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  77 responses to House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (May 15th, 2009 at 14:00)

    That is one cool looking critter! I wish I had a couple of them in my place to take care of some of the house spiders.

    • Yeah the thing is so freaking ugly. When I first spotted one in the apartment in Kingston and found out they eat spiders it got me thinking: I hate HATE spiders (though not girly scared of them.. I think the spider on your face while we painted in Lynwood cured that (talk about FREAKY). The urge to protect my brother from the GIANT FRAKING SPIDER sitting on his face resolved me to HATE -AND- DESTROY (okok, so we released it))

      Anyways: I got to thinking about it, I hate spiders because they bite, and have more legs than they should. Now.. Dogs bite, sometimes and have more legs than me, and the temperament of a spider could be compared to a dog. Don’t be stupid, it won’t bite you! BUT spiders have 8 legs, are smaller, and there’s not a dog in the world that can sneak into your covers and bite your tenders without you knowing it.

      So: Where was I going… Oh, RIGHT.. anyways.. I figure 2 legs extra doesn’t scare us, maybe not even 4, but 6 legs does. Then I got to thinking that spiders probably have the same thing going on, if it was a 10 legged creature the spider would probably go ‘meh!’ BUT.. 30 freaking legs, I bet the spiders just drop a pile of web on the ground when they see one of these bad boys headed their way. The fact that they eat spiders outweighs the fact that they’re ugly as sin. When they run, the legs just ripple and they hover across the ground like that nun in the blues brother, truly a sight to behold.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Geraldine White
      Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (May 14th, 2019 at 15:49)

      Sometimes we might think a critter is cool because they serve a beneficial service of ridding our homes or apartments of other annoying pests. As true as that is that is not what makes them creepy. What makes them creepy is that after a while they come in uncontrollable numbers and go anywhere and everywhere.I usually steam my food and since I have been doing that, I have noticed an increase in the number of times in a day that I encounter these critters. I usually can recognize a centipede when I see them but my exterminator told me when I asked him about what I thought and still think are caterpillars. He said caterpillars are green and what I was showing him was dark, almost black and looks like a worm with very short legs which to me resembles a caterpillar. In any event I see these bothersome annoying critters everywhere in my ground floor apartment.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Lisa Marie Mazzocchi
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (June 28th, 2009 at 00:51)

    I have seen a couple of these horrid things over the years but about 6 months ago moved into a place that is quite infested. It is like I moved into Hell. My whole life has been turned upside down!!My 1100.00$ per month apt. turned into a disgusting, creepy, jail of sorts with no less than 4 hysterical phone calls to my landlord before he even called an exterminator 3 months later which turned out to be a joke. I have a $3000.00 small claims case pending now for breaching the warranty of habitability! I will chalk it up to a life experience. But if anyone is out there w/ this problem, you do have recourse which took me 5 months to find out.!!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Rim
      Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 20th, 2012 at 04:36)

      Hello,

      I am having the same problem too..Could you please tell me what you did to get rid of them? Last summer, I have seen around 6. And few weeks ago I found a new one..They drive me crazy…I can t live peacefully anymore 🙁 How do you know whether they are living at home or they came from outside?

      Thanks!

      • You would probably need to have a pest control company familiar with house centipedes come in and tell you where they’re coming from. Unless they’re wearing boots and little rain jackets when you see them it’s hard to tell 😀 Try not to let them drive you crazy, they’re mostly harmless and snack on bugs you actually don’t want to be involved with. To cut back on house centipedes I’ve just worked on reducing moisture in moist places (the bathroom originally did not have a fan, this was bad for causing mildew but it also created a damp environment for the house centipedes so I added a fan to help to dry it out after showers, etc) and I have been spraying for bugs in general every year, which seems to reduce the general number of bugs seen in this very old house which hopefully means less food for the centipedes. Best of luck in finding a solution.

        House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • I just was awakened by my wife who noticed one of these walking across the carpet while she was reading. As I approached I noticed that there were two of them, one large and one a little baby. The larger one appeared to push the little one along. I was trying to live release them and managed to catch the large one in a cup but the little one ran into a vent. I came to your site and notice that you say the mother stays with the babies for a couple weeks. I put the large one outside the house. Do you think the large one can find the little one or would even attempt to? Should I have left the large one in the vent? I understand they eat other bugs, but I have a baby in the hosue too and this little house centipede looks a little scary – though I understand is basically harmless to people. Thanks for any info.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hi Joe, I’m not a bugologist (entomologist) but I wouldn’t be too concerned about the well being of these bugs. Bugs have a hard life in general and there’s not a lot we can do to change that. On the other hand, if you don’t know if your child is allergic or not it’s probably safer to keep them away when you have the opportunity. While they are not aggressive to humans by nature, accidents do happen and it’s better to keep your kid safe 🙂

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Butt Ugly
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 15th, 2009 at 08:07)

    I came across your site in looking up info on this ghastly household pest I just discovered… thanks for pulling together your info – now I know what it is that I’m dealing with. It is disheartening to learn that there is not much one can do to rid the home of these pests – we have at least one sighting a day and I try and kill them every opportunity I get, but I know now that there are probably scores more tucked away throughout the house and I have no hope of ridding my home of them. Alas!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Yeah I certainly agree they’re creepy (but I still think they’re kind of cool in a weird way…) ghastly is a good description! I was a bit bummed out too when I found out it would be hard to get rid of them, my home is 100+ years old, so I’m sure they’ve been here forever. I should mention though, I used the Ortho Home Defense MAX that I mentioned somewhere else in the blog inside the house around openings and cracks and that kind of thing, even though I was going for the carpenter ants, primarily, it certainly reduced how often I see the centipedes by A LOT. I bet a professional exterminator could help reduce their numbers as well, while keeping your house safe to live in, but I don’t think you’ll ever be rid of them. If you do go with an exterminator, find one who has a lot of good references locally.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Mona Lisa
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 22nd, 2009 at 04:42)

