Millipedes: the ultimately gross worms that you hate looking at every time you go out of the house. It's so strange that you see lots of them in the garden, between tile cracks and sometimes, even just crawling on the floor. Your little girl cries every time she sees one, so you made sure that you got rid of these creatures completely by spraying insecticides and other killer products. Yet, after a month, they are all over your house again.
Millipedes belong to the family Diplopoda, and originate from North America. They are found throughout the United States. Millipedes are vegetarians, because they only feed on decaying vegetation. Sometimes, they also eat live plant tissues, but they never consume meat.
Getting To Know Millipedes
Millipedes are harmless pests because they don't hurt humans, but that's only applicable to the millipedes in North America. The millipedes in South America are more dangerous, because once they are disturbed, they can ooze out cyanide-like spray from their systems. The millipedes in North America are capable of secreting body fluids with an unpleasant smell, and they can also exude this scent when they die.
Millipedes have the ability to stain floors, walls and the indoor surfaces of your home. The bodily fluid they secrete has chemicals that irritate the skin, which is why if you are attacked by them, rashes start forming on your skin. They also affects small animals and cause their skin to rash because of the toxic chemicals in the millipede's secretion.
Millipedes lay their eggs in the soil. The number of their eggs can range from 20 to 300. The new nymphs only have three pairs of legs and around seven segments of the body. The growth and development of millipedes include the addition of more body segments, especially the legs. The reason why millipedes release a foul odor is because it's their way of protecting themselves from enemies. You may also find millipedes rolling into a coil, especially when you disturb them. Rolling into a coil is their way of protecting their ventral parts, because these are very delicate.
Identifying Millipedes
Identifying millipedes is easy. The larger millipedes are cylindrical and elongated. They can reach up to four inches in length. The millipedes that you usually find in gardens are less then 10 inches long and they look flatter than usual. They have four legs, two on each segment. The formation of the legs of millipedes is what makes them different from a centipede. Millipedes also have short antennae.
You will find millipedes outdoors, but don't expect them to be found there throughout the whole year. Since millipedes like it better in dry areas, they move to dryer areas especially when it is cold or it is raining. Whether it is droughty or rainy, the house is always a good source of millipede's shelter.They cannot live long enough in dried, parched soil. They also cannot survive in soil that is saturated with water. During the fall season, millipedes move to any area that they consider protective, especially because they need to fight the cold as the fall ends. It is no wonder why you see hundreds and thousands of these pests scattered on ground floor surfaces.
Controlling the Population of Millipedes Through Moisture Control
Correct Moisture Conditions – You only need a picture of your house to know why there are millipedes in it. First, your yard's slope may be running downwards towards your home. Second, your landscape mulch is piled up, so raindrops run back to your home's foundation. Lastly, you do not have roof gutters.
You need to make your moisture conditions right. Water needs to be intercepted before it enters your house. You have to put an underground drain line, which should run for about ten feet when measured from your house's foundation. The line captures the water and is brought around the house. Water is automatically moved away from the foundation of your house. Since correction of your moisture condition is obviously not something that everyone can do, you may want to ask for the help of an outside contractor.
Make Sure That Gutters Are Properly Installed – Correcting your gutter is important when it comes to controlling the population of millipedes. If you do not have a gutter at the roof line of your house, then you definitely should have one. Wrap-around gutter systems are important as these keep the water from falling directly to the ground from the roof. There should be nothing wrong with this, except if the slope of the land is not enough or sufficient. The slope should be adequate so that moisture is carried away, or else too much water is going to seep into your home.
Your problem here is the water that goes in the wrong direction. Because of the misdirected water flowing from the roof, there occurs a mulch buildup, which has to slope away from your home's foundation. Because of this, the mulch should be placed at the side of the foundation because if not, water will accumulate in the middle of the foundation. When you build up mulch at the side, make sure that it does not cover the whole foundation wall. There should be a space of around four to five inches between the first course of siding or brick and the top of the mulch. Mulch that gets in contact with the siding or a brick will only encourage millipedes and even termites to accumulate and create a traffic lane.
The good thing about these two very simple tips on moisture control is that aside from the fact that these can help you get rid of millipedes, they can also help you control the population of other invading insects. A lot of insects and pests, in general, emerge in your house because moisture is not properly controlled.
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Pests And Diseases
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