Most centipedes found around buildings rarely measure longer than 2 inches. In Texas and the desert southwest, however, a couple of species can measure 6 inches or longer and may wander into homes and other buildings.
Color:
Varies depending on the species. Most are brownish or orange-brown. The large Texas species has a bluish-black body, orange-red head and yellow legs.
Behavior:
Centipedes are predators that live in moist areas. These nocturnal creatures hunt down insects and spiders at night. Centipedes are distinguished from millipedes in that they have only one pair of legs per body segment, while millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment. They are seldom seen inside homes, except for the house centipede which may breed in crawl spaces and basements. The house centipede is recognized by its extremely long legs.
Outdoors, centipedes keep to moist, protected areas such as landscape mulch and beneath items in contact with the soil. Indoors, they will usually be seen near baseboards and around doorways and windows. The house centipede may be observed wandering on walls in crawl spaces, basements, garages, and sometimes in other rooms of a house.
The following actions will help in controlling centipedes:
Sealing cracks and holes in the home s exterior should help prevent centipedes from entering.
Mulch and heavy vegetation, such as ivy, should be kept away from the foundation to reduce the number of centipedes and their food supply.
House centipedes may require treatments that are best applied by a professional.
My Terminix tech Scott is the best! He is professional, courteous and absolutely thorough about his job. Thank you for sending such a blessed tech to my house. Hamlet, NC
Dot Janus
This letter is to say how pleased we are here at Morreene West Apartments with your services. We are very pleased with the technician, Christopher. He does a great job. Durham, NC
Carolyn Anderson
Terminix has consistently offered our apartment complex reliable, competent service. We are completely satisfied with their knowledgeable representative who is always punctual and does a superior job for us every time. Chapel Hill, NC
Nancy C. Riley
I would like to take the time to thank you for giving us such great service here at Carver Pond Apartments. Your Pest Technician Christopher Mitchell has provided us with excellent service over the last few months. Christopher is such a great help to us in providing helpful information so that we can better serve our residents here at Carver Pond. Durham, NC