    I have just been bitten by one of these house centipedes. 4:00am I felt a sting on my neck, I grabbed the area and felt something scwochy and wet, I pulled it off and smushed it between my fingers in the dark, I got up and looked around my bed to see what had bitten me, there was nothing in sight,I new I wasnt dreaming because my neck began stinging like a bee sting, I kept looking through my bed sheets and there he was in a fold. I captured it in a CD case and ran to the computer to see if this thing is poisonus,all I could find out about it was that it would be irritated at bite site for a few days but to watch it for alergic reaction. So far just a mild burning sensation on my neck. I never seen these things in my house before. I guess it found me somehow. Now im scared to go back to bed! I will post later if I have any reaction to it. This is wild! I cant believe how they can bite, and disapear so fast! I thought I was going crazy until I found him. I am getting a tingling burning sensation down my right arm just now and Im feeling quesy. Hope nothing happens! Will let you know!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Ack that’s gross! Sometimes they do manage to get in places they shouldn’t be, sorry to hear you were bitten, hopefully it will just go away soon and not sting or burn anymore. It was probably zipping over your bed and got pinched between you and the bed and decided to defend itself from seemingly impending doom. Hope you’re doing better now but if in doubt, call a doctor about it. Don’t be to worried about going back to bed, the best thing to do is make sure that your bed covers don’t drape down onto the floor, this counts also for spiders, ants, etc. I always shake my covers out before going to bed, since this is an older house. I haven’t ever found anything under the covers when shaking them out, but have had the occasional ant sneak up on me in the middle of the night.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Dorm Doom
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 28th, 2009 at 03:03)

    I live in a dormitory where I have now spotted 2 of these little buggers within a month and am not quite sure what to do about it since my options are somewhat limited- most actions being out of my control. Any suggestions? I think I have been bitten by one (probably the one I found the next day after a nasty, red, tender bump appeared on my shoulder) and yes, if I did the whole screaming thing I would be just like a little girl every time I see one. The part that gets me is that my room is on the top floor and I do leave my window open- screen intact, so it stays cool in the room 24/7. This region of MN there really aren’t much for bugs- drier, windy, flat land- so I’m not sure what the appeal is here. I rarely see spiders (knock on wood) or really much else

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Perhaps you don’t see spiders because these “Monsterpedes” as I like to call them, are there!

  • AngieBrutal
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 8th, 2010 at 03:22)

    I dwell in the basement of my house,that is where my bedroom is I should say. And these beasts are EVERYWHERE. I have to keep the lights on and always wear flippy-floppys. My dog is a centipede hunter…she is always having to save me. These creatures are so big here, you could strap a saddle on and ride around the house it seems. They look like little mustaches with legs zipping about! Thanks for the info, I wont waste my cash on an exterminator now! 🙂

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hah! That’s a great description of them!

      What I’m going to try this year if they get too bad is buy some of those sticky panels you can buy for pests. Environment friendly glue traps that is. Just try to seal up any cracks and openings as best as you can. That expanding foam stuff like ‘Great Stuff’ is good for filling big cracks and holes temporarily, though can be quite messy if you get it on clothes and your hands. Once it dries/cures and solidifies it’s all good though and also some acrylic or silicon caulk and so on and hopefully that will relegate a lot of them to behind the walls. Good luck with your bugs!

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Liz
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 26th, 2010 at 17:46)

    Thank you for having this site. I’m not usually the girl who screams when a bug runs across the path but having a 2 inch fuzzy looking thing run from underneath the cabinet while I was sweeping was enough to make me scream; then start a search to figure out what I needed to do. Now I know that there isn’t much to do besides clean up what ever is left after my broom hit it at full speed.

  • Jefferson
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (November 3rd, 2010 at 15:37)

    We had one this afternoon on a office wall, not sure what he is doing out with all the light out in the daytime and it hasn’t rained here, maybe he got lost. Anyways after reading this blog I’m giving this guy a stay of execution even though he smells funny. I caught him in a cup and will let him go inside of a co-workers office. 🙂

  • Alissa McCall
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (January 10th, 2011 at 20:12)

    Wow…. crazy looking little critters! Kinda makes me glad that I live in South Carolina ….. aka the land of Palmetto bugs ;-). Although I am pretty sad that Palmetto bugs don’t eat spiders. Where do you guys live? Thanks for the info…. very interesting!

  • Brian
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (March 17th, 2011 at 10:12)

    I was seeing one in my basement probably every other day back in September and October. I bought a dehumidifier and sprayed the Ortho Home defense on the inside and outside of the house. Since November, I have maybe seen one or two. I’d like to say that it’s because of the actions I took, but I’m afraid it may have only been because of the colder weather.

    Now that spring is almost here I’m nervous that they will be back. I will probably do another round of Ortho spray. The basement has been dry all throughout the winter and the dehumidifier is ready to keep it that way.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Yes Winter is certainly the quiet months for these things. I have seen a lot more interest in this house centipede article since it’s started warming up across the country so I believe that the centipede season is or will soon be upon all of us, so you’ll know soon if your steps did the work to help rid you of the Scutigeras. Best of Luck -Jon

  • Hi!
    I’ve seen 2 of these disgusting things within this spring month of April/beginning of may and the terrify me! I just wanted to know if they quiet down in the
    Summer? I just don’t wanna see them!

