Millipedes might be more common in your house than you think!

If you don’t know what a millipede looks like, the nickname “thousand leggers” might ring a bell. They will usually curl up into a tight curve like a “C” shape and not move if touched. They live outdoors for the most part, but are attracted to cool, moist, dark places and might come indoors if there is an excessive drought or heavy rains. There is usually a large amount of them that live together, so seeing a lot at one time shouldn't be alarming. Millipedes will leave very dry or very wet outdoor conditions to then find their way into your house through cracks in wall vents and windows. They like to live in first floor rooms and basements. Even though millipedes do not bite people or cause damage to anything in your home, their presence can be very annoying. 

To get rid of millipedes, it is best to try and eliminate damp, dark, moist places in your home which is where they would reproduce and feed. Millipede habitats outside could be piles of grass clippings, wet mulch, compost piles, and accumulations of leaves. Raking leaves and exposing the soil surrounding the foundation of the house to give it sunlight, will help eliminate millipedes living on your property. To get rid of entry areas for millipedes, you can repair openings and cracks found in door/window frames and foundation walls. You can also prevent an infestation by treating the outside perimeter of your house with a barrier of liquid pesticides that label millipedes as a target. While applying the pesticide, make sure you put enough liquid so that it soaks through any mulch or soil you have surrounding your house and repeat weekly if needed.