That’s because they may become dormant. However, you should expect some young centipedes to hatch in your home during the fall and winter.
Summing It Up
Centipedes are drawn to humid, bug-infested homes with lots of clutter and hiding spots. They typically come inside to seek warm shelter during the fall and winter. You can deter centipedes by installing weatherstripping, patching pipe leaks, and improving your home’s ventilation to reduce the relative humidity.
Related Guides:
Nick Durante is a professional writer with a primary focus on home improvement. When he is not writing about home improvement or taking on projects around the house, he likes to read and create art. He is always looking towards the newest trends in home improvement.
More by Nick Durante