    • It depends on a number of factors. If there are conditions that they like in and around your home you could see them more often. If you tend to see them just when it’s rainy though, then they’ll probably be less common in the dryer summer months, unless you have a wet summer then it will probably be similar to springtime.

  • Hi My name is Sarah, I am -. I like bugs and I found one of these at my house and want to keep it as a pet. do you know if they will eat dead bugs, cause then I can catch ants and stuff and feed them to her? thank you.

    • I don’t know if you can keep them as pets, but if you remember the things they need I guess you could try. It’s important to know that their bite can cause an allergic reaction like a bee. If you are allergic to bees stings or don’t know if you are, it may be a bad idea to keep it as a pet.

      They need air and they like moisture. Maybe keep something a little damp in the container, have small vent holes in the top of the container, provide some leaves or something as hiding places and keep it out of the sun and see what happens.

      I would imagine that they prefer to catch and eat live things, so you could probably just throw a live ant right in the container occasionally and watch her hunt.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • kinah
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (June 5th, 2011 at 03:44)

    I see one of these horrifying things everyday in my home.I know for a fact they live in my basement because there’s lots of spider webs down there. Ugh they make my skin crawl I just killed one about a half hour ago and it took me 2 hours to as it lurked on the ceiling over top of my bed as if it was doing it on purpose cuz it knew I was trying to kill it.Now I know that I should get somethin to exterminate spiders and other insects as well if I wanna keep these guys out because I hate them and so do my kids!thanks your site helped a lot.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hi Kinah, I’m glad you found the site useful. Yeah it’s no fun if they’re hanging over you on the ceiling. I had a tiny centipede a couple of days ago hanging over my computer desk and I kept looking up to make sure it wasn’t right above my head but it eventually went away. I have not seen nearly as many centipedes in the house this year. I used a variety of insecticides around the house (outside only) to get general bug numbers more under control so maybe that has something to do with it. I’ve only seen one ant inside the house so far this year, and a couple of spiders so something must be working.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Lailah
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (June 21st, 2011 at 04:21)

    I HATE these things :'(. They give me a heart attack EVERY time I see one!! I always have to call my little brother to come kill them. What disgusting creatures!!!!

  • Margo
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 3rd, 2011 at 12:32)

    We moved to our home in Birmingham, AL, 8 yrs ago from Charlotte, NC. About 6 weeks after moving in, I had my first house centipede sighting, in our basement playroom, along the baseboard, right by the door to the outside. I had no clue what it was and I grew up in Alabama! We then began seeing them inside pretty regularly, and on all levels of the house. My son says a garden bed right beneath one front bay window (which is covered with some evergreen ground cover plant) is TEAMING with them. I am confident this is just an incubator for them and then they move right in. Indoor sightings definitely taper off around late fall and mostly through the winter. However, it seems I saw one earlier this year than in previous years. I’ve had them dive-bomb me from above my computer desk and land right in front of me and I’ve seen them in the shower, scurry from under the stove, lurking on the bathroom floor and *seemingly* caught running in my kitchen sink as if it can’t get up the smooth sides. When I find one there, is it likely it actually came out of the drain??

    I am puzzled to read posts all over the internet where people have said they’re difficult to kill. While my husband hates, hates, hates for me to spray them, I have found that one, tiny, barely-noticeable spritz of Raid does the trick instantaneously. Also, just a quick grab with a wad of toilet tissue is instantly deadly to these pests, as well. I am not sure why folks say they don’t die easily.

    However, that they die easily enough is no solace for me!!! I abhor them!!

    So, why am I online reading about this nemesis of mine today? Well, I was awakened early this morning by one CRAWLING on me. At first I thought I had imagined it, but I woke up, trying to shake-off the sleep and determine if what I thought was real really WAS. I moved the sheets and even though I didn’t have my glasses on, sure enough, I saw a HUGE one scurry across the bed and down to the floor. Ugh! So, I then knew I had NOT imagined the crawling sensation that awakened me. Now I’m frantically trying to find out if I can rid our home of these things – – I CANNOT have them crawling on me at night! (Who knows how many times it’s happened before but I didn’t wake up?!?!) One can imagine I am not thrilled to read that banishing them is not entirely possible. Really?! Are we SURE?! Is there truly NO way to do it?!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hey Margo, it’s not that they’re hard to kill. That’s easy, it’s just hard to permanently eliminate them from your home. You can do it but it probably won’t be an instant solution.

      As mentioned I had talked to pest control guys and they say you have to keep up anti-bug maintenance every year around your house to keep their numbers down. While I don’t doubt this was part marketing routine, in my own experience I’m sure there was a fair amount of truth to it as well.

      Best of luck finding a solution which will work for you.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 10th, 2011 at 23:34)

    I HATE THESE THINGS! Now, almost all bugs will annoy me but I’ll put them outside … EXCEPT these. The only time I’ve seen them has been in the house I currently live in. It’s an old house, and we are moving out to an apartment in three weeks, and this is one of the things I’ll never miss. I see these guys at least once a month right now, and it was a lot more frequent last summer, the first year we lived in this house. They were mostly in the basement, and we always used Raid and they never survived. The VERY first time I saw one I was grossed out but tried to save it.

    I put a glass over it and OMG did it sprint around like a crazy thing. It was running in circles so fast trying to escape that I was afraid to do anything until it calmed down in case it got out and ran right at me (enough to send me running and screaming for some reason). It stopped going crazy long enough for me to slip a thicker piece of paper under the glass like I’ve done with all other bugs I’ve saved and taken outside. However, this thing’s legs just popped off, about half of them, and lay on the paper twitching. I totally gagged. NOW what do I do?! I feel bad killing it but what’s it going to do without half its legs?! I picked up the whole contraption and, I’m not kidding, more of it’s legs just fell off by the movement itself. It was down to like, 7 legs. I tried to save it, but ended up flushing it so he didn’t live in misery. But from now on, after that, AND after having so many sprint right at/near me while I was minding my own business, I just go right for the vacuum.

