When you wake up in the middle of the night to grab a glass of water, nothing is more frightening than spotting a long, snake-like creature dart across your floor at high speeds. At closer inspection, you may notice that this is not, in fact, a snake but a centipede. Here's how you can tell:
What Is A Centipede And What Do They Look Like?
Centipedes are yellowish or dark brown and have long segmented bodies. Each of the segments contains multiple pairs of jointed legs, and there are usually anywhere from 15 to 177 pairs of legs, depending on the size of the centipede. These elongated creatures belong to the arthropod family, which also includes millipedes. However, a key distinguisher that separates centipedes and millipedes is their speed. Centipedes are fast as they dart across the floors of your home, while millipedes are much slower. Centipedes feed on spiders, silverfish, roaches, and other small creatures. They typically get into homes while searching for darkness, warmth, and moisture. They invade by squeezing their flexible bodies through any cracks or gaps in your exterior walls and foundation.
Problems Centipedes Cause
In most cases, centipedes are considered only a nuisance pest, as they cannot do much harm to you or your property. However, centipedes do have strong jaws that may be able to break the skin and inject poison, which is usually about as painful as a bee sting. Being bitten by a larger species of centipede has been known to cause more intense pain, but still is not fatal to humans. For individuals who are allergic to the poison, however, reactions may be more severe and should be treated by a medical professional.
Why Professional Pest Control Is Right For You
When centipedes invade, it can be extremely frustrating or even frightening to deal with them on your own, which is why Aiken Pest Control provides professional centipede treatment that is quick and effective. Our home pest control services combat both centipedes and several other home-invading pests. Here at Aiken, we want you to have the highest protection available to protect your property from pests all year long. We target problem locations and provide treatments to efficiently eliminate any pest problem you’re facing. Don’t wait for centipedes to invade, contact the professionals here at Aiken Pest Control and get the protection you need!