Centipedes have never had a name that inspires happiness. No, they have a frightening name and even worse appearance. Centipedes are insects you don’t want in your home. Centipedes in Minnesota are not harmful to humans, but they aren’t pleasant to have around or look at either. Fortunately, you are doing a little spring cleaning. Now is a good time to protect your Minnesota home from creeping centipedes.
How to spot a centipede
You will know a centipede when you see it. The legs are a dead giveaway. Centipedes are brownish yellow bugs with many legs. The common centipede found in Minnesota is the house centipede. It measures between 1 and 1 1/2 inches long. The common house centipede has a long, flat body with 15 segments, each of which has a set of legs. The common house centipede in your home also has three long stripes that run down its back.
Problems caused by centipedes
Centipedes are not dangerous. That is the good news. The bad new is that a centipede infestation can become overwhelming very quickly. You may have an infestation and not even realize it is there. Many times, the only way to know you have centipedes without the help from a professional is when you see them crawling up into your tub and scattering across your basement or walls.
How to get rid of centipedes
To get rid of centipedes in your home, it is necessary to understand how they survive and what conditions they prefer. Centipedes like dark, damp spaces. They also prefer not to be disturbed. Dark, moist, quiet spaces are the types of areas in which you need to focus. Here are a few of our tricks for preventing centipedes.
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Seal cracks and crevices in your foundation. These are good places for centipedes to sneak into your home.
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Keep your basement and attic dry. Use a dehumidifier to control the moisture.
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Repair holes and cracks in screens and weather stripping.
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Repair leaks in faucets, pipes, and other plumbing.
Get help from the professionals
As we said before, spotting centipedes in your home can be difficult. It takes a trained eye to spot centipedes in their hiding spots. A quick call to Adam’s Pest Control in Minnesota can save you from a big headache later. The Adam’s Pest Control method includes a thorough inspection of your home, recommendations for prevention and control, and an insect management plan to keep centipedes and other pests out of your home. Year-round pest control is the only way you can keep centipedes out of your home for good.
