07/02/2026
Millipedes, millipedes, millipedes!!! Why are they so bad?!
Well, for starters they are always the worst in harsh weather. In wet, humid years they have an abundance of moisture and food. They feed on decaying matter such as leaves, grass clippings, and everyone’s favorite landscaping product, wood mulch. Not only can they be bad in wet weather, but also during dry conditions they will invade your house looking for moisture. Given the conditions of the weather the last few years they have exploded into this stampede of ugliness.
A few tips on helping to minimize the invasion; keep the humidity in your house under control, millipedes need moisture to survive, and cool damp basements are their favorite loitering areas when soil is dry. That leaky hose bib on the side of your house is party central to them as well. Leaves and grass clippings are an all you can eat buffet to them, blow/rake organic debris away from your house and do not blow grass clippings towards your house when you mow your lawn. For us to treat the best is to get to the source of where millipede metropolis is, and that is below your landscape fabric. If you can pull it back and away from the house it allows us to be able to hit the source of the problem. Retaining walls are another huge home for millipedes too, so keep leaf litter and grass clippings away from those too. Keep bushes and plants trimmed away from your house and avoid plants that create a canopy over the ground which keeps the landscaping or soil damp without allowing it to dry completely.
When we treat for millipedes they curl up and die. You will have dead millipedes all over your driveway and sidewalk. This does not mean the treatment didn’t work, you will still need to sweep or blow them away from certain areas. Millipedes move in waves and it is impossible to stop them from coming into your yard. Our goal is to keep them out of your house.
While millipedes look nasty, and invade by the thousands, they are beneficial too, as they are natures garbage disposal when it comes to organic material.
