House Centipedes Pest Control

Introduction

• Scientific name is: Halyomorpha halys
• Named for its defense mechanism of spraying an odorous liquid when threatened
• Originally from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.
• Has become a season long pest in the United States as it invades homes and feeds on crops.

Identification

• Grow up to three to four inches long.
• Have up to fifteen pairs of legs.
• Yellowish gray in color with striped bands around the legs.

Mannerisms of House Centipedes

• Run at speeds of one foot per second.
• Has developed auto-mimicry in its back legs making them have the same movements as their antennae.
• Have well developed faceted eyes.
• Females lay eggs in the spring.
  • Lay between sixty-three and one hundred and fifty-one eggs.
• Feed on spiders, bed bugs, termites, ants, silverfish, and cockroaches.
• Inject venom into prey with modified legs.
• Can detach any of its legs to escape predators.
• Prefer to live in cool damp places such as basements.
• Can bite humans and they are painful, but not dangerous.

Prevention

• Drying up areas they live forces them to find another habitat.
• Eliminating other household pests that the centipedes eat has proven to be an effective centipede pest control method.