Bugs are creepy enough with six legs but one hundred? That’s just absurd. Okay, most centipedes don’t have one hundred legs, but their appearance can be frightening nonetheless, especially when you find one crawling around in your basement. These intimidating arthropods can deliver a painful bite and will infest your home if left unchecked.
So, if you’re experiencing a centipede problem in Portland, here’s what you need to know.
What Are Centipedes?
Centipedes are long, flat bugs with many pairs of legs. There are believed to be only four species of centipede living in the U.S., and they can vary in length from just 1/8 of an inch to over six inches, depending on the species. They have long antennae and prominent jaws that can deliver a venomous bite, but bites from centipedes are quite rare and their venom is no more dangerous than that of a wasp or bee. Centipedes are carnivorous and use their bite to incapacitate other insects in your home on which they feed.
Generally, centipedes aren’t dangerous to people or pets, but their presence in your home can be distressing nonetheless.
Why Centipedes Come Indoors
Centipedes thrive in areas of high moisture and humidity. Outdoors, can be found making their home in rotting logs, under stones with plenty of damp soil, and in piles of decomposing leaves and other organic material. But when the weather gets cold, as it tends to do in Portland, centipedes may venture indoors for shelter.
Your home not only gives centipedes a warm sanctuary from the bitter weather, but it also provides them with reliable hunting grounds. If you have a warm, humid basement, likely, centipedes aren’t the only pests attracted to it. All that prey gives centipedes plenty of incentive to stick around and infest your home.
How To Keep Centipedes Out Of Your Home
The good news is, that you can take some simple steps to protect your home and keep centipedes out:
- Reduce moisture – First and foremost, control the amount of water in and around your property. Locate any leaking faucets, spigots, fixtures, or pipes, and seal leaks if possible. Make sure that drainage and gutters are flowing properly. If you can, consider installing a dehumidifier in your basement.
- Clean up around the house – Reducing the presence of the prey insects that centipedes feed on can have a major impact on the presence of centipedes in your home. By simply maintaining standards of cleanliness in your home, you can help eliminate these prey insects. Clean surfaces of food waste and spills, don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink, and vacuum and clean floors regularly.
- Seal points of entry – Identify any cracks or openings around your property that centipedes could use to get in. Around the foundation as well as pipes leading into your home are good places to look. Seal any gaps with caulk. Also, consider replacing weather stripping around doors and windows.
- Eliminate harborage areas – Just because they’re not indoors doesn’t mean they aren’t on your property. Centipedes could be hiding in rotting logs or fallen trees on your property as well as under rocks and in piles of yard waste. Get rid of harborage areas such as these to reduce the risk of centipedes invading your home.
The Best Solution For Centipedes
Ultimately, the best way to keep centipedes out of your home is with professional assistance. At Big Blue Bug Solutions, we’ve got the answers to all of your centipede problems. Our professional pest control experts will eliminate the centipedes in your home and prevent new ones from infesting.
With comprehensive residential pest control services for your entire home and targeted treatments for the particular pest problems you’re experiencing, we are the solution you’ve been looking for. Get in touch with us today.