Preferred Food Sources
Millipedes are decomposers and are beneficial to have around your yard. Similar to earthworms, millipedes eat damp, decaying plant material such as leaves and flowers. During periods of drought, millipedes have been known to feed on living plants where they get needed moisture from the leaves and roots.
Getting Rid of Millipedes Is Easy
Wait Them Out
When millipedes make their way inside your house, they stick around because they don't know how to get back out. If you find millipedes in your house, you can consider waiting them out. Millipedes can only survive a few days in the dry environment found in most homes, so any infestation is likely to be short-lived. You can also sweep them up with a broom or vacuum or you can pick up these benign creatures by hand.
Create a Bug Barrier
Another option is to spray them withOrtho® Home Defense® Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter. Then create a barrier against future millipedes and other bugs by spraying along the bottom of exterior doors, entrances to crawl spaces, vents and utility openings in the foundation wall, where the siding meets the foundation block, along the outside perimeter of your home, and along the interior walls of crawl spaces and basem*nts. For millipede problems in your yard, useOrtho® Home Defense® Insect Killer for Lawn & Landscapeinstead.
Preventing Future Problems
To prevent future millipede infestations in your home, do the following:
•Remove their hiding places. Don't pile mulch against the foundation, and remove leaves, grass clippings, woodpiles, and stones from around the outside of your home.
•Make sure your foundation, basem*nt, and crawl spaces are dry by using dehumidifiers or sump pumps if needed.
•Keep gutters and downspouts clear of leaves and in good working order to help keep water away from your foundation.
•Repair leaky faucets, water pipes, and air conditioning units.
• Avoid overwatering your lawn and dethatch if needed. (Millipedes will also live in the thick, moist thatch layer of a poorly maintained lawn.)
•Seal and caulk cracks and other openings in your foundation wall, and apply door sweeps to exterior doors.
