Giant Redheaded Centipede Control in Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
Few things startle a Fair Oaks Ranch homeowner like a giant redheaded centipede: a dark body the length of a hand or more, a reddish-orange head, yellow legs, and a habit of showing up on the patio or in the garage in full daylight. Its bite is painful, so keep hands, bare feet and pets away from it. The longer-term fix is making the ground along your foundation drier and less cluttered so fewer of them stop by.
If they keep coming inside, phone or text (210) 281-1064, or book an inspection online.
Count the legs, check the head #
Texans sometimes call this one the Texas redheaded centipede; scientists place it in the Scolopendra group. AgriLife's B-6118 describes these centipedes as carrying 21 to 23 leg pairs on a body that ranges from brown to deep blue, with yellow-to-orange coloring on the head, legs and tail (B-6118). The foremost pair isn't for walking at all: it's a set of hollow fangs fed by venom glands.
How big? The agencies don't agree, so here are all three figures:
- B-6118: some grow to about 7 inches.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife: as long as 8 inches outdoors, and bigger still when kept in captivity.
- AgriLife's ENTO-PU-020: over 9 inches when fully grown.
Compare the house centipede: roughly an inch and a half long, on 15 pairs of spindly legs. That one is a nuisance; this one deserves respect.
Why you might see one at noon #
Unlike scorpions, these centipedes don't keep strictly to the night. TPWD's magazine says they're often active during the day and occasionally wander into houses, and that they spend their downtime beneath logs, stones or fallen leaves (TPW Magazine). They hunt other arthropods and small animals, including rodents, lizards, snakes and toads. There's no colony and no nest; a female may simply curl around her eggs to guard them.
B-6118 says the species is more common in central Texas and to the west, but can turn up almost anywhere.
Moisture: wet years and dry years #
AgriLife's ENTO-PU-020 says centipedes favor moist, protected places such as under bark, stones, leaves and rotting logs (ENTO-PU-020). Fair Oaks Ranch sees both extremes of moisture.
Wet stretches. Cibolo Creek runs through the area, and the city plans to rebuild the FM 3351 bridge over it so a 100-year storm won't flood the road. After heavy rain, soaked leaf litter, mulch and rock piles near the house are exactly the moist cover AgriLife describes.
Dry stretches. The city also keeps a drought contingency plan tied to Trinity Aquifer groundwater (city website). When the yard dries out, the damp spots that remain are usually the ones you keep wet yourself: watered beds, deep mulch against the slab, a dripping spigot. Those are worth checking in a dry summer.
Bites: what's typical and what's rare #
TPWD says a typical bite feels like a sharp sting, and the swelling generally goes down within a few hours, and suggests thinking of it much like a bee sting. Less often, people get minor skin damage, dizziness, nausea or headaches. Only a handful of cases have involved damaged muscle tissue, kidney failure or a heart attack, and TPWD reports not one confirmed death from this centipede's bite. A 2017 Texas case report lists cellulitis and tissue death among possible complications.
The walking legs matter too. AgriLife warns that the sharp leg claws can scratch, and toxins from the leg bases can irritate the wounds. Leave centipedes unhandled, period.
If bitten, wash with soap and water, and see a doctor for anything unusual. The Poison Center is at 1-800-222-1222. TPWD's take: respect is warranted, sheer panic isn't.
Five changes around the foundation #
AgriLife's prevention list for centipedes:
- Shift compost, stacked firewood and loose stones well away from the walls.
- Put a strip of gravel between the slab and the flower beds.
- Rake mulch over from time to time to let it dry.
- Close gaps at doors, windows and pipe openings, and fill weep holes with copper mesh. Steel wool also works, except on pale walls, where rust streaks show.
- Keep crawl spaces ventilated.
Pest Trappers and centipedes in Fair Oaks Ranch #
A technician checks the foundation, beds, rock and wood piles and the likely ways inside, then talks through exclusion and treatment options. Any product used goes on according to its label. The price comes after the inspection, and the office confirms your visit time.
Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549) is family-owned and licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture for general pest control. Read the centipede guide, see our Fair Oaks Ranch page, or check scorpion control in Fair Oaks Ranch, since both use the same hiding spots.