Centipede stings: How harmful are they?
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The bottom line
Some centipedes can inflict painful bites, but most are small and rarely bite humans. They live in damp places and hunt for prey at night. Centipedes are considered beneficial because they help control household pests such as cockroaches, silverfish, and ants.
Prevention tips
Centipedes prefer dark, damp hiding places. Turn on the lights before you approach such spaces and protect your hands and feet.
Clear away clutter and move woodpiles from your home.
A centipede bite can cause an allergic reaction. If you have an EpiPen or similar device, keep it with you.
This really happened
Case 1. A 21-year-old man kept a giant desert centipede (Scolopendra heros) as a pet and was bitten twice on his hand. Within an hour, he experienced waves of severe pain in the hand and the puncture wounds were red and swollen. His poison center told him to wash the hand with soap and water to minimize infection risk and to apply ice wrapped in a cloth to the affected areas for 15 minutes at a time. He could take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. If signs of infection developed, he was advised to seek medical help. His symptoms resolved in less than a day.
Case 2. A 47-year-old man was bitten on the neck by a small house centipede. He smashed the centipede with his hand, and his cat ate the dead centipede. The bite area on the man’s neck was red and painful. He was advised by his poison center to wash his neck and to use cold compresses and an oral pain reliever if needed. Any signs of infection developing in the following couple of days would require evaluation at a healthcare facility. He recovered rapidly and his cat had no symptoms.
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What are centipedes?
Centipedes are not insects and are more closely related to lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp. Their flattened, wormlike bodies have one pair of legs per body segment. Although “centipede” means “100 feet”, the number can range from 30 to more than 350. Depending on the species, they range in length from less than an inch to a foot. They are found in nearly every climate on earth.
Do centipedes bite or sting?
“Bite” is the preferred term. Centipedes do not bite in the usual way. Instead of jaws, they use a pair of specially modified hollow front legs (forcipules) to catch prey and deliver venom. They are primarily nocturnal, and their prey includes household pests such as cockroaches, spiders, silverfish, and ants. Centipedes are generally beneficial and mild-mannered creatures that do not deserve their scary reputation.
What to do if you are bitten by a centipede
If someone is bitten by a centipede, or if you have questions about centipede bites, use the webPOISONCONTROL® online tool to get help, or call your poison center at 1-800-222-1222. Whether online or by phone, expert guidance is always free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
Which centipedes are dangerous?
Of the estimated 3,500 species of centipedes, only about 15 are thought to pose a danger to humans. The centipede’s sinister reputation can be attributed to a single group, the genus Scolopendra. Centipedes in this group are 4–12 inches in length. These super-centipedes live mainly in the tropics and warmer climate zones. They have names such as giant desert centipede, Vietnamese centipede, Amazonian giant centipede, and Texas redheaded centipede. These centipedes can be aggressive and are much more likely to deliver a painful bite than the common, smaller varieties of centipedes. Most centipedes belong to a different group called “house centipedes” (genus Scutigera), which are less than 3 inches in length and are relatively harmless.
Symptoms of a centipede bite
The venom of Scolopendra centipedes causes burning pain that can spread up the limb from a toe or finger and persist for a few hours to several days. There can be redness, swelling, and bruising at the bite site. Allergic reactions to centipede venom are possible. Most centipede bites cause symptoms only at the bite site. Deaths are very rare and have occurred mainly in tropical areas outside the US.
If you encounter a centipede, it will most likely try to run away. However, when the escape route involves part of you, its tiny sharp legs might leave a trail of small pinpricks in the skin.
How to treat a centipede bite at home
Wash the exposed skin with soap and water and take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. Centipede venoms are sensitive to heat, so soaking the area in warm water may help reduce pain and swelling. Ice packs have also been shown to reduce the pain associated with centipede envenomation. Because a centipede bite leaves a puncture wound, make sure that you have had a tetanus shot in the previous 10 years.
When should you see a doctor for a centipede bite?
See a doctor if the bite becomes infected (expanding swelling and redness, fever, or pus). Antibiotics are not recommended in the absence of these symptoms of infection. If allergic symptoms (hives, dizziness, mouth or throat swelling, or trouble breathing) occur, use an EpiPen or similar device if you have one, and seek medical attention.
How to keep centipedes out of your home
Because their bodies do not retain water very well, centipedes need to hide in dark, moist places like under stones and boards, in crawlspaces and basements, and in rotten logs. You can make your home less attractive to centipedes by improving ventilation and clearing out clutter in damp basements. Fill cracks and crevices in block walls and concrete floors. Remove fallen leaves and move the woodpile away from the house. Ensure that doors and windows are tight-fitting and use weather stripping.
Centipedes come out at night when their prey are most active. No matter where you live, watch out for centipedes in dark, damp areas, and turn on the lights if you get up at night.