What is a millipede?

Belonging to the arthropod family, millipedes are 2.5 to 4 cm long and brownish. They are nocturnal, and you will always find them moving around in bulk.

Contrary to popular beliefs, millipedes, also called a thousand leggers, have much less than a thousand legs. Their body is divided into small segments, and each segment has two short legs on each side.

This bug with many legs is a scavenger that feeds on decaying plant materials. Millipedes do not cause harm to property and furniture like rodents, termites and cockroaches do. Damage caused by termites and rodents can cost thousands of dollars for repairs. Millipedes are a nuisance pest and might look scary, but they do no potential harm to humans – they do not bite, transmit disease, or infest the food.

Different types of millipedes

There are various types of millipedes based on different colors, shapes, and sizes.

1. Giant African Millipede

With the ability to grow for about 15 inches, this 256 legged millipede is amongst the largest types of millipedes. They are dark brown and are found in the rainforests of Africa.

2. Shocking Pink Dragon Millipede

As the name suggests, these bright pink-colored millipedes are about three cm long. It releases a toxin, which smells like almonds, and is harmful to its predators. Their bright color and spines warn the predators not to eat them as they emit toxins.

3. Cave Millipedes

Cave millipedes are found in caves throughout the United States. They are adaptive to their environment and are almost pale and blind.

4. Garden Millipedes

You can commonly find garden millipedes in your home garden. They eat decaying plants and create a stir for homeowners.

Why are there millipedes in the house?

When the outside weather changes into extreme rains, excessive cold, or turns into a drought-like situation, millipede bugs find their way indoors.

Below are some indoor and outdoor places you can find them in:

• Indoors: You can find them in damp areas like the laundry room, crawl spaces, garages, basements, etc.
• Outdoors: Under piles of leaves, flower pots, wood piles, plant debris, below stones, etc.

How to get rid of millipedes and prevent them from coming in

• Consider waiting them out

  Most millipedes in the home stick around because they do not know how to get out. They are not likely to survive in dry places and die within a few days of infestation. If you find one at your home, wait it out.

• Vacuum or bug spray

  Pests like cockroaches, spiders, millipedes and centipedes can be found in the basement of your house. Make sure to implement proper steps to prevent these basement bugs. Vacuuming or doing a spot treatment by spraying bug-killing pesticides on them are some straightforward ways to get rid of them.

• Creating a bug barrier

  You can literally create a barrier between millipede bugs and your house. Spray an anti-bug spray on entrances of your main door, vents, garages, utility doors and the bottom of doors, along the interior walls of basements and other spaces.

• No piling up

  Ensure there’s no mulch build-up on walls. Remove leaves, grass, woodpiles and stones gathered outside your home.

• Dehumidified

  Try to get rid of humidity in the corners of walls, laundry room, basement, garage and foundation by dehumidifying them all.

• Keep cleanliness

  The area that a millipede infestation problem can affect needs cleaning and regular maintenance. Throw away any collected water that will create a damp environment.

Millipedes vs. Centipedes

Commonly mistaken for being the same, centipedes and millipedes are indeed different. Although they belong to the same family of arthropods, there are noticeable differences between centipedes and millipedes.

FAQ’s

1. How many legs does a millipede have?

There are many house bugs with lot of legs and a millipede is one of them. The word ‘milli’ came from Latin, which means thousand. They certainly do not have a thousand legs since their body is divided into segments, and each segment has two pairs of legs. Different types of millipedes have different numbers of legs. For example, the Illacme Plenipes millipede has 750 legs, while most millipedes have 300 legs.

2. What do millipedes eat?

Most millipedes are scavengers and feed on damp or decaying wood particles, leaves, and other plant materials. If the surroundings dry out, they might start consuming fresh plants and leaves.

3. What attracts millipedes, and where do they come from?

Dark, moist, and cool places attract millipedes. The environment should be rich in organic matter such as compost piles, flower beds, rotting logs, or the soil under logs and stones. They come through porches and patios and climb through basement doors, crawlspaces, vents, etc.

4. Are millipedes poisonous or dangerous?

Although millipedes are not poisonous, they still can produce fluids as a defense mechanism that might cause allergic reactions on your skin. The fluid is rich in hydrochloric acid that chemically burns the skin and causes long-term discoloration.

5. Why do I have millipedes in my house?

Excessive rains, freezing temperatures, and drought-like situations are less favorable for millipedes, and hence to survive, they seek shelter in damp corners of your house.

6. Are millipedes bad for plants?

They cause no damage to humans, but they can cause damage to your garden by destroying seedlings and eating off vegetables.

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