    My question is this: I just found one on our wall and sucked it up in the vacuum. I had noticed before sucking it up that there was some weird, off white stuff on one of its sides. It looked almost like insulation material. I sucked it up and that stuff stayed on the wall. Curious, I got closer. It still looked like insulation, but when I went to wipe it off with a paper towel, I found it hard, only coming off in little hard chunks. I canNOT tell what this stuff is! I think it’s eggs, but I can’t find any pictures of them or very good descriptions of them online.

    What do you think? I’m going to scrape it off my wall just in case it is eggs (if those hatch in here I’m never coming back inside!). I’d love to know what this stuff was and what the nasty bug was doing next to/on it!

    Thanks for the site, too! 🙂

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • I’m not sure what the weird white stuff was, maybe it thought your house could use some insulation work? 😀 I haven’t seen a Scutigera Coleoptrata egg sac/web thing before and couldn’t find pictures anywhere so I don’t know what to say.

      Yeah their legs are very fragile and will just pop off. I’m pretty sure that’s beneficial to them. They can do okay without a few of them. If you use sticky traps it’s not uncommon to find a couple legs and no centipede.

      I’ve never had them run out AT me, just past me. They they are night time hunters and supposedly just hang out on the walls and wait until an unfortunate bug wanders by and lasso them with their antennae.

      If you see it in the light it’s probably going to be running for safety. They probably don’t recognize you as a danger, but more as just a giant object. It’d be kind of like us walking up next to a giant redwood tree and going ‘Boo!’ and then having the tree smack us with a broom.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Melihead
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 11th, 2011 at 10:44)

    We have these wicked creatures in our house in Charlotte year round without a drop in attendance during the winter months. This spring, however, we have an infestation on one wall of our bedroom. Every night when we turn off the lights they appear within moments. I have a flashlight on my bedside table that I stalk them with. I first noticed them in the dim light of a nightlight. These creatures will spring at you, not just run, when you get near them. I am not afraid of bugs no matter the size or threat, but these creatures shake me to the core. No amount of exterminating or sticky traps have abated their residence at our house. I like the vacuum idea though- sounds diabolical!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Melissa Mohr
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 19th, 2011 at 01:45)

    Thanks for the info and pictures of house centipedes! The house I live in right now is the first place I’ve ever encountered these bugs-I think because its very dry where I live. Consequently I’ve only once seen one of these guys outside the bathroom once, and even then it was in the hallway about 2 feet from the bathroom door. Since they’re beneficial and rarely seen (I probably see one in a month) I let them live. Remember being in early elementary school and being required to take a friend with you to the bathroom? Now my husband and I refer these guys as “bathroom buddies”

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Brooke Taylor
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 22nd, 2011 at 18:04)

    I really enjoyed this website and all of the comments. I have recently killed 6 of these guys in the last 2 weeks. After doing some research it’s all starting to make sense…

    In early spring we had tons of ants by our back door; in our basement, and a few that boldly walked across our living room, they were starting to get out of control. Then in the past month I havent seen one ant; Ah ha hence the reason for the numerous centipedes i’m seeing now.

    The ants were a nuisance but the centipedes are down right creepy! I dont know which critter is worse…

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • I’ve been doing heavy and extensive ant control the last couple of years and seem to be doing pretty well. I’ve also cleared some bushes away from the side of the house(I don’t know if that’s helped, but it can’t hurt) to try to make a separation between the woods and the house.

      There are less ants in the yard, around the house and thus in the house. Also I’ve seen a huge decrease in the number of house centipedes this year. I think it’s all coming together.

      Now if only I could do something about the basement spiders, I’d be happier. Their numbers are lower, but not low enough for my taste.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Jessica M.
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (August 15th, 2011 at 17:37)

    Hi my 8 year old daughter is getting bit up like crazy in her sleep by a Scrutineer Cleopatra we asked her doc and she comfermd that it was we live by the park and we see allot of them in the basement baby’s and mammas/daddy’s so I was wondering if you have a salutation to stopping them from biting her,we wont to keep some in the house even throw I’m deathly allergic to them ther venom closes my air way so if you can help Please let me know thank you oh and P.S if we can do it without chemicals that would be great. Jess ohio.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hi Jessica, if you’re allergic you should work to get rid of as many as possible. Humans are more important than bugs. If it’s as bad as you say I would contact a pest control company and see what they can do.

      In the meantime you could put out a bunch of sticky traps to try and catch them. Also if you can see a bunch of them in the basement suck them up with a vacuum and get rid of them. If you can find out how they are getting upstairs from the basement you can try to limit them as well. Seal cracks and holes in floorboards, around the edges of rooms and pipes and such using expanding foam like ‘Great Stuff’ or silicone sealant and so on. If you have gaps under the basement door throw some towels across the bottom of it or put in a sweep strip on the bottom of the door. If they’re getting in from outside, try to find out where they are getting in and seal it up. Best of luck in resolving your problem.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Katharina Meotti
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (August 16th, 2011 at 16:59)

