Found a Giant Desert Centipede in Your Arizona Home?
Short answer: the bite hurts about like a bee sting, they don't hunt people, and one indoors usually means insects to eat and a gap under a door.
Is a Giant Desert Centipede Dangerous?
Not usually. Its fangs carry venom and can get through leather gloves, and University of Arizona Cooperative Extension compares the bite to a bee sting, with an added chance of infection. It is not aggressive unless it's grabbed or trapped, and the pointed rear end is a pair of grasping legs, not a stinger.
If someone is bitten: wash the bite and call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 (24 hours) for advice, especially for a young child or a strong reaction.
How to Identify Arizona Centipedes
- Giant desert centipede: about 6 inches, up to 8½. Reddish-yellow body with dark blue-black bands at each segment and a red-orange head.
- Common desert centipede: a smaller relative (Scolopendra polymorpha) that is reported in Arizona but seen far less often.
- House centipede: short body with very long legs and antennae. Lives in showers, tubs and damp corners. Venomous but rarely bites.
- Not a centipede: a millipede is slow, round in cross-section, curls up, and has two pairs of legs per segment. It doesn't bite.
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Why Centipedes Come Into Phoenix-Area Homes
Giant desert centipedes hunt at night and hide by day. They gather in moist spots and near outdoor lights where insects collect, and they slip in under doors, around windows and through cracks (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension). Signs the problem is bigger than one visitor:
- More than one centipede inside in a few weeks, often in bathrooms, laundry rooms or the garage.
- Cockroaches or crickets around the house. The Extension says to control these, since they are the centipedes' food.
- Damp areas: leaky hose bibs, irrigation against the foundation, or wet mulch and rock beds by the walls.
- Worn door sweeps and garage-door seals, and unsealed gaps around pipes.
What to Do Tonight
- Don't grab it. Trap it under a container and slide paper under it, or use long tongs, and put it outside.
- Check for food: look for roaches and crickets in the garage and around drains.
- Close the gaps: replace worn door sweeps and weather stripping, and caulk cracks.
- Dry things out: fix drips and keep irrigation off the foundation.
- Book a treatment if they keep showing up, so the insects that feed them are dealt with.
Centipede Control in Phoenix: What the Service Does and Costs
Centipedes stay where food is, so the visit treats the perimeter, garage, door thresholds and weep screeds, goes after the roaches and crickets they hunt, and points out the gaps to seal. A one-time diagnostic visit with treatment is $149. The plan is $50/month with treatment every 60 days and free callbacks. Start a plan the same day and your visit fee covers your first 3 months of the plan. Full-yard Power Spray starts at $125. See pest control cost and household invader control.
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Arizona Centipede Questions
Are centipedes in Arizona poisonous?
Arizona centipedes are venomous, not poisonous: they bite with fangs behind the head. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension compares a giant desert centipede bite to a bee sting, with an added risk of infection. They are not aggressive unless handled. For any bite question, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
What kind of centipedes live in Arizona?
The one people notice is the giant desert centipede (Scolopendra heros), about 6 inches long and up to 8½. The common desert centipede (Scolopendra polymorpha) also lives here, and the long-legged house centipede turns up in damp bathrooms (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension).
Does the tail of a giant desert centipede sting?
No. The pointed rear "tail" is a pair of grasping legs, not a stinger. The bite comes from the fangs behind the head (University of Arizona Cooperative Extension).
Should I ignore house centipedes?
A house centipede eats insects and rarely bites, so one is not a problem by itself. Several, or any giant desert centipede indoors, usually means the house has an insect food supply and an open entry point worth fixing.
How do I get rid of centipedes in my Arizona house?
Seal the way in (door sweeps, weather stripping, caulk at windows and cracks), reduce damp spots, and control the roaches and crickets they eat, which is what University of Arizona Cooperative Extension recommends. A single centipede can be moved outside with long tongs.