How to Get Rid of House Centipedes

Few insects cause as much alarm as the house centipede. With its long, spindly legs, rapid movement, and disturbing appearance, finding one in your bathroom or basement is enough to send most people scrambling. But here’s the thing: house centipedes are actually beneficial. They eat spiders, cockroaches, silverfish, ants, and other household pests.

That said, nobody wants dozens of fast-moving, many-legged creatures in their home. Here’s how to understand, reduce, and prevent house centipede populations.

What Is a House Centipede?

The house centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is a yellowish-gray arthropod with 15 pairs of long, banded legs. Adults grow to about 1–1.5 inches in body length (legs can extend much further). They move incredibly fast — up to 1.3 feet per second — and are among the most visually startling of common household pests.

Key facts:

They’re venomous, but their jaws are rarely strong enough to pierce human skin. A bite (which almost never happens unprovoked) causes minor, bee-sting-like pain.
They’re highly beneficial — a single centipede can consume dozens of insects per week
They live 3–7 years
Unlike most centipedes, house centipedes can actually thrive and reproduce indoors

Where they’re found:

Bathrooms (around the tub, toilet, and sink — they need moisture)
Basements and crawl spaces
Laundry rooms
Around water heaters
Dark, humid areas throughout the home

Why House Centipedes Are in Your Home

House centipedes follow two things: moisture and prey. Their presence is almost always an indicator of one or both:

High indoor humidity or moisture problems — Centipedes need moisture to breathe (through spiracles on their body). They dehydrate quickly in dry environments.
An existing insect population — If you have centipedes, you almost certainly have the pests they’re eating: cockroaches, silverfish, ants, spiders, or other insects.

This is the critical insight: Treating centipedes without addressing the underlying moisture and insect problems will produce temporary results at best.

Step 1: Reduce Moisture and Humidity

This is the most impactful action you can take. Centipedes cannot survive in dry environments.

Run a dehumidifier in the basement and any damp areas. Target: below 50% relative humidity
Fix plumbing leaks — any dripping pipe under a sink or around a water heater provides moisture
Improve bathroom ventilation — run exhaust fans during and 20 minutes after showers
Seal crawl space vents and install a vapor barrier to reduce ground moisture intrusion
Ensure gutters direct water away from the foundation — pooling water against the foundation contributes to basement moisture

Step 2: Address the Underlying Pest Population

Centipedes are in your home because other insects are there. Identify and address those pests:

Inspect for cockroach activity — behind appliances, in kitchen cabinets, under sinks
Check for silverfish — in bathroom cabinets, books, storage areas
Look for ant trails — along baseboards, around food storage areas
Check for spider populations — in basements, garages, and attics

Eliminating the centipede’s food supply is the most reliable long-term control strategy.

Step 3: Seal Entry Points

House centipedes enter through gaps around pipes, cracks in the foundation, and gaps under exterior doors. Once inside, they move between rooms through gaps in walls.

Seal these locations:

Gaps around plumbing under every sink
Gaps around utility pipes entering through foundation walls
Cracks in the basement foundation (use hydraulic cement for structural cracks, caulk for minor surface cracks)
Gaps under exterior doors (door sweeps)
Gaps around floor drains

Step 4: Reduce Outdoor Harborage

Like most home-invading pests, centipedes often live outdoors first and move inside as conditions change.

Move mulch, leaf litter, and wood piles at least 12 inches from the foundation
Clear dense ground cover and low-growing vegetation from against the house
Remove rocks and debris from around the foundation perimeter

Step 5: Use Sticky Traps for Monitoring and Capture

Non-toxic sticky traps placed along baseboards in damp areas (bathrooms, basement perimeter, laundry rooms) will capture centipedes and give you a sense of population size.

Catchmaster Pest Traps and standard glue boards work well. Place boards flat along baseboards — centipedes move along edges and will cross them.

Step 6: Apply Residual Insecticide (If Needed)

If centipede populations are very high and the above steps haven’t been sufficient, a targeted application of residual insecticide can reduce numbers quickly.

Effective options:

Deltamethrin (Suspend SC) or bifenthrin (Talstar) applied along baseboards, around plumbing penetrations, and in basement perimeter areas
Diatomaceous earth applied in wall voids, under appliances, and in crawl spaces — a non-toxic physical insecticide that damages centipedes’ exoskeletons
Cyzmic CS (lambda-cyhalothrin) as a perimeter spray around the exterior

Focus application on perimeter areas and entry points rather than broad indoor spraying.

The Honest Perspective on House Centipedes

Many pest control experts will tell you that house centipedes should simply be tolerated — they’re eating worse pests and causing no actual damage. If you find one or two per month and address the underlying moisture and insect issues, the population will self-regulate.

However, if you’re finding centipedes daily, especially in living areas like bedrooms, this indicates an underlying pest problem that’s significant enough to warrant professional inspection.

When to Call a Professional

You’re finding large numbers (5+ per week) despite addressing moisture
You suspect a significant cockroach or rodent infestation providing the food supply
You have significant foundation moisture problems that require structural attention
Centipedes are consistently appearing in bedrooms and living areas

Prevention Checklist

Run a dehumidifier in the basement year-round
Fix all plumbing leaks and drips
Seal foundation cracks and gaps around pipes
Remove mulch and debris from around the foundation
Address any cockroach or silverfish infestation driving the food supply
Install door sweeps on exterior doors
Place sticky traps in bathrooms and basement to monitor activity

Bottom Line

House centipedes are a symptom of moisture and/or an underlying insect population. The most effective control strategy focuses on those root causes: dry out the space, eliminate the prey insects, and seal entry points. Centipede numbers will drop naturally. If you need faster results, sticky traps and targeted perimeter insecticide treatments can help — but the long-term solution is always addressing what brought them inside in the first place.