What Eats House Centipedes? | Home Predator List

House centipedes are quick, skittish hunters that sprint across walls and baseboards at night. Fast as they are, plenty of creatures turn them into a snack. This guide maps out the predators that target house centipedes, how those encounters play out inside and outside homes, and simple steps that tilt the odds in your favor if you’d rather not host any.

What Predators Eat House Centipedes Indoors

Indoors, the main threats come from familiar players. Cats will pounce, chew, and sometimes swallow small centipedes. Large spiders trap them in silk or ambush from a corner. Bigger centipedes seize smaller ones. A few insects join in, like ground beetles and mantises that wander in through door gaps or ride in on plants. Each of these hunters uses speed, stealth, or sticky webs to catch a centipede that took one wrong turn down a hallway.

When you see lots of house centipedes, there’s usually an ample supply of prey insects nearby. That’s why experts at the Penn State Extension on house centipedes note that frequent sightings often flag an underlying insect issue. Thin out that food supply, and the centipedes fade too.

Which Animals Eat House Centipedes Outdoors

Once a house centipede wanders outside, the menu flips. Birds probe leaf litter and siding gaps. Lizards and skinks dart from sunny rocks. Toads and frogs snap from damp edges near foundations. Small mammals like shrews and mice root through mulch and drain tiles. Field notes from the Missouri Department of Conservation list birds, reptiles, and mammals among the regular predators of house centipedes.

Plenty of invertebrates hunt them outside as well. Ground beetles, rove beetles, wolf spiders, and bigger centipedes patrol stone borders, stacked firewood, and foundation cracks. A house centipede that slips beneath a door during rain likely ran that gauntlet already.

Why House Centipedes Get Caught

These hunters are agile, yet a few habits turn them into prey. They seek moisture, so they cluster near bathrooms, floor drains, sump pits, and leaky utility lines where toads, spiders, and beetles patrol. They travel along baseboards and wall edges, which funnels them into sticky webs or waiting jaws. And their long legs can snag on fibers or clutter, buying a predator the split second it needs.

Centipedes do carry tools for escape. They can drop legs that keep twitching to distract an attacker, then sprint away. The flattened body slides into thin cracks that a lizard or beetle can’t enter. Their forcipules deliver a quick sting that deters a curious mouse or cat. Even so, repeated encounters wear them down, and predators only need one good strike.

Do Cats And Other Pets Eat Them?

Many cats treat house centipedes like moving toys. Most will bat and bite, and some will swallow them. The venom of the common house centipede is tuned for tiny prey, so pets rarely have more than brief oral irritation. Dogs may snack too, though they tend to lose interest once the movement stops. Pet geckos and small snakes will eat them if given the chance.

If a pet keeps finding centipedes, the fix is the same as for people—dry things out and starve the bugs they chase. Tidy storage, seal baseboard gaps, run a dehumidifier, and keep drains clean. Fewer roaches, silverfish, and moths means fewer centipedes and fewer pet “captures.”

How Predators Catch House Centipedes

Spiders. Web builders snare them on edges and ceiling lines. Agile hunters like wolf spiders rush them in open space. Once a centipede’s legs tangle, it can’t build speed, and a bite lands.

Birds. Wrens, chickadees, and other backyard insect eaters probe siding seams, soffits, and stacked wood. A centipede clinging to shade under a sill is easy to pluck.

Reptiles and amphibians. Skinks, anoles, and house geckos patrol sunny walls and masonry. Toads sit near damp threshold gaps and snap at movement at dusk.

Mammals. Shrews and mice nose along foundation edges and mulch beds. If a centipede freezes to avoid a bird, a shrew often finds it.

Other arthropods. Large centipedes treat smaller ones as prey. Ground and rove beetles spear soft tissue with strong mandibles. Mantises lock forelegs and start chewing at once.

Should You Rely On Predators For Control?

Predators help, yet they come with their own surprises. A lively spider web on the stairwell catches centipedes but also collects mites. A skink basking on a sill can slip indoors through a warped door sweep. Relying on wild hunters inside a house rarely brings the calm you want.

For practical, low-risk control, start with moisture and food. The UC IPM Pest Notes on centipedes stress drying damp spots and reducing prey insects. Fix leaks, vent bathrooms, and run fans after showers. Match that with sticky traps for scouting, edge sealing, and better door sweeps. When the buffet closes, centipedes stop visiting.

Signs A Predator Took One

Short, banded legs left on a baseboard, flattened exoskeleton near a drain, or webbed bundles all point to a centipede that met a hunter. Cats may leave a partial body or damp patches where they chewed. Outside, look for hollowed skins under bird perches or near porch lights where night hunters operate. On webby ceilings you may spot pellet-like droppings below spider lines; near pet beds you might find dry legs mixed with fur. These tiny clues tell you a skirmish happened overnight. Birds may leave beak marks.