    Hi there, I am writing you from South Tyrol, Italy. We bought a house (100yrs.+)here and moved to it a year ago and seeing that is was already occupied 😉 and in urgent need to calm our kids like “but they are completely harmless honey and they sure are NO spiders” (thanking heaven that they are sooo fast so that I did not have to catch them…brrrr) and then, however, every time not knowing what to answer when the kids screamed “what IS this muuuuummyyyyy!!!” AND seeing that they get bigger and bigger (sometimes it´s like meeting old friends and in the meantime the kids have started to call them by names…)and yet arriving more tiny tiny ones escaping in a terrified way, I finally took my time and searched for them in the net, finding your incredible site!! Dear Jon…thank you very very much for having answered all my questions about those creatures…spooky yet fascinating!! Well, so the saying goes “live and let live” (hopefully also they keep to that and´ll never bite anyone here), our family “cohabits” ;)with them.
    A cordial greeting from Italy Jon and a real big THANK YOU for all your information!!
    Katharina
    PS: By the way, we are surrounded by vineyards and I´ve heard the farmers really appreciate them because having them around they can do w/out pesticides!! And then…those fellows are nothing in comparison to the approx. 10 scorpions we find inside our house during a year @:-S (probably brought in with the firewood). Aaaargh ;-))!!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Joseph V.
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (August 22nd, 2011 at 23:12)

    Hey Jon / Everybody,

    This site has been very informative.. I’m here to share my story.

    The reason I decided to post on this blog, is that while going to the bathroom I noticed something VERY.. VERY… VERRY tiny.. literally about this size on your monitor :
    – – – – – – –

    ~~~~ <– Centipede REAL SIZE

    – – – – – – –

    I've seen HUGE ones before, and medium sized ones.. but never before in my life have i seen on this tiny. It was literally the size of one of those itty-bitty ants. Anyway, the only reason I saw this was because it was scurrying around on my white-tile bathroom floor. I thought it was a spider at first, but noticed it had these HUGE two attenas, and around 4 / 6 legs. The attenna were just like the big-daddy ones, and were about 2.5x the size of the bug's body.

    So after this first encounter, of course I started to panic and look around frantically..(keep in mind I'm in the middle of going #2.. and you can't really just STOP and get up). After scanning the room with my eyes, I saw ANOTHER running around.. and than ANOTHER… and i just wanted to cry. I was trapped in a bathroom, infested with little house centipede BABIES. Which i guess is a lot better than being in a bathroom with HUGE ones.

    The thing is, I've never EVER seen the babies before. We started seeing these things in Indianapolis, Indiana(in our house) about 5-6 years ago. NEVER BEFORE THAT. Now they are here all year-round, however the quantity varies over the seasons. I hate the thought of these little BABIES running around. THere's absolutely no way I would notice them on a carpet, or on the walls. They look like a SPEC OF DIRT, or like a flake of food, or HAIR. It's terrifying to me.

    Also, I've randomly woken up with these little "bumps" that itch a lot, and seem to stay for a day or two. I'm wondering if these could be these things BITING me over night. I get them in random places(usually my arms), and have never found an explanation for them.

    My house is HUGEEEEE, and I can't imagine trying to fix every nook and cranny to stop them.

    We have a variety of exterminators come out bi-monthly to spray the oUTSIDE of the house.. but now I'm conviced we need to start doing this INSIDE as well.. or maybe fire the guys we have because it's not working.

    Anyway, I hate bugs.. I hate them more than anything.. and I want to cry right now. I wish I could just put them out of my mind, and not care like some of you guys can do, but I can't.

    Thanks for letting me vent about these stupid freakin things. I really hate them.

    I OFFICIALLY PRONOUNCE VENDETTA AGAINST THE HOUSE CENTIPEDES. JOIN ME BROTHERS AND SISTERS. WE MUST END THIS MADNESS.

    ps. I feel like I just got bit 20 times throughout the time it took to write this.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hey sorry to hear about your bug problem and I’m sorry they’re bothering you such extents. You should definitely get some opinions from other insect control people to see what’s going on. As for your arms, that’s weird that you have so many little bites like that, house centipedes aren’t usually aggressive towards humans, they usually run away. Most insects that aren’t parasites (as opposed to mosquitoes or bedbugs) don’t want to hang out around you because they see you as a huge threat to their survival instinct and they only bite as a last line of defense such as if you’re crushing them, etc. I don’t know for sure, but the babies probably aren’t even big enough to penetrate your skin.

      The bites on your arms could be something else, like bedbugs so you should check your bedding, look under your mattress, check the seams and folds around the edge of your mattress and see if you have anything resembling bed bugs. It’s gross but with bedbugs you might also notice little blood spots on your sheets or pillows. They don’t discriminate between the wealthy or the poor and they don’t discriminate between clean or dirty homes. Bed bugs tend to leave multiple bites in a line that they call breakfast-lunch-dinner and it takes a couple of days for the spots to appear. Also if your bedding hangs down onto the floor, fix that. I don’t let any of my bedding get near the floor and actually use an undersized comforter to keep that from happening. If you do find them, that’s a whole other conundrum and there are many good sites about solutions. The best I’ve seen is ‘baking out a house’ where they increase the temperature in the home with special heaters and hold the heat at a high temperature that kills the bedbugs.

      It could also be something completely different like allergies. Before they started restricting it, phosphate based detergents used to drive me crazy with an allergic skin reaction. Now that most laundry detergents are phosphate free I haven’t had that problem, but phosphates aren’t restricted in all areas. There’s other things such as dyes or fragrances that could be used in the laundry detergent you use on your bedding that could cause bad results.

      The first thing is to start narrowing down the problem by eliminating other possibilities and work from there and hopefully find a solution. Also if you can, capture one or two of the little ones to show your pest control person rather than hoping they might see one when they’re there talking about solutions.

      I wish you the best of luck and I hope you can find a solution so you can live and sleep in peace without having to worry about the bugs.

