How to Get Rid Of Centipedes in Your House with 6 Best Sprays, Traps and Dusts for Killing Centipedes and Millipedes

The strategy of eliminating the centipedes at home is a bit different than that outdoors. First, let’s guide you through getting rid of house centipedes. There are several quite effective approaches for eliminating house centipedes which could also be used against millipedes, which are other species of the class. Then we’ll focus on how to repel the unwanted pests from your garden. Finally, we’ll make a list of 5 most effective products to buy online.

What You Will Learn from This Guide:

5 Steps On How To Get Rid Of Centipedes

Do you have centipedes? Then, you definitely need a plan to effectively keep these pests out of your house. So, what should you do?

1. Prevent centipedes from penetrating your house by caulking all crevices and cracks you reveal in the building structure. Focus on the area along the doorframe, window sills, around pipes. if your house is already infested with centipedes, you should do it anyway in order to avoid new colonies getting there.
2. As insects inhabiting your house is the main source of food for centipedes, the first thing you should do is to take measures to eradicate other pests indoors. And that is not all! Centipedes also need breeding sites, a perfect environment for which are humid places with old junk. Throw it away and remove moisture from the rooms, particularly the bathroom which should be regularly aired.
3. If the number of centipedes in your house is small, — that is what usually happens — eliminate them physically. You may either smash, or suck them with a vacuum cleaner, or broom them. These guys are pretty fast, but this fact will not save them from the sole of your boot.
4. Set traps made of a sticky tape in the corners of the rooms where centipedes normally prey on other insects. This is a good way of getting rid of centipedes without killing them. In addition, you will be able to monitor what kind of other pests inhabit your dwelling.
5. If things get too much, you can resort to insecticides available either as spray or dusts with such active ingredients as cyfluthrin and permethrin. Read label directions before purchasing the product since not all insecticides are registered for the indoor use. Whereas the above-mentioned chemicals are toxic enough to humans, other solutions such as diatomaceous earth are safe for use.

How to make things right? To learn this, read a detailed guide below covering the best centipede insecticides and traps, useful information about the biology of these insects and how you can protect your garden from them.

How to Kill Centipedes: 6 Best Sprays, Traps and Dusts 

As usual, let us remind you before moving on to the actual review about the importance of reading the specific labels and manuals. This simple practice will protect you and your loved ones from possible contamination and other troubles, all the more so the composition of certain products can vary with time, and the renewed manuals contain some very important directions.

Сentipede Traps

Victor M256 Poison-Free Insect Magnet Traps, 12-Pack

This thing won’t surely do any harm to your pets. Before us there is a classic adhesive trap aimed at eliminating silverfish, cockroaches, ants, centipedes and other parasites. Apart from the adhesive tape, the pheromone bait is used, which is futile against the centipedes.

The compact dimensions of the trap and several entrances inside the cardboard box are remarkable, as they contribute to the convenience of the trap’s shape for catching the centipedes in small rooms. A Check current price set contains 12 boxes, so you can place them all over the basement. Victor Insect Magnet Traps are ready-to-use as all you have to do is open them along the dotted line. While removing the cardboard box you will be protected from coming into direct contact with the insects, which is an advantage. You should remove the traps as they get filled up: count for a single replacement in a month.

We can also add the attractant heavily promoted by the manufacturer isn’t reliable. It will be enough to allocate the traps properly for them to work. The attractant works best on the spiders, so you’d better look for other treatment if you wish to save them.

If you have far too many different pests at home, we recommend you to spend some money and invest in a Trapper Insect Trap (Great for Bed Bugs, Spiders, and Cockroaches) kit which Includes 90 Traps. It will gather all of the unwanted neighbors on its sticky surface.

Safer Brand 51702 Diatomaceous Earth – Bed Bug, Ant and Crawling Insect Killer, 4-Pound Bag

This is classic powdered diatomaceous earth made of recycled algae. Its action is primitive: the fine dust seems soft only for humans, as the insects perceive it as grains with very sharp edges. They can try eating them, inhale them or just walk over them – in any case diatomaceous earth will harm them and dehydrate their bode. The small particles will absorb the parasite’s fluids which will be lethal for a centipede, as after all they already have issues with retaining body fluids.

