I keep finding these throughout my house....3-5 per day.
Does anyone know what they are or how to stop them from coming in/breeding?
I get rid of them when I find them but really dont want LO eating them.
I keep finding these throughout my house....3-5 per day.
Does anyone know what they are or how to stop them from coming in/breeding?
I get rid of them when I find them but really dont want LO eating them.
pomelo / 5789 posts
@MungBean: I don't know! My phone camera won't focus but they have a hard shell and lots of legs.
pear / 1664 posts
Oh we have these in our basement. I think they are millipedes? Vacuum a lot, for one thing. Unfortunately I don't have a chemical-free solution but my husband had a guy come and spray our lawn for bugs, and that seemed to stop them or decrease them a LOT. Now we get it sprayed probably 5 times per year during the warm season. Especially important in the fall because that's when they come in to hibernate.
cantaloupe / 6751 posts
@wheres_c: yikes, scary! I wonder if it would be worth calling an exterminator? Especially if they are millipedes...aren't they poisonous?
pear / 1664 posts
@MungBean: I don't think these are poisonous. They're all over the place where i live and i've never heard anything about that. They're just gross as far as I know. Especially if you step on one barefoot on your way to the laundry room. They crunch. *Shudder.*
pear / 1664 posts
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05552.html
Millipedes
"The most common millipedes are dark brown and reach 1 to 1 1/2 inches when full grown. They are round and elongated, with many small legs. A common description is "little black worms crawling in the basement windows." When dead or disturbed, they tend to curl into a tight coil.
Millipedes do not bite or pose any danger to humans. They feed on rotting organic matter such as leaves and wood and rarely feed on tender green leaves and roots. They spend almost all their time in moist areas, such as under rocks or logs and in lawn thatch.
Movement into houses often is sudden and sporadic. Most millipede movement takes place in September and October and again in midspring. Invasions, usually into cellars, often take place shortly after a period of wet weather and end as suddenly as they start.
Because millipedes require high moisture, they usually die in a home within a day or two. Chronic problems are associated with damp conditions. Measures taken to dry out moist areas usually are sufficient. The hard body of the millipede, however, remains intact for a considerable time after it is dead.
Because millipedes cause no damage in homes other than a minor annoyance, the best way to handle infestations is to wait a few days for the problem to subside, then vacuum the bodies that remain. Remove debris and other favorable habitats from around building foundations to help reduce problems. Seal or caulk openings around the foundation to reduce future millipede problems.
Where problems are persistent and severe, insecticides may help reduce invasions. These may be applied around the base of the building foundation out into lawn areas. Pyrethroid insecticides (e.g., bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, permethrin) are recommended for this use. Insecticides with these active ingredients are widely available at nurseries, sold under various trade names.
Usually only shaded sides of the home need treatment. Whole yard treatments are unnecessary and not recommended. However, most sod webworm and white grub treatments applied to lawns will also control millipedes."
coconut / 8854 posts
Looks like a millipede! I would try and find out where they are coming in from and try to insulate/fill in any gaps as needed.
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