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Do Centipedes have Nest?

Yes, centipedes do have nests. Common species of centipedes will find or build their nest into holes of the soil particularly dampened type of soil. In fact, female centipedes will lay their eggs inside those holes from the ground. And their eggs can reach up to 50. However, they will immediately leave their eggs behind without care. So I guess, you are safe if it happens that you accidentally encounter such nest. Species of centipedes with this kind of behavior is often observe from the house and stone centipedes.

On some cases, other species prefer to lay their eggs inside rotting logs. This behavior can be observed from the tropical or giant centipedes (Scolopendra gigantea). But unlike the species mentioned above, they care about their offspring where the mother will stay with them until they can hunt for their own food and survive alone on their own. So if it happens that you came across such nest, then you need to act quickly or you will receive and suffer a painful bite from the aggressive and overly protective mother centipede.


House Centipedes Hangouts

House centipedes (Scutigera coleoptrata) are those pesky crawling insects that are commonly found from any infested households. Some curious individuals would ask themselves, “Is there some kind of nest where they gather around like a colony of ants?”

As stated above, these creepy crawling insects do have nests but only during the whole process while they are in the form of eggs that they do get to stay together. Once they hatched, they will immediately go on their own separate ways. They don’t stick themselves close together like what ants do until the time that they die.

House centipedes are solitary hunters but you will notice them from the walls or ceilings that they can gather all together with one aim of trying to gang up their pitiful victim. But, this isn’t really the case. It just happens that the target ends up attracting these hunters to gather around it.

If you live in a house or apartment infested with house centipedes, you might uncover a group of these insects hiding at the cellars, closets, bathrooms and in damp corners or areas. You have to know that they prefer to live or spend most of their time in damp places especially when they are not on the hunt. During summer or warm seasons, they will commonly move into the attic or under unexcavated area of the house where there is a colder temperature. You may consider these places as their nesting ground but for me, it is more of a hangouts for them.

So what exactly is the difference between a hangout and a nest?

A hangout for insects like house centipedes are places where they commonly stay and this is due to access to a food source. So if you cut their source of food, they will simply move to another place where there is another presence of food supply for them to consume. Now, a nest is considered more of a permanent place for the insect. Creatures with nest such as ants will gather or hunt for their food and then they will always bring them back into their nest for the whole colony to consume.

Giant Centipede Nests

Unlike house centipedes which are treated as pests, their giant counterpart which prefers to live more in the wild are collected and considered as pets. If you wish to have one for yourself then it is actually easy to find them.

First, try to search for damp or moist type of grounds. The presence of grass, leaves and rocks will even increase your odds of finding these giant creepy crawlers. And as stated above, if you find a rotting log then there is a huge chance that it is a nesting ground.

Second step is to prepare the items that you need for catching. You need to wear rubber or leather gloves to protect your hands from being bitten. You may also want to wear boots because these many legged creatures can really run very fast and may end up on your feet for a sweet revenge.

And third, you need a bottle made of glass. It is also what you need to capture a giant centipede. Never handle it with your hand even if you are wearing a protective gloves. Hold the bottom of the bottle and use it to quickly encase the insect. Then, use a flat sheet object such as a cardboard by slowly inserting it under until you can safely tilt the bottle with the creature in it.

Aside from a rotting log, some of the best and common places to find giant centipedes are under rocks, holes of a damped soils, roots, mulch, pine straw and decomposing leaves or plants.

Before you start going outside to collect your first crawling pet, I would just like to remind you that these creatures can be so aggressive especially when you come across a mother giant centipede. You have to know that giant centipedes will fight off any invaders (including humans) that possess threat to their nest or young even at the cost of their own lives.

Final Words

If you often encounter house centipede nests around your house then it only means that your home is seriously infested with various kinds of pests. These other pests are actually serving as a food source for them. So if you are going to take a closer look at the situation, these creepy crawlers are helping in controlling other pests. However, most of us just cannot withstand their presence so calling a pest control service would be the best option.

As for those centipedes that dwells in the wild, it’s best just to leave them alone on their rightful habitats because these creatures have very important role in our ecology system. They are the creatures that maintains ecological balance in the world of insects.