If you found a centipede in your New Jersey home, you may be worried that more are lurking in the shadows. These creepy crawly critters are an unwelcome sight to most homeowners, though they don’t need to be. The two front fangs on a centipede are usually too weak to bite through human skin. Plus, these 15-legged critters prey on a large number of bugs such as cockroaches, termites, spiders, and silverfish.
Nevertheless, seeing a centipede crawl up your bathroom wall can be a scary sight. While one or two centipedes in the basement may be acceptable, several more crawling around your bedroom and bathroom are not. We’ll explain more about centipedes, when you should be concerned and the best strategies for dealing with them.
Key Characteristics Of Centipedes:
- 1 to 2 inches in length
- 15 pairs of legs at maturity
- Matured at 3 years; lifespan of 3-7 years
- Found indoors in bathrooms and basements
- Also live outdoors in mulch, wood piles, and brush
- Yellow-gray with dark stripes
- Similar looking to silverfish
When And When Not To Be Concerned
Generally speaking, centipedes are not harmful to human health. They feed off far nastier bugs such as termites and cockroaches. In a sense, they are the “good guys”. Of course, centipedes are not a natural solution for maintaining pests. If you have problems with cockroaches or spiders, pest control measures are far more effective. If, however, the sight of centipedes bothers you, it’s worth getting the problem checked out.
For one, the centipedes may be getting into your home because of moisture issues or rotting wood that need to be addressed. Otherwise, other pests can get into the home and cause further damage. Second, some people do react to the bite of a centipede. If you or someone in the family tends to react strongly to spider bites, mosquito bites, or bee stings, you must exercise additional caution when dealing with centipedes. Lastly, there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable in your own home. If scurrying centipedes cause panic or anxiety, call a pest control company.
Effective Treatments For Centipedes
Heritage Pest Control will effectively deal with your centipede problem. We’ll start by inspecting your property, as it’s helpful to understand where the pests are coming from. After, we’ll write up an integrated pest control treatment plan. Some of the things included in your plan may be:
- Treating gaps and cracks with insecticides.
- Applying chemical applications around the foundation of the home.
- Reducing moisture problems by fixing leaks.
- Eliminating clutter and other places where centipedes hide.
- Reducing the number of pests that centipedes feed off.
- Sealing up cracks, gaps and holes that allow pests in.
If you are concerned about centipedes in your home, call Heritage Pest Control today. Our environmentally friendly extermination practices are safe, affordable, and effective.