What Attracts House Centipedes To Your Home

House centipede inside a home

They’re small. They have lots and lots of legs. And they love getting into houses. They’re called house centipedes. But what attracts house centipedes to your home? If you’re dealing with these pests, you should know that before they got into your home, they were lured into your yard. Here are the main 3 things that attract house centipedes to your home:

1. Moisture

House centipedes are moisture pests. They don’t survive long in conditions of drought. If your home has areas of dampness near it, your population of centipedes will be higher. There are many ways dampness can occur.

If you have a water spigot on the side of your home or an outdoor house, leaks can lead to moisture. If you want fewer moisture pests, make sure your spigot and hose don’t leak.
When gutters break, it can lead to all kinds of issues. One of those issues is moisture pests. Do an inspection and make sure your gutters are in good working condition, and that they are capturing the water and allowing it to channel through your downspouts and away from your foundation walls.
Clogged gutters can create moisture issues as well. When leaves or other debris get into your gutters, it can cause water to flow over the side and down your walls, pooling up near your foundation.
When it rains, the soil around your home gets damp. If you have locations around your home that get a lot of shade, the moisture can sit long and invite moisture pests in. To prevent this, you may need to trim bushes or cut tree limbs.

2. Food

When centipedes come into your yard, it is often because they are looking for food. If they find food near your exterior walls, they can accidentally get inside your home. Centipedes prefer soft-bodied creatures, such as spiders, worms, insects, and arthropods. Here are some conditions that increase the population of these creatures in your yard.

The moisture issues listed above.
Ornamental plants and other vegetation. There are many bugs that feed on plants, and those centipedes will feed on these plant-eating pests.
Rocks and other hard objects used in landscape design. Have you ever flipped a rock over and found several kinds of bugs underneath. Most of those bugs are food for centipedes.
Accessible trash in an exterior receptacle. When you have open trash in your yard, it not only attracts flies but also spiders. And, if you have more flies and spiders, you’ll have more centipedes.
Many insects are attracted to light. When you leave your curtains open at night, all of that light that spills out can help to increase bug populations in your yard. It is best to keep those curtains closed and exterior lights off if you want fewer bugs in your yard.

3. Harborage

All bugs and wild animals can come into your yard and get up close to your foundation walls in search of harborage. This harborage comes in many forms.

A woodpile is the perfect hiding place for a wide range of creatures.
Construction materials, tools, appliances, and other objects used for home decorating and construction can be a location of harborage when left in your yard.
Toys left outside by your kids can be a temporary home for many pests.
Any item that sits on your grass and prevents the sun from getting through can be harborage for pests, even temporary items, like leaf piles and leaf litter. It is best to keep those leaves raked up.
Weeds, tall grass, and other overgrowth are a playground for pests. If you want to put out the welcome mat for bugs, and the centipedes that love to eat them, this is the best way. Keep things neat to reduce pest populations.

When you reduce centipedes in your yard, and especially near your foundation walls, you reduce the chances that they will come into your yard. For added protection, do a detailed inspection of your exterior and seal any potential entry point you see. Make sure to check your window and door screens as well. And remember that it doesn’t take much of a gap to allow a centipede to get in.

If you need assistance reducing pests in your yard or keeping centipedes and other creatures out of your home, find out if you’re in our Kansas service area. At Schendel Pest Services, we use industry-leading products and methods to keep bugs where they belong, outside of your home. Get your free quote today.

About Schendel Pest Services

When you choose Schendel to protect your home and your family, you can count on our team to implement a home pest control program that eliminates existing pest activity (like house centipedes) and prevents them from re-infesting. We treat houses following a carefully developed and proven seven step process – The Premium Care Program.

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