Centipede control in Grenada
The large centipedes found here are fast, they turn up in bathrooms and bedrooms, and their bite hurts. They come inside for two reasons: there is damp, and there is something to eat. A treatment deals with both.
Why they come inside
- Centipedes hunt other insects. A house with cockroaches, spiders or crickets gives them a food supply, so treating those usually reduces the centipedes.
- They dry out quickly, so they head for damp places: bathrooms, laundries, under sinks, spaces under the floor and anywhere there is a leak.
- Heavy rain floods the soil and leaf litter they normally live in, which pushes them towards buildings. Sightings go up sharply in the wet season.
- They come in at ground level, through gaps under doors, weep holes, drains and unsealed pipe entries.
A bite from a large Scolopendra is painful, similar to a bad wasp sting, and usually leaves swelling for a day or so. It is rarely dangerous to a healthy adult, but it is worth taking care with young children and with anyone who has allergies. If a bite reaction is severe or spreading, get medical attention rather than waiting it out.
How to tell you have a problem
- Fast-moving centipedes in bathrooms or laundries, or on the floor at night.
- Several sightings in the days after heavy rain.
- Damp under sinks, behind the washing machine, or around a slow leak.
- Leaf litter, mulch, stacked timber, pots or rubble against the outside walls.
- An existing problem with cockroaches, crickets or spiders, which is the food supply.
- Gaps under the external doors, or floor drains and weep holes with no cover.
Common species here
The large reddish-brown centipede, usually 10 to 20cm, that causes most of the alarm. Active at night, fast, and its bite is venomous and painful.
Smaller and grey, with very long legs and a startling turn of speed. Harmless to people, and it eats other household insects.
How we treat it
We find the damp and the places they shelter, inside and out, and we work out what they are feeding on, because that is usually the reason they are in the building.
We treat a barrier around the ground-level entry points, treat the damp spaces where they shelter, and treat the insects they are hunting so the food supply goes as well.
We seal the gaps at door thresholds and pipe entries, and go through what needs changing with drainage, ventilation and the material stacked against your walls.
What you can do yourself
None of this replaces a treatment, but it makes the treatment work better and last longer.
- Clear leaf litter, mulch, stacked timber, pots and rubble away from the outside walls. This is the single most useful thing you can do.
- Fit brush seals or draught strips to external doors, and cover floor drains.
- Fix leaks and improve the ventilation in bathrooms and laundries.
- Shake out shoes, towels and clothes left on the floor overnight during the wet season.
- Deal with any cockroach or cricket problem, because that is what draws them in.
- Do not pick up a large centipede, even one that looks dead. Use a container and a piece of card.
Common questions
Not covered here? Call us on (473) 403-7251 and we'll talk it through.
The large Scolopendra species can give a bite that hurts a lot and swells for a day or so. It is rarely dangerous to a healthy adult, but take it seriously with small children and with anyone who has allergies. House centipedes, the small long-legged ones, are harmless.
That is where the damp is. Centipedes dry out quickly, so they head for the wettest room in the house. Fixing the moisture usually does more than a spray.
It reduces them a lot and keeps them out of the living space. Getting rid of them entirely is not realistic for an animal that lives in the soil and leaf litter all around a tropical property, so we will not tell you otherwise.
Rain floods the soil and leaf litter where they live, so they move to higher, drier ground. Your house counts as higher and drier. This is why we put the work into the perimeter and the clearance around the walls.