We’ve received several calls lately from our customers in the Auburn, CA area who are seeing house centipedes in their homes. 
The house centipede can be a little scary because they dart across the floor very fast and often will make a bee-line right at you in an attempt to hide under your clothing. Although they do have poison glands, the smaller house centipedes are usually unable to pierce human skin. Larger house centipedes, however, can inflict a painful bite which may cause some swelling and redness.
Centipedes are arthropods, meaning they have a segmented body, with a pair of legs on each segment. The house centipede has 15 pairs of legs and on the female, the last pair of legs is longer. They are usually light brownish in color and can range in length between 1 to 4 inches (including legs and antennae). Females can live for several years and can produce many offspring.
With all that said, they are actually a beneficial insect. They capture flies, cockroaches, silverfish, carpet beetle larvae, and spiders to name a few. But if house centipedes are seen in the home frequently, it may indicate a greater problem within the home.
Locations within homes where house centipedes might be found include damp areas of basements, closets and bathrooms. Outdoors you may find them in damp, dark places such as under stones, leaf mulch, and crawl spaces. Since we live in the foothills and many of our customers in the Auburn, Colfax, and Grass Valley, CA areas have wood stoves, we often find them in wood piles and under tarps.
If you are having a problem with house centipedes in your home, call us today! We can set sticky or pheromone traps to monitor insect activity in your home to identify what types of insects are providing a meal for house centipedes. Outside, we can inspect and advise you how to reduce harborage areas and we can apply a perimeter residual spray around your home to prevent further intrusions.
Gold Miner Pest Control & Wildlife Management
Auburn, CA area call: 530-878-8786 or Colfax, CA area call: 530-346-8379