Centipede control · Orange County, NY
House Centipede Control by Orange County, NY Exterminators
Fifteen pairs of legs, top speed of a startled cat, and a habit of appearing on the bathroom wall at midnight. House centipedes are harmless to people for the most part, but a steady stream of them means your basement is damp and full of the insects they eat.
- Basements & bathrooms
- Moisture-focused treatment
- Treats the food source too
Identifying the house centipede
| Scientific name | Scutigera coleoptrata |
|---|---|
| Body length | Roughly an inch to an inch and a half, longer with legs and antennae |
| Legs | 15 pairs as adults, very long, with the rear pair stretched out like a second set of antennae |
| Color | Yellowish-gray with three dark stripes down the back and banded legs |
| Lifespan | Several years, which is unusual for a household bug |
| Diet | Silverfish, spiders, cockroaches, crickets, carpet beetle larvae, flies and other small insects |
| Habitat | Damp basements, bathrooms, crawlspaces, closets and under sinks |
The bug almost nobody wants to share a bathroom with
Ask people what pest bothers them most and a surprising number say house centipedes. It is the speed, mostly, and the legs. They come out at night, hunt across walls and ceilings, and freeze in the light just long enough for you to see every leg before they vanish under the baseboard.
Here is the uncomfortable truth: a house centipede is a predator, and it is in your house because it is finding food. Every one you see represents a supply of silverfish, spiders, crickets or roaches somewhere in the walls or basement. That is why centipede control that ignores the rest of the food chain does not last.
They can bite if pressed against skin, and the result is usually compared to a mild bee sting. Most people never get bitten. The real reason to deal with them is what they are telling you about moisture and other insects.
Centipedes in the tub every morning?
That pattern usually points to a moisture source close by. Call to talk with a local pest pro who can track it down.
32 pest calls from the Orange County area today. Most recent: 10 minutes ago.
Is it a house centipede or something else?
| Critter | Legs | How it moves | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| House centipede | 15 long pairs | Very fast, runs up walls | Indoor hunter, the one most people mean |
| Stone centipede | About 15 short pairs | Fast, stays low | Reddish-brown, lives under stones and mulch, occasional indoors |
| Soil centipede | Dozens of tiny pairs | Wriggles, worm-like | Thin and yellowish, from garden soil |
| Millipede | Two pairs per segment, many | Slow, curls into a coil | Eats decaying plants. See millipede control |
| Silverfish | Six legs, three tail bristles | Wiggles quickly, fish-like | Centipede food. Likes paper, glue and humid closets |
Clues that centipedes are breeding indoors
- Small, pale juvenile centipedes with fewer legs than adults
- Sightings on more than one floor, not just the basement
- Regular appearances in the same bathroom or laundry room
- Damp cardboard boxes or stored items in the basement
- Musty smell or visible condensation on foundation walls
- Plenty of silverfish, spiders or crickets on sticky traps
Why Hudson Valley basements produce so many centipedes
House centipedes need humidity to survive, and much of Orange County is built on ground that holds water. Fieldstone foundations in the older villages wick moisture straight through the wall. Homes along the Wallkill River from Walden down through the river flats, and the low ground around Moodna Creek and the Otter Kill, deal with high water tables every spring.
Along the Hudson, river fog and old masonry make for damp cellars in Cornwall-on-Hudson and Newburgh's older blocks. Out west, river cottages and camps in Sparrowbush and along the Neversink sit closed and unventilated for stretches, which is a recipe for silverfish and the centipedes that hunt them.
Newer homes are not immune. Finished basements in subdivisions across Middletown and the Town of Wallkill often hide carpet over a slab that sweats in August, and a sump pit that never quite dries out. Slab-on-grade houses with a damp utility room get them too.
Centipede activity through the seasons
- Spring
Females lay eggs in damp soil, wall voids and basement debris. Sightings pick up as the house and ground warm.
- Summer
Peak humidity and peak numbers. Juveniles show up, and adults roam upstairs into bathrooms at night.
- Fall
Outdoor centipedes move inside as temperatures drop, often through the sill plate and foundation gaps.
- Winter
Indoor populations keep going in heated basements. Fewer sightings upstairs, but they are still there.
What professional centipede control involves
Find the moisture and the food
A technician inspects the basement, crawlspace and bathrooms for damp spots and checks what else is living there. If silverfish or crickets are feeding the centipedes, they become part of the plan.