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 1st, 2011 at 05:16)

    @PauleyP house centiped http://t.co/wMXLH1R #googledit

  • Joanne
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 8th, 2011 at 18:00)

    hehe mines name is coral… he just ate a house moth.. he jumped on it like a ninja and picked through it with his facial hands… i love my buggy <3

  • Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 12th, 2011 at 14:05)

    And now a visit from one of those creepy (and FAST) house centipedes at my desk. #GROSS http://t.co/1kESlQp

  • MisterUppity
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 20th, 2011 at 04:18)

    I consider myself a bug-lover but centipedes come straight from hell. Demon-bugs! Seeing one of these creepy buggers swimming in my bath some years back was the last straw for me (must have dropped from the ceiling into the bath water). Since then, it’s been WW3 in my house. I find they are quite predictable in their nightly routines – favouring particular walls, ceilings, rooms, etc. I perform periodic nightly scans before bed (and again if I wake up) and whack anything I see. If you can’t get to one with a fly swatter, a mixture of soap and water in a spray bottle works really well. Either douse them or spritz them just enough to make them move to a better whacking spot! Every now and again, I’ll find babies for weeks on end. The babies are tiny and virtually colourless which makes spotting them difficult. Turning on a light and using a flashlight to illuminate walls and ceilings will help you see them better. I’ve seen babies as small as a 2 millimeters (or — in size).
    I’m so obsessed with eradicating these creepies from my life that I’ve taken to going outside at night to search for them on the exterior walls of my house. In the summer months, I can usually find up to 8 creepies on one small wall. It has helped keep their numbers down but I wish someone would invent a device or method to keep these things out of my house, for good. I would love to know how to locate their eggs to eradicate them in greater numbers. Thanks for all the info. Great site.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Brenda
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (October 13th, 2011 at 02:43)

    Well for the past about ten years haved lived on the Island of Kauai. We are used to these pests yet the can be found not only outside but in your car and of course all of the other places people have posted. Unfortunately a mother gave birth somewhere in our home I am guessing late spring 2011. No mom has been seen yet the babies are growing and appearing quite often. Most times the cats kill them and it is fine with me. I even prefer cane spiders! Tonight another one was found alive in the bathtub. From experience and advice I always have window cleaner or some form of spray with bleach. It is important to remember that just spraying and flushing may not kill them. After I douse them I have to carefully chop their bodies up before flushing. Sorry for those with weak bellies but the fact is we have seen them crawl back up the toilet drain if not well . .. destroyed. Hang in there fellow followers of this uck creature. They are just too common in our humid climate.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • YD8
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (November 29th, 2011 at 06:49)

    I just moved into a basement apartment about 3 months ago and keep seeing these creepy things! I don’t hesitate to grab a shoe and squish them. This is my home and I rather not have them hanging around under my couch and in my washroom. Ohhhhh they give me the creeps!
    Last week I noticed I got a big red bite under my thigh. It hurt as hell! I thought it was a pimple but then the next 3 times I slept and woke up I had the same bite but smaller in various spots of my legs. I thought maybe its bedbugs but turns out it wasn’t. I just know it is those creepy crawlies.. maybe getting revenge for killing one too many of their family members?
    Just talking about them makes me twitch in disgust! Eeeks!

    I don’t know if I can sleep tonight 🙁

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • They’re probably niot getting revenge, just curling up somewhere comfortable and then you move and scare the bejeezus out of them and they bite. If you can make sure you don’t have any blankets hanging on the floor or touching the wall, that will help prevent them from crawling up the bed. You can also get some sticky traps at the hardware store and place them around the legs of the bed. If your bed is on the floor I don’t know what to do other than contact an exterminator. Since you’re in an apartment you should document the bugs and the bites and contact your landlord. Best of luck and I hope you get your centipede problem figured out!

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Catlynn
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 23rd, 2012 at 12:25)

    Just found a house centipede trapped in the produce scale at my local food co-op (Petoskey, Michigan, April 23, 2012), only the second one I’ve ever seen. I rescued it from The Screamers, and will be relocating it to my house. My first reaction to unusual insects and arachnids is always OOOH, PRETTY! Rather than Ick, kill it! And the house centipede is one of the prettiest. Thanks for passing on the word that it’s beneficial. I hate the thought of it gobbling up any of my lovely spiders, but, hey, we all have to eat… Thanks again for the information.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • dashonh
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (June 25th, 2012 at 02:09)

    i hate them love wat they do but i currently sleep on a air mattress because of bed bugs and i went to lay down a few moments ago and i felt something on my arm popped out of the bed turn my light on and seen one killed it and then seen 2 more these things got me up for the night right now im really *trippin* now thinking stuff is crawling on me every second i really cant stand insects in general i hate them bring the winter back

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Wow,
    Where to begin? Hate/ love goin’ on here….

    I like them, chillin’ around, doin’ their thing, but they freak my ol’ lady OUT! And, the possibility of them crawling all over the house (very fast) trips me out. I just sprayed some sort of insecticide around the basement, and am about to turn on the dehumidifier that came with the house.

    Not too much to do, but since I’m about to sleep in the basement (on an air mattress)for a month… this blog has been very helpful. I’m goin’ to return the air mattress for a li’l cot/ fold-able bed apparatus to reduce the ability of insects/ bugs/ arachnids/ arthropods, f’n mites, from crawlin’ on me!

    Best of luck to all and send your luck to me as well.

