The house centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata) is a nocturnal predator often seen darting across indoor surfaces. These arthropods are primarily attracted to human dwellings by resources necessary for their survival. Understanding these conditions and food sources reveals why your home might become a habitat for these fast-moving invertebrates.
Environmental Factors Driving Them Indoors
The greatest factor drawing centipedes into a structure is their biological need to prevent desiccation. Unlike many insects, centipedes lack a waxy, moisture-preserving outer layer, making them susceptible to drying out in low-humidity environments.
They are compelled to seek out areas where the air remains consistently moist to regulate their internal water balance. This need for humidity guides them toward specific areas of a home that mimic their preferred outdoor habitat of damp soil and leaf litter. Basements, crawl spaces, and laundry rooms are attractive due to their higher moisture content and cooler temperatures.
Centipedes prefer dark, undisturbed shelter, as they are primarily active hunters during the night. During daylight hours, they retreat to reclusive spots like under sinks, behind baseboards, or within cluttered storage areas. The combination of darkness and consistent moisture allows them to rest safely while conserving water until the next evening’s foraging period.
Poor drainage around a building’s foundation creates saturated soil that encourages centipedes to live adjacent to the exterior walls. This proximity makes the indoor environment an easily accessible refuge whenever outdoor conditions become too hot or dry. When temperature fluctuates or drought occurs, centipedes are driven inward to the more stable, humid environment your home provides.
The Draw of Household Prey
Centipedes are opportunistic carnivores, meaning their presence is often an indicator of a pre-existing pest problem. They are drawn to a home because it acts as a reliable hunting ground populated by smaller, soft-bodied arthropods. Their diet includes many common household nuisances, which serve as the primary attractant once moisture needs are met.
The house centipede actively hunts insects like silverfish, which thrive in the damp conditions found in basements and bathrooms. They prey on spiders, cockroaches, carpet beetle larvae, and crickets, using their long antennae to locate food sources. The centipede employs modified front legs to inject paralyzing venom into its prey, quickly subduing its meal.
The presence of a centipede suggests that an underlying population of these pests is thriving in the home, providing a sustainable food chain. Centipedes follow the trail of their food source as prey moves toward warmer or more sheltered indoor spaces. Eliminating the centipede’s food supply is an effective method for making a home less appealing to the predator.
Structural Access Points
Centipedes are adept at exploiting minute structural deficiencies to gain entry into a building envelope. Their flattened body shape allows them to pass through openings that seem too small for their length. They do not require a wide-open doorway, but rather a narrow crevice to slip through.
Common entry points include gaps around utility penetrations, such as where water pipes, electrical conduits, or cables enter the foundation or walls. Foundation cracks and poorly sealed areas where the siding meets the foundation slab offer easy access. These openings provide a direct path from the damp soil outside to the humid, secluded areas indoors.
Centipedes exploit flaws at ground level, like worn-out weather stripping around basement doors or unsealed window frames. Even floor drains, if infrequently used and retaining moisture, can serve as an entry point from the sewer system into a home. Sealing these small access points is a necessary physical barrier to interrupt the centipede’s movement indoors.