Fossilized evidence show that a millipede-like creature was one of the first and largest invertebrates to walk on land at six feet long and one and a half feet wide. Millipedes are nature's little recyclers. They are detritivores, meaning they feed on dead plants and animals.
The millipedes' snacking recycles nutrients back into the soil at a much faster rate than plants and animals decomposing naturally.
Ranging in size from one-quarter to even 15 inches long, millipedes play a large role in breaking down nature's waste. Millipedes love damp spaces because they require moisture to live. Millipedes much prefer the outdoors, making their homes under mulch, compost, stones and leaf piles. But they won't be there for long. Because millipedes require such high moisture levels, they usually die within one to two days inside a home.
So if you have an infestation, simply wait out the "invaders" and vacuum up the remains. A hatchling is born with only three pairs of legs and can grow up to as an adult. They have two pairs of legs per body segment. This is the main difference between millipedes and centipedes, since centipedes only have one pair of legs per segment.
Millipedes protect themselves by curling up into a spiral whenever they feel threatened. This protects their soft undersides. They also curl into a spiral when they die. Millipedes' bodies are rounder, while centipedes have a flatter appearance and elongated antennae.
Centipedes are also much quicker than millipedes. The most important difference is that centipedes are carnivores and some species can bite. In your yard, you'll usually find them in the garden or flowerbed in such spots as underneath leaves, flowerpots, grass and hedge trimmings, logs, boards, and rocks. They do not like being in the light. Even though they prefer to live outside, they are also known to find their way into your home, garage, crawl space, or basement.
They will head indoors for two reasons:. If you notice several millipedes in your home, you'll know that there are probably breeding and coming in from your lawn, mulch or compost piles, or from damp scattered leaves and other debris near your house's foundation. Because they are crawlers, millipedes are most typically spotted on lower floors, basements, laundry rooms, and in bathrooms proximity to moisture.
Most millipedes that do wander into your house eventually die from lack of moisture. But in basements with plenty of moisture, millipedes can survive for longer periods of time.
Millipedes are known scavengers and most commonly feed on damp or decaying wood particles, as well as on decaying leaves and plant material moss, mulch, etc.
Once their main source of food diminishes, millipedes will feed on living plant life. They will not feed upon your stored food. Millipedes are nuisance pests, but they do not bite like centipedes sometimes can, and are not poisonous or dangerous to humans.
But that doesn't mean they are defenseless. Some millipedes excrete an odorous liquid from their side glands, which scientists believe is toxic to spiders, insects, and small animals. The glandular liquid from some millipedes may even cause small blisters on your hands if you try to handle them.
If you ever have to handle a millipede, be sure to wash your hands afterward! Both millipedes and centipedes are arthropods, with segmented bodies. Millipedes look more like worms with legs 2 pairs of legs per body segment , while centipedes have only one pair of legs per body segment, are lighter in color, and they feature two pairs of antennae, one on each end of their bodies. Another primary difference you'll notice is that millipedes move very slowly and they burrow, while centipedes are known for their agility and speed they will dart around.
Shorter species of millipede will also curl up in a ball when threatened, like roly-polies. Maggie's Farm Home Bug Spray will kill these bugs when you spray them directly with it.
You can also spray specific entry points into your home with Maggie's Farm Home Bug Spray, which will leave behind some residual protection. Your most effective long-term strategy is prevention, especially if you don't want a basement full of millipedes! Start by removing mulch, leaves, grass and hedge clippings, boards, firewood, boxes, stones, etc.
If there's an item you can't remove, at least get it raised up off of the ground. If you're seeing millipedes in your home, it means that the conditions outside have driven them in.
This might be extended drought conditions that have made it too dry outside. It might be an oversaturation of the soil around your home caused by heavy rain. It might be due to a dropping of the temperature outside. Millipedes prefer to be outside. Your home does not provide the environment they need to reproduce and live.
If you're seeing millipedes in your home, it also means that you have entry points. These bugs don't eat wood or make holes to get into homes. They use entry points that are already available. This might be a gap around a pipe.
It might be cracks in your foundation wall. It could be a missing door sweep or a gap in the weatherstripping around a door. It may also be a hole created by a wood-damaging pest. If you have millipedes, you have entry points. Millipedes in your Providence home could also indicate a moisture problem. These bugs eat decaying organic material, like rotting wood particles. When a home is damaged by rainwater, millipedes come to feed.
They aren't destructive like termites or carpenter ants but they can indicate conditions that are attractive to those pests.
How do you get rid of millipedes in your home? You don't have to do anything.
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