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PEST CONTROL
Centipede Control in Toronto, Oakville & the GTA
House centipedes and millipedes in basements, bathrooms and crawl spaces
House centipede control in Toronto, Oakville and the GTA means dealing with the two things that keep them in your house: damp and food. House centipedes hunt silverfish, spiders, cockroaches and other insects, so we find the insects feeding them, treat the cracks and voids where they hide, and show you where the moisture is coming from.
Open 7 days until 9pm. Most calls are returned within 1 hour during business hours. After hours, leave a message and we’ll call back as soon as we can.
Ontario-licensed exterminators, insured
AT A GLANCE
House Centipedes at a Glance
House centipede
- Size
- 2.5 to 5 cm body
- Colour
- Greyish-yellow with three dark stripes
- Body
- Flat, with 15 pairs of long, striped legs
- How to tell
- One pair of legs per segment; millipedes have two
- Active
- All year indoors; more come in during fall
- Where found
- Basements, first-floor bathrooms, closets, crawl spaces
- Bites or stings
- Rarely bites; at worst like a mild bee sting
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Signs You Have House Centipedes
If you’ve noticed any of these, call and a licensed technician will tell you what it points to.
Call (905) 739-7888- Fast, many-legged critters darting across floors and walls, usually at night
- Centipedes trapped in a sink or bathtub they fell into
- Sightings in basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms and closets
- Damp spots: leaky pipes, sump pits, floor drains or poorly ventilated rooms
- Silverfish, spiders, cockroaches or other bugs around the house, which centipedes hunt
IDENTIFICATION
How to Identify a House Centipede
A house centipede has a flat body 2.5 to 5 cm long, greyish-yellow with three dark stripes down the back, and 15 pairs of long, striped legs. Its antennae look like legs, which makes it hard to tell which end is the front. It runs fast with its body held up on those legs. Young ones hatch with four pairs of legs and gain more with each moult.
- Centipede or millipede? Centipedes are flat, with one pair of legs per segment, and run. Millipedes are rounded on top, with two pairs of legs per segment, and curl up when disturbed.
- House centipede or brown centipede? The brown centipede is 2 to 3 cm, broad-bodied and orange-brown, and lives outdoors under stones and in compost.
TYPES
Centipedes and Millipedes in Ontario Homes
House centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata
Greyish-yellow, 2.5 to 5 cm, with three dark stripes and 15 pairs of very long legs. The only centipede that breeds indoors.
Where found: Basements, cellars, first-floor bathrooms, closets and crawl spaces.
Introduced. The only centipede in Canada that can give a painful nip.
Brown centipede
Lithobius forficatus
Broad, orange-brown body 2 to 3 cm long, with long antennae and long back legs. Comes out at night to hunt.
Where found: Outdoors in soil, under rocks, in compost and under bark. Outdoor centipedes rarely come indoors.
Harmless to people.
Millipedes
Diplopoda
Not centipedes: rounded on top, with two pairs of legs on most segments, and they coil up when disturbed. Some give off a smelly fluid that can stain fabric.
Where found: Mulch, leaf litter and garden soil. They wander indoors after heavy rain and die quickly in a dry house.
Harmless. We treat millipedes too.
House centipedes are a moisture pest, like silverfish and earwigs, and they hunt spiders too.
OUR APPROACH
How We Treat House Centipedes
Step 1
Find the Prey
House centipedes are predators. They're in the basement because their food is: silverfish, spiders, cockroaches, flies and other insects. We identify that population, because removing the food does more than treating the centipedes on their own.
Step 2
Treat Where They Hide
Treatment is targeted at the cracks, crevices and voids where centipedes shelter during the day: basements, crawl spaces, around floor drains and behind baseboards. They are wary and nocturnal, so most of the centipedes in a house are never seen, and this is where they are.
Step 3
Point Out the Gaps
We show you the foundation cracks, sump pit gaps and openings under doors that let centipedes and their prey in. Sealing them cuts both.