Where You’ll See Encounters Most

Indoors, action concentrates along edges: baseboards, stair risers, the lip below kitchen toe-kicks, the joint where tile meets tub, and the rim around floor drains. Webbing in those lines snags legs, and cats key off that movement. In basements, check sill plates, band joists, and the lower edge of drywall for scuff marks where a centipede tried to sprint and a spider or beetle made contact.

Outdoors, patrols cluster where light, moisture, and shelter meet. Porch lights gather moths, which pull centipedes up walls. Mulch against siding keeps soil damp and cool; that’s prime hunting ground for beetles, shrews, and toads. Shrubbery that touches walls creates shaded bridges for lizards and spiders. Trimming and spacing plants breaks those bridges.

Morning Sweep Checklist

• Check webs along ceiling lines and stairs.
• Look for loose legs near drains and baseboards.
• Clear porch light zones of spent moths.
• Refit loose door sweeps and tidy thresholds.

Predator-Proofing Around The Home

You can keep the food web outdoors and cut down sightings inside with a few steady habits. Aim for dry, clean, and sealed, then let outdoor predators do their work in the yard.

When House Centipedes Help You

Inside a dry, tidy home, a lone house centipede can be an ally. It hunts cockroaches, silverfish, drain flies, moths, and small spiders across baseboards and ceilings. The Penn State Extension notes a diet that lines up with common nuisance insects. If sightings are rare and there’s no biting or stinging problem, leaving one free-roaming hunter to patrol at night can cut other bugs with no effort on your part.

That said, repeat encounters at sinks or showers, or daytime dashes across living areas, point to moisture and prey. Solve those and the centipede population drops, with no need to spray.

Quick Reference: What They Hunt And Who Hunts Them

Use this short list to trace the food chain around your home. It ties the centipede’s prey to the predators that keep centipedes in check.

• Centipede menu: roaches, silverfish, firebrats, carpet beetle larvae, moths, flies, crickets, small spiders, and more.
• Predators: birds, lizards, snakes, toads, frogs, shrews, mice, large spiders, ground beetles, mantises, and larger centipedes.
• High-risk spots: damp basements, crawl spaces, slab cracks, sump areas, bathrooms, and cluttered utility rooms.

Seasonal And Daily Rhythm

Predator pressure shifts with light and weather. Porch lights draw moths and midges, which then lure centipedes up siding and soffits. Right before dawn, birds comb those same edges. On warm, wet nights, toads press closer to garage thresholds and step risers, while wolf spiders roam patio edges. During dry spells, shrews and mice do more of the work, hunting shaded mulch where crickets hide.

Indoors, centipedes peak after plumbing leaks, during summer humidity, or right after you bring in houseplants from a porch. That timing lines up with more spider webs near vents and ceiling lines, plus the odd ground beetle that slipped under a loose sweep. If sightings cluster around one bathroom or utility room, fix moisture first; the predators will shift back outside once the buffet shrinks.

Myths And Straight Facts

“Nothing Eats Them.”

Plenty of animals do. Birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals pick them off outside, and spiders, cats, and bigger centipedes take them inside. The food web is busy; you just don’t see most of it.

“They’re Dangerous To People.”

Bites are uncommon and usually mild. The mouthparts are scaled for small arthropods. Sensible steps like shoes off the floor and gentle removal with a jar keep mishaps rare.

“Sprays Are The Only Way.”

Moisture control and sealing go further than any aerosol. Dry rooms and fewer prey insects take away both the centipedes and many of their hunters, which means calmer nights without chasing legs across the tile.

Regional Predator Notes

In warm coastal zones, house geckos often patrol stucco and porch lights and will take any centipede they catch. In pine forests and mixed woods, shrews and salamanders do more of the lifting. In arid places, ground beetles and wolf spiders carry the load at night, then birds handle the morning shift. Near wetlands or creek corridors, toads snap at movement around slabs, steps, and AC pads.

The centipede’s wide range means no single predator rules everywhere. What stays consistent is the pattern: moisture attracts prey insects, prey attracts centipedes, and that chain attracts hunters above them. Break the link at moisture and food, and encounters drop fast naturally.

Simple Plan To See Fewer House Centipedes

Dry it out. Vent bathrooms, fix drips, cover sump pits, and keep storage off bare concrete.

Seal the edges. Caulk baseboards, tighten door sweeps, screen weep holes, and foam around pipes.

Starve the hunters. Store food tightly, run trash out often, clean drains, and rely on sticky monitors to spot hotspots.

Move shelters. Pull mulch and firewood back from siding, raise planters, and trim ground-touching ivy.

Use spot treatments only when needed. If you treat for roaches or ants, follow label directions and keep baits or sprays away from kids and pets.

Key Takeaways

Plenty of animals eat house centipedes. Indoors that list includes cats, spiders, larger centipedes, beetles, and the occasional pet lizard. Outdoors the list grows to birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals that work the damp margins around foundations. Dry, seal, and clean to keep those interactions outside, and you’ll see fewer legs rushing across your walls at night.