    Wm.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Holy crap what da fug did you do to end up in the basement for a month!? Well the cot is probably a good idea. Buy some sticky traps and put the legs of the cot on top of them. They probably won’t help spiders that spool down from the ceiling but it’ll get thefloor critters. Best of luck and I hope you resolve things in less than a month 😀

  • Sherry
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (August 1st, 2012 at 23:44)

    Glad there are others who understand! Let me first say that I am a very strong person, but not when it comes to all things creppy crawly. I woke up with a large bite/sting on my neck and was perplexed as I live in a brand new condo and do not have any bugs….or so I thought! I killed a large centipede that was racing toward my bedroom ceiling and have been a complete wreck since and haven’t slept in days. Is it possible to just have one or do you think there are more lurking. I have approached this as though it was a bed bug problem and have made a moat around my bed – the bed is pulled away from the wall and the legs are siting in plastic containers of vaseline with double sided carpet tape around the outdide of the containers. I was laying in my fortress of a bed feeling secure and then remembered it was on the ceiling. What if it falls on my bed? I am losing it!! I read they dont like cold,so should I just crank up the air conditioning every day when I leave for work? I don’t have bugs and my condo is dry and spotless – why in god’s name are they here when there are no cracks for them to enter. Did they come up drains or through vents? Lots of questions but this girl is losing it ! Thank goodness for wine and for this dite!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Jacomo Bobo
      Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 10th, 2013 at 20:18)

      “Thank goodness for wine…” ~ Sherry

      LOL, oh dear… How about a glass of sherry… ok-ok… What I (think I) know:

      – Bites that people might think are from house centipedes my be from bedbugs. Catching them on our around the bed may be that the centipedes are after the bedbugs, which they Do Eat. I repeat: House centipedes eat bedbugs. Bedbugs eat you. Leave the centipedes alone and let them take care of you.
      – Apparently, bringing the entire residence under freezing or over 115 deg F. may kill the bedbugs (and maybe other species of arthropods as well)
      – House centipedes eat “everything”– cockroaches, flies, ants, silverfish, firebrates. To reduce centipedes, you may want to let them do their job and you’ll have less to worry about. House centipedes are clean, disease-free, keep to themselves, and take care of far worse pests for you. Sustainably/chemical pesticide-free.
      – Keep your place clean and relatively dry and let the centipedes take care of the rest. You can learn to love them and you’ll be high-fiving them in no time. 😀

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • C Wilson
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 29th, 2013 at 17:18)

    Thanks for the most informative article I’ve been able to find on these creatures. I’m writing to tell you about what I think might have been a world record specimen…

    My wife and I just bought our first house, a 60-year old Cape Cod in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When we bought the place in December we noticed a few small Centipedes (1 inch bodies or so) in the sinks and tub but we just put it down to the place having been uninhabited for a few months.

    Boy were we wrong.

    As April arrived we saw a couple of weeks of constant rain followed by the final arrival of Spring in the form of a couple of blazing hot days, and suddenly our infestation (and I’m not calling it that lightly) began. First we started seeing some smaller specimens – at least a few each day – around tubs and the sink. Then the mommas and pappas came out, several each day.

    Most of the big ones fit my research in terms of size – bodies about 1.5 – 2 inches long but because of the leg length, they appeared about 3-4 inches long. I now understand this is the expected maximum size. Now I’m not sure if ‘gigantism’ manifests in insects the same way it does in humans, but if so then I think last night my wife and I encountered it. Either that or we’ve got some nuclear waste leak going on nearby turning these things into freaks.

    We’re sat on the couch relaxing for the evening when my cat suddenly goes into hunting mode and darts across the room. We follow her gaze and then my wife, who is not particularly squeamish, screams at the top of her lungs. I can’t even describe the feeling I got when I saw it – it was a bit like the bottom of my stomach dropped out. Much as I imagine you might feel if you layed eyes on a bird eating tarantula.

    This guy (or girl) had a body at least 4 inches long and as thick around as my thumb. Note that I said body – this is not including the legs. I estimate that including the legs it was around seven inches. Hold up your hand in front of your face – that’s how big it was, from wrist to tip of middle finger.

    Unfortunately I didn’t stop to think about trapping it. I think my wife’s reaction kind of sent me into defensive mode and I swept up the nearest magazine and thwopped it. It fell onto a nearby TV table and I thwopped it again, and again. It took FOUR hits for it to stop moving. I’ve got cold shivers even rewriting about it.

    Anyway, needless to say I’ve spent my whole day researching how to make sure these things are as absent from our home as possible. At lunch I walked out of Home Depot with well over $100 in Great Stuff, Dap Caulk, Foundation crack cement, Ortho Home Defense Max, Glue Boards, Diatomaceous Earth and Raid. Tonight, when I get home from work, the war begins…

    First though, I still have to pry my wife off the ceiling.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Thanks for your great story C Wilson! That thing sounds monstrous! It certainly is the season once again for house centipedes to be found motoring around your home. If that thing was able to get that big you should also consider what’s around for it to be eating, it must have had a good food source. It might be a good idea to call in a pest control company and have them check for infestations of other bugs like termites, etc. I wish you the best of luck with your centipede proofing project!

      House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Mel in Washington
      Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 29th, 2013 at 18:37)

      I’ve had great luck with glue boards, and love that they’re non-toxic. But you still have to keep the cat away from them: I’ve got a great story about a cat that noticed a spider on the glue board was still alive, and decided to bat at it…

  • Maria
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (August 17th, 2013 at 07:24)

    I just found a scary sight on a doorjamb in my house. I think it’s cluster of centipede eggs (or rather newly hatched babies). I’m sure the people asking you about centipede eggs are doing so because they’ve found something like this in their houses and (let me tell you by my experience this am) it’s impossible to find a picture of what a centipede egg nest looks like. I’d like to send you a pic to identify, but can’t attach one here. Let me know if there’s another way to get it to you. Thanks!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Hi Maria, sorry for the slow response! You could always try posting the picture to a site like Flickr then sharing the link here if you want, or share the link using the feedback button that floats on the left hand side of the screen. Curious to see what you found.

