How to Keep Centipedes Out Of Your Bed
Centipedes creep me out to the extent that I will run from them if I see one. Maybe that is because their sting can cause a human a lot of pain for hours. But thank god it is not deadly. You will find centipedes in the ground and under objects outside if you move them.
But if the outside gets too cold they will need to find somewhere warm enough and that can be your house and your bed. Centipedes feed on insects so your pets are safe, but not from a sting if they encounter one. Now let us learn a little about centipedes so you know what you are dealing with.
What Attracts Centipedes In Your Bed?
What attracts you to your bed? The answer to that is because it is very warm and cozy. Centipedes build their home and life around areas that are warm and cozy so your bed will be a nice spot for them. Centipedes try to avoid human contact most of the time, but if they cannot find a warm enough area, they will find your bed.
What Attracts House Centipede
As mentioned above, a centipede loves a warm area, and if your house is not well taken care of and has things laying all over the place that creates a warm area for them they will live there. If you have clothes always on the floor, and books all over the place then they will use those areas as their new home.
How To Keep Centipedes Out Of Your Bed And House
Below are 6 ways you can use to keep centipedes out of your bed and house that are effective base on the number of centipedes you are seeing.
1. Using A DehumidifierÂ
Centipedes love moisture along with warmest and if your bed has moisture to it, they will come and live under the sheets. Too much moisture in the air can cause your bed to feel even warmer which will attract the centipedes. A dehumidifier will absorb all the water in the air and make your bed feel dryer so that the centipedes will not feel that comfortable.
If your bed feels damp all the time then you need to know why and fix the problem by reading this article on why your bed feels damp which will help prevent centipedes from living in your bedsheets.
2. Close Up Cracks
Preventing centipedes from getting in the house in the first place will eventually stop them from getting in your bed. Centipedes will come through the smallest cracks or holes you can find in your walls or wood. If you are saying to yourself that there are no cracks on the inside go outside and check.
Because they can find one crack and travel throughout the walls in the house and find an area to come in and go straight to your bed or bathroom we are it is very warm. To fill these cracks you can use spray foam in a can that hardens like concrete and takes the shape of anything. (Â Link To Spray Foam Product )
Also Read: How to get rid go ground moles with dawn dish soap
3. Use InsecticideÂ
Insecticides are chemicals that will kill insects in seconds if you spray it on them or if they eat it. This does work but these chemicals are not safe to use around kids and animals. I would recommend using a spray form of insecticide if you have kids and pets.
The sprays are just as effective but will have a strong smell to in for a few seconds. If you see a centipede on your wall or floor in your bedroom getting close to your bed just use the spray on it and it will die in seconds. But dump it in your garbage and not outside because the spray can be harmful to birds or other animals that eat them.
4. Make Sure Your Bathroom Fan Is WorkingÂ
Centipedes love warm areas with a little moisture and your bathroom will feel warm because of the pipes and hot water being used. Sometimes your bathroom ventilation system isn’t working properly and will allow too much moisture to be in the bathroom which will attract centipedes.
If the bathroom fan is working, you can also add a small portable dehumidifier in the bathroom to help get excessive moisture out of the air and make it feel drier. By doing this you will stop the centipede from finding more areas in your house like your bed to go and live under the sheets.
5. Get A Cat To Scare The CentipedeÂ
This solution is not for everyone but if you were open to getting a cat in the first place. This will be the perfect excuse for you because cats do eat centipedes and will scare them off. Centipedes do have things that feed on them like large lizards, chickens, birds, and other animals.
If centipedes find that there is too much movement in an area they will leave so having a cat walking around on your bed throughout the day when you are not on it will surely make the centipede uncomfortable and leave if the cat doesn’t get it first.
Also Read: How to get rid of burrowing animals
6. Call Pest Control
You should only call pest control when you see that there are too many centipedes in your house everywhere you look. If you see them every 5 to 10 minutes, then you need to call pest control in your area. Pest control can get a little pricy, but it is worth you or your kids not getting bitten.
What the pest control will do is find where they are coming from and seal that area off with spray foam or if it is in the house they will have you get someone to repair that area. If they find a nest they will get rid of it and also set insecticides so that they will not come back to that area.
So calling pets control is totally worth it if you think you have a centipede infestation. If you are not sure if you have a centipede infestation, give them a call and tell them what you are seeing and they will determine from there on out if they need to come. But this is the last option you should do if the methods above don’t work.
How Do Centipedes Get In The House
Centipedes come in different sizes, but the longest centipede may grow to 12 inches (30cm) while the smallest can be 0.4 inches in length which is (1 cm). This means that centipedes can fit into the smallest cracks and holes in your house, even if a block of wood is lifted up slightly.
Centipedes will try to find an area in your house that has the most moisture which is the bathroom. So check for holes and cracks in the wall of your bathroom and seal them up or set insecticide.
Conclusion:
If you see 1-2 centipedes in your house you have no need to call pest control because this might just be one centimeter that had babies and you can use insecticide to get rid of them. When you see them on almost every wall or every 10 minutes, then you know you have a problem.
Their sting will not kill a human but it can make the area swollen and make you feel a tremendous amount of pain for a day or so. The best way to keep centipedes out of your house is to make sure things are organized and clean. Even then, some will still try to find an area to live but rarely.