Because we have the massive giant desert centipede here in New Mexico, keeping these multi-legged predators off your property is probably pretty high on your Deming pest control to-do list. Unlike helpless millipedes, centipedes are armed and dangerous. While they cannot kill you, their venom can make you regret running into them.
Do Centipedes Bite?
Centipedes do bite – sort of. They puncture the skin and inject venom using long, clawed forelegs rather than fangs. So their bite is like a cross between a bite and a venomous scratch. Centipede venom can cause severe pain, redness, and swelling. So it's best to avoid centipede bites if you can. The best way to do this is to prevent getting centipedes in your house.
How To Care For A Centipede Bite
If a centipede bites you, don't panic. Centipede venom is not potent enough to harm humans. Unless you're allergic to venomous stings, the worst you should experience is pain and swelling at the bite site.
Use ice packs to reduce pain and swelling to care for the bite. Over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help with pain and inflammation. And calamine lotion can alleviate the subsequent itching as the bite heals.
Don't fret too much about centipede bites, though. Centipedes are not aggressive towards humans and do not generally bite in self-defense unless they have no other option. Unless you put your hand in a drawer or your foot in a shoe containing a centipede, your chances of being bitten are slim.
Four Ways To Prevent Centipedes In Deming
Keeping centipedes out of your house altogether is not possible. Just like there will always be a few spiders scuttling around your crawlspace, there will probably always be a few centipedes. Having a couple of centipedes around isn't necessarily bad because they can help reduce the populations of other pests. But there's a big difference between a couple of centipedes under your house and a huge centipede infestation.
Ensuring you don't wind up with a houseful of centipedes depends mostly on keeping centipede prey out of your home. Centipedes eat anything they can catch, which is almost everything that crawls on the ground. These predators love common household pests like cockroaches, crickets, and silverfish. If you don't have infestations of their favorite prey, centipedes are unlikely to infest your house. So the best way to keep them away is to avoid prey infestations:
Cover all indoor and outdoor garbage cans to mask smells.
Store pantry foods in airtight plastic containers.
Never leave pet foods sitting out – feed pets and put their foods and bowls away.
Seal cracks and holes in your home's exterior to prevent prey and centipede entry.
These measures can help make your house less attractive to prey insects and the centipedes that follow them.
Professional Pest Control To Get Rid Of Centipedes
Unfortunately, if you have a centipede infestation, getting rid of it can be tough. Centipedes can be challenging to find and kill because they'll keep coming into your home until you get rid of the prey that's attracting them.
Fortunately, we can help you get rid of centipedes and their prey here at Snowden Exterminating. Our professional home pest inspections can check out where the centipedes are hiding around your home and what's drawing them inside in the first place. So contact us to get started today!