House Centipede

Natural Habitat

Damp, dark areas like basements, bathrooms, crawl spaces, and under mulch or stones outdoors.

Diet & Feeding

Insectivorous; it actively hunts indoor pests such as spiders, bed bugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, and moths.

Behavior Patterns

Nocturnal, extremely fast runners capable of speeds up to 0.4 meters per second. They use their long antennae to sense prey and modified front legs (forcipules) to inject venom.

Risks & Benefits

Highly beneficial as they provide natural pest control. They are generally harmless to humans; while they possess venom for hunting, they are shy and rarely bite unless handled, with symptoms usually milder than a bee sting.

Identified on: 2/22/2026