Wine country is the heart of Yakima County, Washington, and it makes the perfect setting for escaping big city life. With plenty of parks and excellent schools, many people have found it the ideal location for buying a home and settling down. While home ownership is fantastic, it often comes with its fair share of headaches. The local centipede is one pest invader that can cause people distress. Without pest control in Yakima County, this strange-looking wriggler might have people in your home losing sleep.
What Do Centipedes Look Like?
Centipedes are arthropods that live all over the world. Their unique appearance makes them one pest that is relatively easy to identify when they appear in local homes. Their worm-like bodies are reasonably flat (growing from 1/8 to 6 inches long) and are known for their numerous pairs of legs. Centipedes can have anywhere from 15 to 77 pairs of legs, depending on their size. Their colorations can vary from yellow to dark brown, sometimes with stripes or marks on their body and legs.
A centipede's mouth is tiny, but claw-like structures house a venom gland. Their rounded heads come with long, sensitive antennae covered with tiny hairs. While they don't have ears, some have compound eyes, others have a group of simple eyes, and some have no eyes at all. Lastly, you might believe that a centipede's elongated body might slow it down when moving, but its many pairs of legs allow them to get to places fast. Centipedes are creepy crawlies that can keep you awake at night, worrying about where they'll turn up next. While finding centipedes in your home can create unease, Prosite has a team of experts who can quickly and efficiently address your concerns.
Are Centipedes Dangerous?
The excellent news about having centipedes in your Yakima County home is that they're not dangerous to people. Most people rarely see them since they're nocturnal. While centipedes are predators and meat lovers (carnivorous), they are not interested in humans unless you handle them roughly. Centipedes that defend themselves can inflict a bite that could pierce your skin, cause swelling, and be quite painful (like a bee sting). If left alone, centipedes typically focus on chasing down other creepy crawlies you'd rather not see scurrying around your home. Sometimes centipedes can damage plants, but other than that, they don't damage properties. While centipedes don't pose any property or health risks, they can indicate other pest and moisture problems within your home. Homeowners experiencing increased centipede visits can rely on Prosite for dependable pest control solutions.
How Can I Prevent Centipedes In My House?
Centipedes that stay outdoors significantly help the environment, and if you have a garden, they're beneficial for pest control. But when centipedes locate those highly desirable dietary and moisture supplies inside homes, homeowners can experience a centipede infestation. To keep centipedes outside where they belong, homeowners can do a few things to keep their homes less attractive to centipedes.
Ways to prevent a huge centipede infestation in your home include:
- Use dehumidifiers in high-moisture areas.
- Ventilate attics, basements, and crawl spaces.
- Keep stacked firewood and logs off the ground.
- Remove yard debris that attracts centipedes (piles of leaves, stones, rocks, grass clippings).
- Use silicone-based caulking to seal gaps, cracks, and crevices around your home.
Homeowners can take proactive steps to prevent centipedes in Yakima County from entering their homes, but motivated centipedes are hard to stop. When and if centipedes circumvent your prevention measures, it's time to call in the pest experts at Prosite for professional help.
What's The Best Way To Get Rid Of Centipedes?
Prosite is a local home pest control expert in the Yakima County area. We are a science-based company that offers our customers excellent pest control services at a reasonable cost. Our SiteCare home protection plans provide our valued customers with year-round pest protection, so schedule a consultation today to start your journey to a pest-free home with quality pest control services from Prosite.