Here we go again. We’re entering into spring, and all the critters that live in our yards are coming back to life. One of those critters is the centipede. If you’d prefer them to stay outside, we have a couple of suggestions that will help.

Centipedes love a moist yard. If you have moisture near your foundation walls, you are likely to have more centipedes looking for entry points into your home. Make sure you have no obstructions in your gutter system or leaky spigots on your exterior walls that allow dampness to occur.

Consider investing some time to do a detailed inspection of your exterior walls and locate holes, gaps, or cracks that centipedes could squeeze through. Look closely around pipes, spigots, utility lines, and windows frames. If you find a potential entry point and you are not able to fix it appropriately, it is a good idea to use a caulking gun or liquid cement to seal things up until you’re able to fix them properly.

Centipedes can climb vertical surfaces. So you will want to make sure you have good screens on all your windows and doors. It only takes a tiny slit for a centipede to get in, so examine them closely. If you find a small hole or tear, it is possible to fix things up with a patch kit rather than having the frame re-screened.

If centipedes get into your home, it is important that they find it unwelcoming. These are moisture pests. Reducing moisture and humidity will go a long way toward forcing these pests back outside. Install or purchase portable fans for rooms that have humidity problems. If you have a wet basement, you may want to invest in a dehumidifier.

All of these tips will help to keep centipedes out of your home, but centipedes and other bugs are resourceful. It is often necessary to have ongoing pest control from a professional to create a protective barrier that cannot be breached. If you need assistance with this, and you are in our Kansas service area, the pest specialists here at Schendel would be happy to serve your family in this way. We offer many different pest control programs that follow industry best practices and surpass all government safety regulations.

Centipedes are going to become more active as spring rolls along. Get your pest protection in place and let those creepy bugs know that they are not welcome inside your home. And, as always, Schendel is here to help.