You should let centipedes live as long as they are staying outdoors and not coming into your house as they do eat other insects.
If the centipedes are staying outside and not coming into your house you should ignore them as they can be beneficial and eat other insects including cockroaches.
You should not ignore house centipedes if they are coming into your house as they may crawl into your bed and possibly sting you or can indicate you have a moisture problem in the house as well.
If you notice one house centipede then there is bound to be more later.
You can chase centipedes out of your house by spraying tea tree oil or peppermint oil diluted with some water around areas that centipedes hang around such as basement doors, small cracks, windows, door frames etc.
Spray the peppermint oil or tea tree oil solution at least once a week to keep the centipedes away.
Baking soda as well as salt, tea tree oil, cedarwood spray, vinegar, sticky traps and peppermint oil can all deter centipedes.
You can get rid of centipedes forever by sealing up cracks and crevices and by killing the centipedes with some undiluted vinegar or other insecticides.
Apple cider vinegar and plain vinegar can get rid of centipedes and kill them.
When you spray centipedes with undiluted vinegar ti will kill the centipedes within minutes.
Centipedes hate tea tree oil, peppermint oil, Windex and even Cayenne Pepper.
Cayenne pepper does keep centipedes away as it is a natural way to get rid of centipedes from your house.
Simply lay down a thin layer of cayenne pepper where centipedes are entering the house and outside your home.
Windex can also repel and even kill centipedes when sprayed directly onto the centipede.
Also insecticides that contain cypermethrin or bifenthrin also kill centipedes with just one spray.
An all natural centipede repellent is tea tree oil or peppermint oil which centipedes hate the smell of.
Peppermint oil does really repel centipedes as peppermint oil puts out a strong scent that is overwhelming to centipedes so they will avoid areas where peppermint oil or even tea tree oil is sprayed.
The smell that spiders and centipedes hate is the smells of peppermint oil and tea tree oil which is overwhelming to spiders and centipedes.
Peppermint oil does get rid of centipedes as centipedes hate the smell and scent of peppermint oil as well as tea tree oil and will avoid areas where they detect the scent.
You can dilute some peppermint oil or tea tree oil in some water in a spray bottle and spray around windows, doors and other areas that centipedes are coming in through or hanging around and it will keep the centipedes away.
The lifespan of a house centipede is between 1 to 6 years.
The time of year that centipedes are the most common is in the spring months and summer months although they can be active anytime of the year.
The reason you should never squish a centipede is it releases an unpleasant odor.
If you squish a centipede the centipede will release a mild odor that is unpleasant when you squish the body.
It's best to avoid squishing the centipede in the house and try to get it outside first before killing it if possible.
Sleeping with a centipede in your room is safe as long as the centipede does not get into your bed and crawl on you.
If you have centipedes in your room you should try to get the centipedes out of your room or kill them.
A centipede will crawl on you at night if it gets into your bed so it's best to get the centipedes out of your house and bedroom when you have them.
Centipedes can bite you in your sleep or anytime else by using their hollow legs that are adapted with claws to bite into the skin.
The pincer like maxillipeds are also known as toxicognaths or poison claws that are found under the first body segment and can cause small puncture wounds and blisters when the centipede crawls across your skin.
Things that attract centipedes are food sources and cool, dark and damp places that are rarely disturbed.
Most species of centipedes prefer living outdoors and some centipedes such as house centipedes are more comfortable living in both outdoor and indoor locations.
Centipedes can enter your house by crawling through drains and sump pumps or come inside with things that you bring inside which were stored outside or sometimes the centipede will craw in through small cracks and crevices of the house or holes.
Centipedes are bigger than a millipede as millipedes are tiny when compared to centipedes as millipedes reach lengths of up to 10 inches while centipedes can reach lengths of up to 12 inches and sometimes a bit longer.
Giant centipede bites usually cause a burning and stinging feeling of pain and there will usually be redness and swelling.
Giant house centipedes are not poisonous although when they bite they can cause severe pain and swelling.
A giant centipede bite will feel like a burning sensation and be very painful for awhile.
You may also experience redness, swelling and itching after the giant centipede bite.
Centipedes are not poisonous to humans although the centipede bite is painful and can cause redness and swelling.
Centipede bites do sometimes itch as well as may be red and swollen.
If a centipede bites you the bite will be painful and there may be redness and swelling for a few days or so.
However the venom from a centipede including the giant centipede is not poisonous to humans so you should be okay and nothing should happen.
Giant centipedes are not poisonous to humans although giant centipedes can bite and the bite from a giant centipede is really painful.
Some people may have an allergic reaction to the giant centipede bite although the venom of a giant centipede or other centipede is not poisonous to humans.
Centipedes are scared of humans, large animals, light and also avoid peppermint oil, rosemary oil, close oil, thyme oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil.
Centipedes do not like being pet or handled and if you keep a centipede as a pet they are only good for visual pets and being enjoyed by looking at them.
Giant centipedes and regular centipedes can be friendly if left alone or you don't seem a threat to them but centipedes can also be very aggressive and bite readily if they see you as a threat.
Giant centipede venom causes rapid paralysis in cockroaches, lizards or any other animal that gets bit by the giant centipede.
Giant centipedes are somewhat aggressive which means the giant centipede will bite a perceived threat readily.
Symptoms of a giant centipede bite are swelling, redness, inflammation and intense pain.
Big centipedes and giant centipedes eat Silverfish, Bed bugs, Earthworms, Crickets, Moths, Cockroaches, Spiders and even other centipedes.
A giant centipede can get as big as 12 inches or 1 foot in length and some giant centipedes may get a bit bigger.
Giant Centipedes live on average of 10 years and can grow as long as 12 inches of 1 foot long.
The Arthropleura centipedes are no longer alive as they have gone extinct.
Arthropleura (meaning “jointed ribs”) was a giant, centipede-like arthropod from the Carboniferous period 320 to 299 million years ago, and was the largest known land arthropod ever.
The Arthropleura centipede was so big because the oxygen level then was 50 percent higher than it is today which allowed it to grow so big.
Arthropleura was able to grow larger than modern arthropods, partly because of the greater partial pressure of oxygen in Earth's atmosphere at that time and partly because of the lack of large terrestrial vertebrate predators.
Giant centipedes as well as regular centipedes are very common in Hawaii.
Hawaii is home to three species of centipede Lithobius sp, Mecistocephalus maxillaries, and Scolopendra subspinipes.