Few household pests cause as much immediate alarm as the house centipede. Up to an inch and a half long, with fifteen pairs of long legs that make it look much larger, moving at startling speed — finding one in your bathtub or running across the bathroom floor is memorable. In Edwardsville, house centipedes are a common complaint in homes with basement moisture issues, and their presence almost always signals a broader pest problem worth addressing.

Signs of a Centipede Problem

  • Centipedes in bathtubs, sinks, or on bathroom floors — House centipedes are fast movers that fall into smooth-sided fixtures and can’t climb out. Finding them there is the most common discovery.
  • Centipedes in basements and crawl spaces — They require moisture and are almost always found in the damp, dark areas of your home’s lower level.
  • Seeing them at night — House centipedes are nocturnal hunters. Spotting one running across a wall when you turn on a light is typical.
  • Multiple sightings over time — A single centipede could be a stray. Repeated sightings indicate an established population living in your home’s damp areas.
  • Presence of other small insects — House centipedes are predators. They feed on silverfish, spiders, flies, small cockroaches, and other insects. Active centipede populations usually mean there’s a prey population sustaining them.

Why Centipedes Are Common in Edwardsville

House centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) need two things: moisture and prey insects. Edwardsville’s location in Wyandotte County just west of Bonner Springs means humidity is a regular feature of home environments, particularly in basements and crawl spaces. Proximity to the kansas river keeps the ground consistently moist, and that moisture works its way into the lower levels of homes — creating ideal centipede habitat.

The residential lots with lawns, gardens, and wooded edges near the Kansas River of Wyandotte County also support the silverfish, spiders, and other insects that house centipedes feed on. A home with centipedes in the basement almost certainly has other insects they’re feeding on. Centipedes don’t travel far — they live where the food is. Treating the centipede without addressing the moisture and prey insect issues is a temporary fix at best.

Our Centipede Control Process

Miller Pest Solutions takes a root-cause approach to centipede control:

  • Residual insecticide treatment of basement perimeters, crawl spaces, and other harborage areas — targeting both centipedes and the prey insects sustaining them.
  • Moisture assessment — We identify the moisture conditions supporting the infestation and recommend dehumidification, ventilation improvements, or drainage corrections. Without addressing moisture, centipede populations will rebuild.
  • Prey insect control — If silverfish, spiders, or other insects are present, treating for those populations removes the centipede food source and accelerates elimination.
  • Entry point identification — Centipedes enter from exterior through foundation gaps and crawl space openings. Sealing these reduces ongoing introduction.

House centipedes can deliver a mild bite if handled, but this is rare and not medically significant. Their real problem is what they signal — a moisture and pest environment in your home that warrants attention.

Why Choose Miller Pest Solutions

Miller Pest Solutions has been in business since 2001, QualityPro Certified, NPMA members, with Joel Miller in pest control since 2007. We serve Edwardsville and the Wyandotte County area from our Kansas City branch. We’ll diagnose the underlying conditions driving your centipede problem, not just treat the centipedes themselves.

Get a Free Phone Bid Today

House centipedes in your Edwardsville basement or bathroom? Call Miller Pest Solutions at (816) 815-0498 for a free phone bid. We’ll tell you what’s driving the problem and what a lasting solution looks like. Visit millerthekiller.com.