Q-
I have had the absolutely horrifying and gross-out experience of having
huge centipedes (6 + inches) in my bed twice in the last month. I live in
southern California and have occasionally found them in the house,
which has been kind of a gross-out, but nothing horrible, particularly since one of cats quickly dispatches them and I usually just find the remains. I
have, however beaten a couple to death with a hammer since just stepping on them doesn't seem to kill them

In the first incident, I discovered the centipede when I was making the
bed Scream! Freakout! After that I took care to cover all the drains.
Other web sites say they don't come out of the drains but I know this is B.S.
because I have seen them come out of the drains. Once when rinsing dishes in the sink a huge one crawled up the drain onto the plate I was rinsing and
my neighbor reported that when she was showering one crawled out of the
drain up her leg.) In the second incident the centipede may have come up the shower drain after my boyfriend forgot to cover it after showering the
night before. This time it actually crawled on me just as I was dozing
off. Before it did, I knew something was weird because my centipede killer
kitty who usually has nothing to do with me was up on my pillow batting at
something. A few minutes later I felt this weird tickling on my
chest Just as I brushed it away it tried to sting me but only got a glancing
blow, not really a painful sting. It must have been hiding under a large,
heavy area rug for a day or so before that because I could see where my kitty
had actually dug a hole on one end of the rug trying to get something.

So, what do I do? I know, I know, they are supposed to be beneficial
nsects, but they are so grose! I'm not a really sqeamish person, but I
have to tell you that centipedes and cockroaches are the only insects that
freak me out. I just went berserk when the centipede crawled on me in my own bed. And before you think I'm an insectist, I carefully move spiders outside when I find them in the house. (I know they're not insects, but you get the drift) Here's my situation: I live in a 3 year old custom home that is
VERY tightly constructed. Most of the house is on a slab, but because it is
built on a hill, my bedroom is over a crawlspace. That part of the house is
constructed with tile over gypcrete floors so I can't imagine the horrible
arthropods are squiggling up from the crawlspace. What if I have my
septic tank pumped and have an exterminator come out and spray it? Is there some sort of repellent I can spray around my bed to sort of create a
barrier? I don't like the idea of using strong bug sprays in my bedroom.

A-
That was a very entertaining question. No, don't have the septic tank
pumped and sprayed as that will do nothing except kill some of the
beneficial bacteria in the tank. Centipedes certainly can come up
drains from septic tanks but I would recommend just keeping the drains closed at night. If you don't have a drain cover for the shower drain, place a
Ziploc bag of water on the drain at night. First thing in the morning, run
some hot water down the drain to discourage any unwanted guests.
Check your doors to make sure they close tightly. If you can see
daylight under your doors or if you can slide a piece of paper under the doors then there is enough room for a centipede to come in. If this is the case you may want to install door sweeps on your doors.

I wouldn't recommend spraying any pesticides around your bed. Move
your be away from the wall a few inches. This will prevent centipedes that may climb the wall from getting in the bed. If it is any consolation, you
are not alone if having a centipede in bed. Last year I woke up dreaming
something was biting me and found a centipede stuck to my shoulder. He
crawled in my bed and apparently I rolled over on him triggering a
reflex bite on his part. I killed the poor thing and felt bad about it the
next day, but at 2 AM I am not very rational.