Millipedes!!

Once again I have thousands of millipedes invading my house. Last year there were millions.(it's true) They were in huge piles in my atttched garage under wet rugs, rags and wherever they could find a damp area to collect. They climb up the exterior walls and some get into the house. I sprayed with Ortho household whatever and began to turn the tide, however I had to clean up the carcases with a shop vac. This year I caught them earlier and hope the invasion will not be as bad. Is there a pre-season prevention or anything else I can do? When they die, they crunch, smell and are just plain disgusting. Thank You Rick A.

249,
If you have THAT MANY, its probably time to call in the Orkin man, (or similar). Other than that, check with your local hardware store, (NOT superstore type), or your local health dept., see what they recommend.

Best;
bluelytes

I suspect part of the problem is the wet weather that you have been having up there. Millipede chemical control is very tricky - there are a lot of things that should work that don't, and there won't be any preventative chemical that I'm aware of that will be able to outlast the millipedes all season.

My suggestion - and the one that I suggest to homeowners here - somehow reduce the moisture around the home. This could include removing leaf piles, removing excessive mulch, decreasing unnecessary irrigation, and perhaps most importantly: improving drainage. Here in Georgia, because of our red clay soil, bad drainage is a major problem. If the downspouts don't take the water away from the foundation properly here, and there is also mulch and/or leaf piles, it is a recipe for huge numbers of millipedes. This problem intensifies for homes that have a deck on the back that not only provides all of those things above, but then also provides protective shade as well. Log piles, plant pots, garden stones, etc. outside also provide good hiding places for millipedes. Sadly, you might have to remove some of these elements, too if they are nearby your foundation. The damp rugs and other things in the garage might also have to go. If there is something damp that they can hide under, the millipedes will find it. Also physical barriers such as walls are no detriment. Millipedes can crawl up pretty high - I've seen them on the ceiling of our carport before (we have a brick house: easy climbing for a millipede). However, if you can make your garage door "seal" to the ground (leaving no space for them to get under), this might help keep them out of the garage.

This year we are having an awful drought problem, so we have had no millipede problems come in this year. In the past though, they have been a common problem, and in almost every case - moisture was the big problem factor. Reduce moisture around your home and your millipede problem will have a better chance of going away and staying gone away.

Thank you Night Bloom. I never had this problem untill I added 30 yards of loam to the yard,so I suspected they came with the fill. I put a dehumidifier in the garage and it cut down the number since last year but still too many for me. The wet weather around here surley added to the infestation but a heat wave is on the way so mabye they will go back from whence they came.

I had my first meeting with millipedes and centipedes when I move to VA, it was a rainy, wet summer and we were living in a basement apartment for three months. I freaked out, I had never seen any of them, so I researched, figured out what they actually were and called the apartment manager, they sent out the "bugman" and problem was solved fairly quickly!

Yeah for the heatwave, I so do not mind the extra watering if it gets rid of creepy, crawly, flying nasty things!

i had a huge number of potted plants around the shaded front porch of our last house. the summer rains would bring the 'pedes in thousands. i cleaned up the area and moved pots and raked away mulch and never saw more than a few after that, even with rainy weather.

You did all the right things, trackinsand. It is surprising how many problems can occur just because there is mulch or some kind of harborage near a door or shaded area. The bugs will almost always find such areas and take advantage.

I have cleaned up the vegitation in the flower garden area which is adjacent to the garage, which is attached and below grade, with a stone foundation (underground). I also cleaned the area around the house. While working the garden area I found a lot of activity in the soil. I sprayed with Ortho pest spray hoping for the best. I also sprayed the area around the house. Then the rains came again (2-3 inches) over a couple of days. I have an old bag of diazinon in the shed, would a small border sprinkling around the perimiter help? The millipedes wander into the garage seeking the coolness and the puddles left from the car A/C condensers. They are persistant. Thank you. Rick

249high,
I am NOT a pest control person, but I have heard that if you spray OUTSIDE FIRST, that it just drives the bugs INSIDE. I was told to spray/treat INSIDE first, which in turn, forces the bugs OUTSIDE, THEN once bugs are OUT of the house, treat/spray the outside. This way, they are prevented returning to the living spaces. Offered ONLY FWIW (For What Its Worth).

I'm an extension person though my specialty is more identification than control. However I have heard that not everything that works on insects also works on millipedes - they are not insects. It sounds like you are off to a good start with the non-chemical controls, and that is likely still the best way to go for any kind of lasting control. Chemicals will eventually break down and the millipedes will return if conditions for them are right.

In the meantime, can you tell where the millipedes are getting into the garage? Is there a space beneath the garage door (if there is, I would fix that, so they can't get in). Is there a crack somewhere? If you can see where they are getting in, a white sticky trap or a dozen might help to catch them as they crawl in. Don't go for the industrial size rat trap sticky traps - a small white one should do just fine.

On a more selfish note - I wish you could send us some rain. We are in a pretty bad drought right now. It has rained I think 3 times in the last 2 months, and none of them more than an inch. It "rained" again today, but it barely even got the soil wet - that was the first rain that we had in two weeks, and I'm afraid we won't get anymore for a bit. :( I spend my watering time (we are very restricted as to when we can water) on my veggie garden, so I'm starting to see a lot of my flowers and bushes wilt - my poor hydrangeas, coleus, and butterfly bushes are not happy. I have no caterpillars this year either, despite having their host plants ready for them - though I will admit, the fennel has seen much better days (it's about to die too from lack of water). I usually only have to water 3 or 4 times the entire year. I can't remember how many times it's been this year - *sigh*.

This year there has been an abundance of everything, millipedes, caterpillars, dragonflies, rain and chipmunks (my peaches, plums and some of the buds from my stargazer lillies, all chipmunk food). Grass has to be cut 2-3 times a week this late in the season. I dont know if I can blame all this on the rain but a solid week of sunshine would certainly help. Thanks for the advice. Rick.