Step 4
Dry It Out
We advise on the moisture behind it: ventilation, drainage, leaky pipes and damp around sump pits. Running fans or a dehumidifier and fixing water problems makes the space less livable for centipedes and the insects they hunt.
BITES AND STINGS
Do House Centipedes Bite?
They can, but it's rare. A house centipede's first pair of legs are venom claws for catching prey, and it uses them on people only when it's handled roughly. Most can't break human skin. When one does, Health Canada describes the effect as similar to a mild bee sting, usually gone within a few hours. In Canada, the house centipede is the only centipede that can give a painful nip, and it isn't dangerous. They don't attack: a house centipede that's discovered runs and hides.
- If a bite swells a lot or hasn't settled after a few hours, call Health811 or your doctor.
RISKS AND DAMAGE
Are House Centipedes Harmful?
House centipedes don't harm the house, stored food, fabrics, pets or people. The issue is how they look and move, which is a fair reason to want them gone, and what they tell you about the house: centipedes in numbers mean damp and a steady supply of insects for them to eat. Millipedes that get in can stain fabric and smell when disturbed.
House centipedes are harmless, but seeing them often, or out in the daytime, usually means a population is living in the house along with the insects feeding it, and that's worth dealing with.
CAUSES
Why You Have Centipedes in the Basement
House centipedes need damp, places to hide and insects to eat, and a damp basement, bathroom or crawl space gives them all three. In temperate climates like Ontario's they live and breed indoors year-round, and more come in from outside in the fall when the weather turns colder.
What Draws Them In
- Damp basements, crawl spaces and bathrooms
- Leaky pipes, floor drains and sump pits that stay wet
- Silverfish, spiders, cockroaches and other insects to hunt
- Potted plants with debris in the pots and trays
- Mulch, leaf litter and debris against the foundation
How They Get In
- Cracks in the foundation and basement walls
- Gaps around the sump pump pit
- Spaces under exterior doors without weather stripping or sweeps
HABITS
Life Cycle and Habits
Habitat
Indoors, house centipedes live in cool, damp, dark places: basements, cellars, first-floor bathrooms, closets and potted plants, hiding in cracks, crevices and behind baseboards by day. Outdoors, centipedes live in rotting logs, mulch, potting soil, leaf litter and under rocks.
Diet
Centipedes are hunters. A house centipede chases down silverfish, spiders, cockroach nymphs, bed bugs, flies, ants and moths, and catches them with its venom claws. They don't eat food, wood or fabric. Millipedes are different: they eat decaying plant matter.
Life Cycle
Young house centipedes hatch with four pairs of legs and add more each time they moult. They grow slowly, taking more than 3 years to mature, and can live up to 7 years. Because they breed slowly, a house usually has only a few, but because they live so long, the same few keep turning up until the damp and the food are dealt with.
Seasonal Behaviour in Ontario
House centipedes live indoors all year in our climate and hunt at night. More come inside in the fall when the weather turns colder. Millipedes follow a different pattern: they tend to show up in large numbers after heavy rain, then dry out and die indoors.
PREVENTION
How to Keep Centipedes Out
- Run a dehumidifier or fans in the basement and other damp rooms.
- Fix leaky pipes and other water problems that keep the basement damp.
- Caulk around the sump pump pit and fill cracks in the foundation.
- Make sure the ground slopes away from the house so water doesn't sit by the foundation.
- Use coarse mulch, keep it 5 to 10 cm deep, and clear leaf litter and debris from the foundation.
- Fit weather stripping or door sweeps on outside doors.
- Clean debris out of houseplant pots and trays.
- Deal with the silverfish, cockroaches and other insects they hunt.
How to Get Rid of House Centipedes: DIY or a Professional?
A house centipede now and then isn't worth treating; it's eating other bugs. If you'd rather not share the house, a vacuum is the simplest way to remove them, small sticky traps set where you see activity will bring numbers down, and drying out the basement deals with the cause. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station advises against using pesticides to wipe out house centipedes, and spraying without fixing the damp leaves the conditions that drew them. If you buy a product, check for a PCP registration number on the label and follow the label.