The manufacturer promises that the product is able to kill the centipedes within 48 hours of contact. Any cracks and crevices can be filled with the diatomaceous earth; it is safe for humans and pets.

According to the comments section, Safer Brand DE is effective against the main subject of our review. Elise, for instance, claims that “I live just right near the ocean, so the spiders and centipedes were a big problem. After using this thing (recommended by a friend) insects are gone for good 😉 Messy but effective, plus it is all natural ;)”.

Moreover, Safer Brand is known for removing many other pests, be it bed bugs, cockroaches, silverfish, crickets and ants. You’ll find 4 pounds of the substance in a pack. Note that any moisture on this powder will kill its magical properties.

JT Eaton also offers the same product in another medium size. JT Eaton 203 Bedbug and Crawling Insect Powder with Diatomaceous Earth, 7-Ounce bottle is supplied in a more usable bottle with the powder for Check current price. It contains less of the powder itself, but the packing has a well-located tip for applying the dust inside the cracks and tiny holes.

We’d like to remind to those who expect the centipedes’ instant death that you should only anticipate fatality within 2 days of the contact of the product with the insects. That’s why we hardly consider any claims of this sort reasonable.

You may also read about the best bed bug powder.

Ortho 0196710 Home Defense MAX Insect Killer Spray for Indoor and Home Perimeter, 1-Gallon (Ant, Roach, Spider, Stinkbug, & Centipede Killer)

This product contains such active ingredient as bifenthrin of perithroid group and is recommended by our experts. It is supposed to kill the arthropods rather quickly and then to go on to serve as a repellent for a few months. The product is ready-to-use as there is no need to dissolve it and you can spray Ortho all over the place on the spot. Unlike many liquids it can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Apart from the arthropods, Ortho spray eliminates bugs, crickets, spiders, cockroaches, earwigs, and even ants. However, we are most interested in its action against the centipedes. What do the customers say about that?

The manufacturer advises using the spray as a barrier. The manual states that you’re supposed to spray 4 inches wide around the baseboards, window frames, doors and walls in the bathrooms. This is an effective and moderately-priced approach. In addition, the manufacturer’s website contains an approximate schedule of repeat spraying for different regions and climates.

Price:  Check current price

Demon WP Water Soluble Pest Control Insecticide – 2 Envelopes Containing Four 9.5 gram Packets

This is a soluble agent containing 40% of cypermethrin. The effectiveness of this compound has been scientifically proven. This is a good option for those who like to save, as Demon WP is packed in 4 envelopes, 10 grams each, can be stored for 5 years and doesn’t cost much. A packet should be solved in a liter of water and the mixture will be enough to cover 2 500 sq. ft.

You’d better wear protective suits while spraying it. Demon WP only becomes harmless for humans once it dries off. Obviously, it can’t be used near food or dishes. Demon WP also leaves traces on furniture and clothes which are washable (but still, this is extra trouble).

As for the rest, this is a powerful insecticide to be applied both indoors and outdoors. The killing effect is supposed to last over 90 days. in the comments section the customer actively attests its effectiveness against the centipedes, which negates all the other drawbacks of this product.

By the way, DemonWP is not supplied complete with the special devices for spraying the insecticide. If you haven’t got a sprayer yet, turn to the #1 Best Seller in Lawn & Garden Sprayers category, Chapin 20000 1-Gallon Poly Lawn and Garden Sprayer for Check current price. By the way, it is recommended by the manufacturer.

Cyzmic CS (Compare to Demand CS)- 8 oz. 78938

This is yet another example of use of synthetic perithroid. Here the manufacturer used lambda-cyhalothrin. A single container of the concentrate can be dissolved into 19-39 gallons of the solution with a sharp synthetic smell. The product is powerful, that’s why you’d better keep it out of reach of children and pets. For a hardcore solution mix 12 ml of the insecticides with a liter of water. A softer recipe presumes adding 6 ml of poison to a liter of water. Despite its effect, Cyzmic can be sprayed indoors provided you strictly follow the official manual. The direct contact of skin and liquid concentrate should be by all means avoided.

