Las Vegas is home to two main types of centipedes: the common desert centipede, a sturdy outdoor predator that can reach up to seven inches long, and the house centipede, a spindly, fast-moving species that thrives indoors. Both are venomous, both are nocturnal, and both end up startling residents on a regular basis. Here’s what you need to know about each one and what to do if you cross paths.
The Common Desert Centipede
The species you’re most likely to encounter outdoors in the Las Vegas valley is Scolopendra polymorpha, also called the tiger centipede or banded desert centipede. It’s found throughout the deserts of western North America and is one of the most common centipedes in Clark County. Adults typically measure four to seven inches long, with 21 body segments and 42 legs total.
Their color varies quite a bit. Many have light brown, tan, or orange bodies with a darker band across each segment, a brownish head, and yellow legs. Others lean more uniformly tan. They live under rocks, in leaf litter, and in the soil, coming out at night to hunt insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates. During the hottest parts of summer, they sometimes wander toward homes and irrigated landscaping in search of moisture and prey.
House Centipedes Indoors
The other centipede Las Vegas residents encounter is the house centipede, a distinctly different-looking creature. Adults have 15 pairs of extremely long, banded legs that make them appear three to four inches long, even though the body itself is only about one to one and a half inches. They’re a dirty yellow color with three dark stripes running down the back, and they move fast, which is usually what triggers the alarm.
House centipedes are one of the few centipede species that can survive long-term indoors. They gravitate toward bathrooms, laundry rooms, and other humid spots, though they’ll roam through any part of the house at night. Females can live several years and produce up to 150 offspring over a lifetime. They get inside through expansion cracks in concrete slabs, gaps around pipes, uncapped cement blocks, and floor drains without water traps.
The silver lining: house centipedes are effective pest hunters. They feed on cockroaches, silverfish, carpet beetle larvae, spiders, and crickets. If you’re seeing house centipedes regularly, it often signals that other pest populations are providing a food source.
Why Centipedes Show Up in Las Vegas Homes
Centipedes are extremely sensitive to moisture loss. In the Mojave Desert, that makes any source of water a magnet. Irrigated yards, leaky outdoor faucets, pooling around foundations, and thick layers of mulch or decorative rock all create the damp microhabitats centipedes need. Their prey (roaches, crickets, silverfish) are drawn to these same conditions, so the centipedes follow.
Most desert centipedes that wander inside actually die fairly quickly because the indoor air is too dry. House centipedes are the exception. They’ve adapted to find enough moisture in bathrooms, crawl spaces, and areas beneath slabs to sustain themselves indefinitely. Reducing moisture around your home’s foundation, pulling mulch and woodpiles away from exterior walls, and sealing cracks in slabs and block walls cuts off the conditions that attract both centipedes and the pests they eat.
How Dangerous a Centipede Sting Really Is
All centipedes are venomous, but they don’t technically bite or sting. They deliver venom through a pair of modified hollow legs, called forcipules, located just behind the head. The result is more like a pinch, and it leaves two small puncture marks in a chevron shape.
For the common desert centipede, a sting causes intense, sudden pain at the site, followed by swelling, redness, and tenderness that can last several days. Some people also experience numbness, tingling, or a throbbing sensation around the wound. Broader symptoms like headache, nausea, mild fever, dizziness, and general achiness are possible but usually resolve on their own. Larger centipedes tend to deliver more venom and cause more pain.
House centipede stings are much milder. Their forcipules often can’t penetrate skin effectively, and when they do, the reaction is comparable to a mild bee sting.
Severe reactions are rare but documented. Anaphylaxis can occur in people allergic to the venom, causing hives, throat swelling, difficulty breathing, or a drop in blood pressure. In extremely rare cases, Scolopendra venom has been linked to heart-related complications from the venom’s effects on blood vessels and cardiac tissue. Children are more vulnerable to the venom’s effects and should receive medical attention after any centipede sting.
First Aid for a Centipede Sting
If you get stung, wash the area thoroughly with soap and water to reduce infection risk. Apply ice wrapped in a cloth for 15 minutes at a time to bring down swelling and pain. Centipede venom breaks down with heat, so soaking the affected area in warm water can also help. Over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen work well for managing discomfort.
Because the sting creates a puncture wound, make sure your tetanus vaccination is current (within the last 10 years). Watch the area over the next few days. Expanding redness, increasing swelling, fever, or pus are signs of infection that need medical attention. If you develop hives, dizziness, swelling in your mouth or throat, or trouble breathing, those are signs of an allergic reaction that requires immediate emergency care.
Keeping Centipedes Out
The most effective long-term approach targets moisture and entry points. Inside, fix leaky pipes, use exhaust fans in bathrooms, and make sure floor drains have functioning water traps. Dehumidifying crawl spaces and unfinished basement areas removes the habitat house centipedes depend on. Clear out cardboard boxes stored directly on concrete slabs, since they absorb moisture and create ideal hiding spots.
Outside, reduce irrigation near your foundation, move mulch and decorative rock at least a foot from exterior walls, and relocate woodpiles away from the house. Seal cracks in your foundation slab, cap open cement blocks, and fill gaps around pipes where they enter walls. These steps also reduce populations of the insects centipedes prey on, making your home less attractive from every angle. If you’re seeing centipedes regularly despite these changes, a perimeter insecticide treatment applied around the foundation can add another layer of control.