  • Miranda
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (September 4th, 2013 at 11:23)

    People, stop killing these beneficial creatures! That amounts to what the website “What’s That Bug” calls unnecessary carnage. Any time I come across a centipede in the shower or bathroom floor, I send it on its way, knowing that it will feast on truly horrid bugs like mosquitoes and flies. People claiming to have red welts from centipede bites are probably suffering from mosquito bites, which you wouldn’t have if you kept a few centipedes around. From spring to fall, centipedes are merely a part of life, serving as beneficial houseguests. Appreciate what they do and leave them be.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

    • Jake
      Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 20th, 2015 at 22:15)

      Miranda, I don’t share your love for these alien looking creatures, especially after getting one in my mouth while sleeping.
      This was the most ungodly bitter taste I have ever experience. Mouth wash didn’t get rid of it. Breakfast didn’t get rid of it..
      I have now taken out a big game license to hunt these creatures and do so at every opportunity.

  • jessa
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (December 24th, 2013 at 09:36)

    I found this 3x in our room ..every time I saw this I kill them all different sizes,…really scary thank you your post is really helpful..

  • Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (June 14th, 2014 at 17:15)

    When we moved into our current residence, we had a booming population of daddy-long-legs’ and ants. After a couple years of that, we noticed an occasional house centipede. A couple of years after that, no more daddy-long-legs or ants, and TONS of house centipedes !

    I looked them up on the internet some time ago, and developed an “opinion” of them similar to yours – they’re kinda creepily-fascinating, a bit handy to have around as other-insect-control, and not too scary or annoying once you get used to them.

    We pretty much pay them no mind now – we’re not “infested”, we just see one on the ceiling or wall once in a while, and go “hey little buddy – back to the basement, please” 🙂

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Just saw a 1.5 incher run across
    my bathroom floor—not the first one–or the second one since I moved into this rental in DPort—and although they look soooo scary and I want to squish them/catch them and throw them down the tub drain (which would probably be a good place for them to hide until I leave the bathroom), I usually just either try to gently direct them behind the vanity (out of sight, out of mind) or under the bathroom built-in shelving—because I KNOW they will not bother me AND they WILL eat any other bugs lurking around.
    BUT THAT BEING SAID…I still shudder a little when I see one…and worry about every time I get an “itch” on my legs for the next few hours no matter WHERE in the house I am!!
    I grew up on Cape Cod (Northside of MidCape) but NEVER saw these bugs before I moved to Dennis Port area at age 50!! So along with the coyotes (coywolves?) and turkeys everywhere now, I am wondering if maybe they got together and ran over one of the Canal bridges late one fall night after all the tourists went home (kidding)…

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • raslionfyah
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 26th, 2015 at 00:39)

    I just smashed one!!!!!???????????????????????????? and ill do it again!

  • Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (May 2nd, 2015 at 14:10)

    I used to find these in my PA house after a good rain. Apparently, they also love bubble gum. One of my kids had stuck some ABC gum on their bedroom wall and the giveaway was that there were 3 of these little creatures gathered around it. They would normally run from me (quickly!) but, not these guys! They were all, “Back off, woman! We have discovered Hubba Bubba!”

  • KJones
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (July 4th, 2015 at 00:14)

    thanks for all the great info in a fun package. i’ve taken to calling these guys Scooties in reference to their scientific name and their speed. as a lifelong NNJ resident i don’t know how i avoided them for most of my life–if you don’t know how humid jersey is, you don’t know jersey–but not til 2005 did i ever see one or even know what it was. plus you don’t expect anything moving that fast to jump out from under the toaster, so i claim a pass for screaming the first time. but now in our 100+ yo house i’m very happy they’re here, because i’ve seen the nightmare we might otherwise have, in the form of what lives in the garage! they are nocturnal, but i think it must be full-spectrum daylight with all its UV that makes them uncomfortable because they certainly don’t mind the CFL light when i’m up all night.

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Grossed out
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (November 30th, 2015 at 22:22)

    I searched the eggs because I found a pile of weird looking things in my basement that could be scar or eggs. Nothing close to wha I found came up when I searched rodent scat, and it’s kinda too weird to be scat. I know I have a ton of house centipedes, it’s a poorly maintained rental of a 100+ year old house, so I thought maybe it’s their eggs. Email me and I’ll send you pics, don’t see a way to upload here. It’s driving me nuts trying to figure out what this is!!

    House Centipede – Scutigera Coleoptrata

  • Bonnie
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (February 20th, 2016 at 01:35)

    Does anyone know if these things can break the skin of small animals? I have found a few and have a little dog with short hair and lots of exposed skin where hair doesn’t grow. Wondering if I need to be concerned for my dog.

  • Karla
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (June 3rd, 2016 at 01:56)

    Hey there i found one of these criters….but….mine is kind of pink. I wanted to give you the picture i took but dont know how..that way you can put it up. I just found out what they are with your website. And thank on all the info. I was very intrigue on finding out what it was. Send me an email so i can send you the picture. Thanks again!!!

  • Heather
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (August 30th, 2016 at 08:03)

    Great info, thanks! I especially like your data info about the number of hits increasing when it rains alot. It just rained all weekend and here I am searching your site! Thanks!

  • Vb_ness
    Comment on House Centipede - Scutigera coleoptrata (April 11th, 2017 at 23:41)

    Thank you for your information. Found my kitty playing with a little freaky critter…yikes. From your information they seem harmless.

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