Attack of the Millipedes!
October 2, 2007 9:30 PM   Subscribe

How can I stop a millipede invasion?

As far as I can tell, they are sneaking through the space between the front door and the frame (as bugs often do). They then proceed to make a pilgrimage toward where my air conditioner is kept, dying en route or shortly after reaching their destination.

I know it's almost impossible to kill them once they are inside - and there's another one inching along the wall, that makes eight I've found in the past ten minutes - so how do I keep them from coming in? Does anyone have any miraculous millipede-related folk remedies that work wonders on them once they are inside? Other than spraying pesticide around my door frame, both inside and out, what else can I do?

Standard disclaimer: I can't live and let live, I have a fear of the creepy crawlies and I'd rather we could just co-exist on different sides of the walls.
posted by bijou to Home & Garden (7 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Just pick them up using a glass jar. They can't crawl out of there. When the jar gets too full, empty it. When you touch a millipede, it curls itself into a ball. Besides eat and make little millipedes, this is virtually all they do.
posted by Wolof at 10:05 PM on October 2, 2007


Try a barrier of diatomaceous earth.
posted by borkencode at 10:35 PM on October 2, 2007


Try a barrier of diatomaceous earth.

seconded. It really does work. It cuts most insects into smithereens.
posted by parmanparman at 10:58 PM on October 2, 2007


Man. Consider yourself lucky. My invading millipedes headed for my bed.

*twitch*

Anywho, I ended up using plain ol' flyspray around the (inside) edges of windows and door frames every week or so; which resulted in a death zone of crunchy bugs for a foot or so away from the external walls.
posted by ambilevous at 11:36 PM on October 2, 2007


First, you need a little spaceship....

[sorry]

I'll second the DE. Just don't breathe it in. Not good for the little lung sacs, I'm told.
posted by Avenger at 12:23 AM on October 3, 2007


Find out where they sleep and steal their tiny little shoes. They won't go anywhere without sensible footwear.

That or buy some long term surface spray, there are various types you can get, one of which I saw recently comes in non aerosol pump pack, you squirt it around the edges of the house and all the door frames, window sills etc. Supposedly it kills any bugs that walk on it.
posted by tomble at 7:19 AM on October 3, 2007


Are they about 1 1/4 inch long and about 1/8th inch in diameter, with thin, segmented body armor ? Are there hundreds of them climbing your exterior walls? Do they exude an oily camphor odor when disturbed?

I hate those things. Around Chapel Hill we call those things wire worms. They swim in insecticide and no predatory creature in its right mind goes near them. We have a wireworm plague about once every 20 years. It happens 2 years in a row and then they disappear.

If that’s what you’ve got and you find a cure please let me know.
posted by Huplescat at 6:31 PM on October 3, 2007


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