Targeted treatment
Residual products go into cracks, wall-floor junctions, the rim joist, behind baseboards and around plumbing, plus an exterior band along the foundation. Dusts may be used in voids. Nothing gets broadcast across living spaces.
Seal and dry out
Caulking gaps, adding door sweeps and weatherstripping, and recommending dehumidification or drainage fixes. Without the moisture work, the centipedes come back.
Simple prevention that makes a real difference
- Run a dehumidifier in the basement and aim for around 50 percent humidity
- Use the bathroom exhaust fan during and after showers
- Move stored items off the floor and into plastic bins instead of cardboard
- Clear leaves, mulch and firewood back from the foundation
- Make sure gutters and downspouts carry water well away from the house
- Seal gaps around pipes, windows and the sill plate
DIY, professional help and what it costs
A dehumidifier and a box of glue traps will tell you a lot. If the traps fill up mostly with centipedes and a few spiders, and the numbers fall once the basement dries out, you may not need anyone. Many homeowners in older Orange County houses solve it exactly that way.
Call a pro when the sightings keep climbing, when centipedes show up on bedroom floors, or when the traps reveal a crowd of silverfish, crickets or roaches feeding them. A technician can treat the voids and junctions you cannot reach, and spot moisture sources you might miss.
Price depends on the size of the basement and crawlspace, whether other insects need treatment, how much sealing is involved, and if you go with a one-time service or a seasonal plan. Many homes fold centipedes into a quarterly perimeter service that also handles ants and spiders.
House centipede FAQ
Are house centipedes poisonous?
They have venom for subduing insects, and they can bite a person if handled or trapped against skin. The bite is usually compared to a minor bee sting. They are not considered dangerous to people or pets.
Should I just leave them alone since they eat other bugs?
Some people do. But a lot of centipedes means a lot of food and a lot of moisture, which is worth fixing on its own. Reducing both brings the centipede count down naturally.
Why do I see them in the bathtub?
They wander at night looking for prey and water, slip into the tub and cannot climb the smooth sides. They are not coming up the drain. The bathroom's humidity is what draws them in.
Centipede exterminator near me, with local know-how
Most people searching "centipede exterminator near me" have already tried a spray from the hardware store. What works better is someone who understands old Hudson Valley foundations and knows to look at the sump, the rim joist and the dryer vent before reaching for product.
The independent pest pros we connect you with work across Orange County, from Chester to the river towns, and handle centipedes along with the silverfish, crickets and spiders that tend to come with them.
Basement bug searches
Basement pest help in all seven regions
From fieldstone cellars to finished basements, local providers cover the whole county.
Newburgh & the Hudson Riverfront
- Newburgh
- Town of Newburgh
- Balmville
- Gardnertown
- Orange Lake
- New Windsor
- Vails Gate
- Rock Tavern
- Cornwall
- Cornwall-on-Hudson
- Mountainville
- Highland Falls
- Fort Montgomery
Middletown & the Town of Wallkill
- Middletown
- Town of Wallkill
- Scotchtown
- Circleville
- Mechanicstown
- Howells
- Wawayanda
- Slate Hill
- New Hampton
- Mount Hope
- Otisville
Montgomery, Walden & Pine Bush
- Montgomery
- Town of Montgomery
- Walden
- Maybrook
- Pine Bush
- Crawford
- Bullville
- Thompson Ridge
- Campbell Hall
- Hamptonburgh
Goshen, Chester & Blooming Grove
- Goshen
- Chester
- Sugar Loaf
- Washingtonville
- Blooming Grove
- Salisbury Mills
- South Blooming Grove
Monroe, Woodbury & Tuxedo
- Monroe
- Harriman
- Central Valley
- Highland Mills
- Woodbury
- Kiryas Joel
- Tuxedo
- Tuxedo Park
- Southfields
Warwick Valley & the Black Dirt Region
- Warwick
- Greenwood Lake
- Florida
- Pine Island
- Bellvale
- New Milford
- Minisink
- Westtown
- Unionville
- Johnson
Port Jervis & the Upper Delaware
- Port Jervis
- Deerpark
- Huguenot
- Cuddebackville
- Sparrowbush
- Westbrookville
- Greenville
Fewer legs on the bathroom wall starts with one call.
Talk to an Orange County exterminator who will treat the centipedes and fix the damp conditions behind them.