You stop dead in your tracks. On your wall (probably staring back at you but you don't know because you can't see any eyes) is a big centipede. How do you respond? With fear? With revulsion? Do you get someone to kill it or do you dispose of it yourself with a wad of toilet paper or paper towel? We all respond differently to the presence of gross bugs. But once the threat has been eliminated, a common question is asked, "How did that bug get into my house?" Here is the definitive answer you've been looking for.
There is something important you should know about centipedes; they don't chew on wood and they don't damage building materials to enter homes. They have to find a gap, crack, or hole to get in through. Often, they use holes created by other pests. When carpenter ants chew on your door frames or the sole plate of your home, centipedes will take advantage of the holes they create. When rodents chew on your window and door frames, centipedes will use those holes to gain access to your home. Pests help pests get into your home.
Centipedes live in the ground so the points they attack are often near the ground. They'll exploit a gap around plumbing pipes and wire conduit. They'll squeeze through a gap in the rubber weatherstripping around a door. They crawl up into the weep hole on a brick home and find access points inside the exterior wall void to get to the interior wall voids.
How to Stop the Centipede Invasion
Your home has many entry points. Some have been created by pests. Some occur over time as your home settles or as New England winters expand and contract the members of your home. There are many reasons gaps, cracks, and holes happen. When they do, it is important to seal them. But even after you've sealed every visible entry point, centipedes can still get in. So it is vital to invest in ongoing residential pest control. With routine pest treatments, you can create a barrier around your home that works to take down pests as they attempt to get in through holes in your defenses that you've missed.
If you've had enough of centipedes, we're with ya. Those are gross pests. Reach out to Big Blue Bug Solutions. When it comes to controlling New England pests, we know what works.