How to Kill the Centipedes & Insects in Your House

Check your window sills, doorways and baseboards for cracks or holes insects might use to enter your home and seal them with caulking. If you hope to get rid of insects in your house, it is wise to prevent more insects from getting in and exacerbating the problem.

Store food products in air-tight containers, ideally those made of metal or plastic. Determined insects can chew through paper and cardboard and can even find their way into bags that have been closed with a clip. Eliminating easy food sources is one of the most important steps for controlling insects in the house.

Air out damp spaces by improving ventilation or running a fan. Clean out any debris, such as trash, cardboard boxes and scrap wood, from your basement or cellar to help remove the dampness and to remove potential hiding places for insects like centipedes and roaches.

Remove excess brush from the area immediately surrounding your home and move wood piles away from the house. These environments attract insects and, the nearer they are to your home, the more likely they are to find a way inside. Elevate wood piles using concrete blocks or metal stands to reduce insect infestations.

Set sticky traps throughout your home in areas where insect pests are most often seen. Concentrate on areas along baseboards, under appliances and cabinets, in dusty corners, and along counters and cabinet tops. Sticky traps are effective against a variety of insect pests including spiders, roaches and ants. Controlling the population of these pests also helps reduce the population of centipedes because you are removing their primary food source.

Sprinkle diatomaceous earth along window sills, doorways and under cabinets in the areas where insects are most frequently known to travel. Diatomaceous earth is composed of the fossilized skeletons of aquatic diatoms, which are very abrasive when contact is made with the outside covering of insects like roaches, ants, silverfish and pillbugs. These abrasions may lead to dehydration and the eventual death of insects that come into contact with the diatomaceous earth.

Set baited traps around the house along the paths insects most frequently travel. Baited traps are available for a variety of insects including ants, roaches and termites, so look for a product designed to be effective against whichever insect pest is most prevalent in your home. Follow the instructions included with the traps and place them as close as possible to the entrances and exits insects use to access your home.

Concoct a homemade insecticide spray by combining 1 tablespoon of liquid soap and 1 cup of cooking oil. Mix 4 teaspoons of this solution with 1 pint of water in a spray bottle and spray it directly on insects to kill them. Spray this liquid on houseplants also to protect them from insect pests.