House Centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata
- Order & Family
- Scutigeromorpha; Scutigeridae
- Size
- Body length is typically 25 to 35 mm (1 to 1.5 inches), but legs can make them appear up to 3 or 4 inches long.
Natural Habitat
Found worldwide, often indoors in damp, cool places like basements, bathrooms, and laundry rooms. Outdoors, they live under rocks and in leaf litter.
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous predator that eats household pests such as silverfish, firebrats, carpet beetle larvae, cockroaches, spiders, and other small arthropods.
Behavior Patterns
They are nocturnal and extremely fast runners. They hunt actively by pouncing on prey rather than building webs. They are meticulous groomers, cleaning their many legs regularly.
Risks & Benefits
Benefits: Highly beneficial as they control populations of unwanted household pests. Risks: Generally harmless to humans. While they can bite in self-defense if handled, their jaws rarely penetrate skin and the bite is typically no worse than a bee sting.