In comparison with the diatomaceous earth or boric acid dusts, Cyzmic doesn’t seem to be the safest or most environment-friendly product. Its action is very fast, though. Even such giant centipedes as the scolopendras won’t be able to survive after coming into direct contact with such poison. Furthermore, you can spray Cyzmic over the bushes, so it also serves as an excellent product against the outdoor centipedes.

Centipede Traps, Dusts and Sprays Comparison Chart

Product	Type / Active Ingredient
Victor	Sticky pheromone trap. Pheromone lure
Trapper Insect Trap	Sticky trap.
Safer Brand	Organic 100% natural insect killer. Diatomaceous Earth
Ortho Check Price	Killer spray. Bifenthrin
Demon WP	Concentrated killer spray. Cypermethrin
Cyzmic CS	Concentrated killer spray. Lambda-cyhalothrin

As you have probably understood, the main principle of eliminating the centipedes is to overcome the natural fear of these scary creatures and to follow the safety rules (i.e. not to touch them with bare hands). But mostly this is the same pest as the majority of other insects and so it can be dealt with without using magic or superpowers.

How to Get Rid Of Centipedes in Your Garden

Let’s remember the centipedes which dwell outside the house. The first step in the course of their elimination will be the removal of the possible places of their living and breeding. Check all the damp and dark spots, piles of mulch and wood warehouses, under the large stones, benches, logs, and don’t forget to inspect the greenhouses. Remove everything that can be removed, especially such trash as untidy foliage silage heaps, dumps and rags.

Once the yard is clear, it’s high time to understand whether you really want to get rid of centipedes which are so good at consuming other pests. If you merely don’t want the arthropods to get inside the house, you can surround it with a diatomaceous earth or synthetic barrier, the making of which we’ll describe below. According to the experienced gardeners, a 5-6 ft wide strip will do. It will only be handy in the autumn when the centipedes migrate past the cottages in search of food.

Note that you will be able to deal with neither wild nor house centipedes with the help of the trendy ultrasound repellents. Many of such gadgets are positioned as a universal treatment against the antagonists of this review, but they aren’t truly such, according to the experts.

Are Centipedes Dangerous For Plants?

The Nebraska University scientists believe that the centipedes can infringe the plants in case of extreme hunger. However, unlike garden millipedes, house centipedes aren’t known to commit such crimes. According to the Texas A&M University the Texas A&M University data, this species is quite comfortable inhabiting the greenhouses and feeding on your crop. In winter they can even come to your house, so it’s advisable to get rid of them to avoid house.

Read also: How dangerous is a centipede bite?

How to get rid of house centipedes? 5-easy-step-guideline

1. First, deprive the centipedes of food and shelter. If your house is a mess and infested with tiny insects, then they will surely attract these nasty creatures. Moreover, the abundance of damp, cluttered and messy spots will allow them to breed and multiply regularly. Make sure you ventilate the bathroom and keep control of the dampness in the basement on a regular basis. Centipedes can’t survive in dry atmosphere, as their shell cannot retain moisture and so they die from dehydration.
2. In order to solve the problem before it has even appeared at your place, get hold of the sealant. Seal all the cracks at home, and pay special attention to the windows, doors, pipes, wires, cracks around the siding, and other gaps. Even the smallest cracks are large enough for a centipede to enter the house.
3. If all these measures were in vain and you’ve found single centipedes at home, don’t rush for the synthetic products. The University of Nebraska memo states that “The safest and most environmentally sound way to control millipedes and centipedes already in the house is to step on them and vacuum or sweep them up”.
4. You can use any insecticidal sticky tape for the same purposes. Place its pieces all over possible centipedes’ meal traps, at the floorboards and along the baseboards. Even having 30 fast legs will be useless in the arthropods’ attempts to pass through the sticky surface. If you don’t want to mar your karma with murder, place the creature in a jar and take it out.
5. Those whose house is infested with a large colony of centipedes are to get hold of dust and sprays. The Penn State Extension scientists claim that the “sprays that are available for homeowner use include many of the synthetic pyrethroids such as cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, permethrin or tralomethrin. Dusts are either boric acid or diatomaceous earth – both which are inorganic insecticides and have very low risk to mammals”. Other scientists confirm the effectiveness of such range of artificial chemicals. Which products have the most fruitful combination of these ingredients? Go ahead and read the second part of the review to find out, as we’ve picked 5 best anti-centipede items for you.