Description
Millipedes, also called thousand-legged worms, are distant relatives of centipedes (see Centipedes). Millipedes are 1 to several inches long, hard bodied, cylindrical, and wormlike, usually brown, pinkish brown, or grayish. They have 2 very short legs on each body segment, and a total of 30 to 400 legs. Young millipedes look like the adults, but initially have only 3 pairs of legs. Millipedes curl up in a coil when they are touched or picked up. They hide in damp, dark places, such as under stones or boards, or in plant debris. Large numbers of them may crawl into houses during heavy rains or during dry periods in summer and fall. Millipedes normally feed on decaying matter. But when they become numerous, they may feed on small roots, seedlings, or vegetable seeds. Root crops, decaying flower bulbs, and overripe fruit that touches damp ground--especially muskmelons, tomatoes, and strawberries--may attract millipedes.
Control
If millipedes are numerous in your garden, scatter a bait containing carbaryl lightly in a 2- to 4-foot band around plants and other areas where millipedes hide. Do not use around food crops. Protect ripening fruit on the ground with straw or other mulch. To reduce the number of millipedes that enter your home, remove vegetation and plant debris from around your house foundation and spray around the foundation with an insecticide containing diazinon. Millipedes move slowly, which makes them simple to remove from inside the house. Pick them up by hand or with a vacuum cleaner, or sweep them up with a broom.
