What is the first thing that crosses your mind when you see a centipede in your home? More than likely, you want to grab a tissue and squash the invader with extreme prejudice. After all, they are creepy looking and when we see one crawling around in the tub in our middle-of-the-night bathroom run, that instinct just seems to kick in.
More than likely, you have the same feelings for other creepers, such as ants, spiders and roaches and when you see all of those legs moving at one time, it is just a little bit unnerving. That is especially true when you think of where you typically see them. If you do happen to spot a centipede, resist the urge to squash them for one very important reason.
As it turns out, the fact that you have a centipede in your home means that you probably have a lot less of the other creepy crawly bugs; and that is a good thing.
The simple house centipede is larger than those that look like worms and they have about 30 legs. They look similar to an eyelash and they might just invade your nightmares when you see them.
These bugs might be alarming but they do their part to keep out the other house guests that you certainly don’t want crawling around.
As it turns out, centipedes have a huge appetite for other bugs, including spiders, roaches, bedbugs and silverfish. Any bug crawling around in your home is fair game to the centipede.
One of the more interesting bugs that they eat are silverfish. They tend to hang out in the same spaces as the centipede.
If you see that centipede at 2am and you don’t see any silverfish, it is not a coincidence. The centipede is one of nature’s best exterminators.
Of course, you don’t need to set up a special room for these bugs and let them roam freely. After all, the tend to alarm us when they move out of those hidden areas.
Perhaps they can best be summed up in the words of an entomologist with the USDA. He said this about them in 1902:
“It may often be seen darting across floors with very great speed, occasionally stopping suddenly and remaining absolutely motionless, presently to resume its rapid movements, often darting directly at inmates of the house… thus creating much consternation.”
Don’t squash the centipede, capture them in a jar and transport them outside. They will still protect your home by dining on those bugs that would otherwise come inside.
You can also try dropping the humidity to discourage them from hanging around.
If you don’t see them very often, you might just want to let them stay right where they are. They aren’t harmful to humans and they provide a nice service.
Just know that, when a centipede is on the job, bugs will be at a minimum.
Aside from the possibility of being startled by a centipede, they don’t do much to hurt humans. They don’t bring germs into the home and they even clean their legs regularly.
The bottom line is, centipedes will eat those spiders and other bugs, leaving you with a happy home.