Giant Redheaded Centipedes in Texas: Bites, Size and Prevention

A long, many-legged creature with an orange head, a body that runs from brown to deep blue, and yellowish legs is a giant redheaded centipede, also called the Texas redheaded centipede. Its bite is painful and should be treated like a bee sting, but TPWD reports no confirmed death from one. The fix is to never handle it, reduce the damp hiding places near your foundation, and seal the gaps it uses to get in.

If they keep showing up inside, call or text (210) 281-1064 or book online.

Sizing it up: how big do they get? #

Every source agrees this is a big animal; they just measure it differently.

Whatever the exact number, a full-grown one is many times longer than the house centipede most people know.

What to look for #

Scolopendra heros belongs to a group AgriLife describes this way:

• Legs: 21 to 23 pairs, one pair on each body segment.
• Body: brown to deep blue.
• Head, legs and tail end: yellowish to orange.
• Front "legs": the first pair are really hollow fangs with venom glands at the base.

Not the house centipede #

The common house centipede is a very different animal. AgriLife describes it as about 1 1/2 inches long with 15 pairs of long, thin legs. If what you found is finger-length or longer with a red head, it's not a house centipede.

Where do they live? #

AgriLife's venomous animals bulletin says this centipede is more common in Central Texas and to the west, though it can turn up nearly anywhere in the state. TPWD's article features one photographed near Kerrville.

During the day you'll typically find them resting under:

• logs and rotting wood
• rocks and stones
• leaf litter
• loose bark

AgriLife's centipede and millipede fact sheet, ENTO-PU-020, sums up the preference as moist, protected spots. TPWD notes these centipedes are often active by day and sometimes wander into houses.

They're fierce hunters. AgriLife and TPWD both report a diet that includes insects and other arthropods along with small vertebrates such as rodents, snakes, lizards and toads.

Centipedes don't form colonies. A female may curl around her eggs to guard them, but you won't find a nest of dozens the way you would with ants.

Is there a season? #

AgriLife says centipedes in general spend winter as adults and lay eggs once the weather warms, and that they live 1 to 6 years. None of the sources we use gives peak months for sightings indoors, so we won't guess at one.

What does the bite do? #

A giant redheaded centipede can hurt you two ways: with the fangs, and with the sharp claws on its walking legs.

From the fangs. TPWD says a bite usually feels like a sharp, painful sting, with swelling that typically goes down within a few hours. AgriLife's venomous animals bulletin adds that there may be burning pain, nausea and temporary paralysis.

From the legs. AgriLife notes that the claws on the many legs can scratch, and venom from the leg bases may drip into those scratches, causing inflammation and irritation.

Rarer effects. TPWD lists minor skin damage, dizziness, nausea and headaches as less common results, and in only a few cases muscle damage, kidney failure or heart attack. A 2017 Texas emergency case report notes that while brief pain and redness usually need only basic care, complications can include skin infection, tissue death, heart attack and muscle breakdown.

The perspective. TPWD reports that bites from this species have never caused a confirmed death and suggests thinking of them as similar to bee stings. The magazine also says that outright terror is probably an overreaction.

First aid for a centipede bite #

• Wash the area with soap and water.
• Watch for anything beyond local pain, such as dizziness, nausea, headache, or redness and swelling that spread or get worse.
• Seek medical attention if anything unusual develops, per AgriLife. The Texas Poison Center is 1-800-222-1222.

Found one inside? What to do right now #

Keep children and pets out of the room and give the centipede space. Don't grab it, and don't try to stomp it in bare feet or sandals; those leg claws and fangs are how people get hurt. Once it's gone, look at where it was found. A centipede near an exterior door, a bathtub drain wall or a utility closet is a clue about the gap it used, and noting those spots makes sealing much easier.

A single centipede indoors doesn't mean the house is overrun; they occasionally wander in on their own. Seeing them week after week means something outside is giving them a reason to stay close and a way to get in.

How to keep them out #

AgriLife's prevention steps focus on removing moisture and shelter close to the house, then closing the doors they use.

Around the foundation

• Move compost piles, firewood and stones away from the house.
• Put a strip of gravel between the foundation and planting beds.
• Turn mulch now and then so it dries out.

On the house

• Seal gaps around doors, windows and pipe openings.
• Stuff weep holes with copper mesh. Steel wool also works, except on light-colored brick or stone, where rust stains show.
• Improve ventilation in crawl spaces so they stay drier.

Never pick one up. AgriLife says plainly that centipedes should never be handled.

When to call a professional #

• you see them indoors more than once
• there are many around rock borders, stacked stone or mulch beds next to the foundation
• prevention steps haven't stopped them coming inside

AgriLife mentions that perimeter treatment at the foundation may help and that indoor crack-and-crevice work is another option, applied by a licensed professional according to the label.

If you're also finding scorpions, see our striped bark scorpion guide; both shelter under the same rocks, logs and debris.

How Pest Trappers handles giant redheaded centipedes #

We inspect the foundation line, beds, mulch, stone borders, woodpiles, crawl space and the doors and weep holes where centipedes get in. The technician points out the moisture and shelter that attract them, explains the treatment choices for your situation, and applies any product strictly by its label.

Pest Trappers LLC (TPCL #0887549) is family-owned and serves homes and businesses. We provide pricing after the inspection, so call or text for a quote.

Local pages: Boerne, Helotes, Fair Oaks Ranch and San Antonio.

Frequently asked questions #