How to get rid of centipedes?

Question

What if you have a crawling baby and cannot spray to get rid of those centipedes? I see some large ones at nights (about 3 inches). I'm afraid they'll crawl in his crib.

Answer 1

yes and they will crawl and kill your kid,

so please move out of the apartment now.!

at least while they fumigate the rooms.

Answer 2

try cleaning the floor with ammonia.and centipedes rarly bite so do not worry,

Answer 3

The bite of a centipede is comparable to the sting of a bee.  My sister, at three years old stepped on a bee and was stung in the foot... she's still alive and well today.

You, in fact, can spray for these insects with a crawling baby, if you use the right products in the right place.  However, I would recommend not spraying inside.

The centipedes are coming from outside, or your crawl space if you have one.  This is where you need to concentrate your efforts.  You can do this in three steps.

1. Remove all vegetation within one foot of the home, or if you have large shrubs, trim the bottom branches so you can have a six-inch air gap.  Centipedes need to feed on bugs, so the less harborage you have for bugs, the fewer the bugs, the fewer the centipedes. Reduce any mulch you have within one foot of the home to less than two inches deep.  Clean up all leaf litter around the home.  Remove any solid plastic sheeting within one foot of home.

2. Check all the weatherstripping around your doors and windows, especially sliding glass doors (which are extremely tough to seal).  Replace any that need it.  Also, check all pipe penetrations such as your gas line and use a good caulk like Big Stretch to seal any gaps, no matter how small.

3. Pesticide application, at least at first, is going to be very important. You must reduce or eliminate all pests that can be prey on your property as soon as possible to gain control of the centipedes.  If you do a great job, you can kill most if not all of the centipedes near your home and see relief within a day or two.

I recommend hiring a professional pest control company for step 3. Be sure they know how to apply their chemicals in a way that will not harm your baby. Do not hire a company who will "baseboard" (spray all or some of the baseboards inside your home.)  The idea is to kill the bugs, not the customers.

Also - choose a company who will not use a spray that has a heavy odor or vapors.  For the average size home, a good treatment will take about an hour.  Ask how long the treatment will take.  If they say anything less than 45 minutes, they're not doing enough.

If you're in Yavapai County, AZ, email me and we'll schedule.