- Centipedes seen every week, or out in the daytime
- A steady supply of silverfish, cockroaches or other insects
- Damp you can't track down, such as a wet crawl space or sub-floor
- Millipedes coming in by the hundreds after rain
WHY CHOOSE US
Why Ontario Homeowners Choose Sting Out
No Binding Contracts
Cancel anytime, with no lock-in and no pressure. If you keep us on, it should be because the work is getting results.
Integrated Pest Management
Inspection first, then targeted treatment with registered products used as the label directs. Your technician will advise on any precautions.
Ontario-Licensed Exterminators
Treatments are applied by technicians licensed under Ontario pesticide rules.
5 Star Google Rating
Read what GTA homeowners and businesses say about us on Google Maps.
Reviews
What GTA customers say
★★★★★Google review
Sting Out Pest Control helped me get rid of a pretty bad crawling insect problem in my office. They were friendly, easy to deal with, and explained everything clearly from the start. Instead of just spraying and leaving, they came up with a treatment plan that used different methods to get the problem under control. Over time, the infestation was completely gone. I now have them come by once a month for maintenance, and if anything small comes up, they take care of it right away before it becomes a bigger issue. It's been a great experience, and I have peace of mind knowing my office is protected. I would definitely recommend Sting Out Pest Control to anyone needing a reliable pest control company.
Review 1 of 7
COMMON QUESTIONS
Centipede Control: Questions We Get
Why do I only see centipedes at night?
They hunt at night and spend the day in cracks, crevices and behind baseboards. They are also wary and quick to hide, so most of the centipedes living in a house are never seen. Seeing them regularly, day or night, suggests a population living in the home rather than the odd wanderer.
Should I kill house centipedes?
You don't have to. House centipedes are predators that eat silverfish, cockroach nymphs, bed bugs, spiders and other household pests, and they don't harm people or the house. If you want them gone, vacuum them up and work on the damp and the insects that keep them there. Killing the ones you see won't touch the ones you don't.
Why are there millipedes in my house?
Usually rain. After heavy rain, millipedes leave soaked mulch and soil in large numbers looking for drier ground, and some wander in under doors and through cracks. They can't survive in a dry house and die quickly. Sweep or vacuum them up, keep mulch to 5 to 10 cm, and fit door sweeps and seal foundation cracks to keep the next wave out.
Do house centipedes lay eggs in the house?
Yes. The house centipede is the only centipede that breeds indoors, and in our climate they live and develop indoors all year. They breed slowly and take more than 3 years to mature, so numbers stay small, but they can live up to 7 years.
Will centipedes come back after treatment?
They will if the conditions that drew them stay the same. Centipedes follow damp and food, so a basement that stays wet and keeps feeding them silverfish or cockroaches will keep attracting them. Treatment combined with drying the space out and dealing with the prey is what keeps numbers down.
Sources
Last updated
- Health Canada: Centipedes, millipedes, sowbugs and pillbugs
- Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station: House centipede
- Washington State University PestSense: House centipede
- University of Wisconsin Garden Facts: Centipedes
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Centipede
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Millipede
- University of Maryland Extension: Centipedes
- The Wildlife Trusts: Brown centipede
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System: Garden millipedes
- iNaturalist: research-grade house centipede observations in Ontario
- Health Canada: Buying pest control products online
- Health811
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SERVICE AREAS
Centipede Control Across Toronto, Oakville & the GTA
We treat centipedes in homes and businesses throughout Toronto and Southern Ontario.
We Also Treat
- SpidersSpider control inside and out.
- SilverfishStop silverfish from damaging your home and belongings.
- EarwigsIndoor and outdoor earwig control.
- CockroachesGel baiting and growth regulators for homes and businesses.
- AntsAnt bait that gets carried back to the colony.
- FliesSmall and big fly control for homes and commercial kitchens.
See our residential pest control and commercial pest control services, or go back to the Sting Out home page.