Encounters

• Millipedes pose no danger to humans because they do not sting or bite. They spend their day consuming organic matter within the yard. Gardeners often encounter millipedes in the mulch of flowerbeds or beneath moist, decomposing layers of leaves. Gutters clogged with organic leaf debris also attract millipedes. They are the most active during the night or after a rain storm. Avoid handling the millipede because it does exude a foul odor from glands along its sides. The millipede can injure soft-stemmed garden plants or consume ripe fruit, such as strawberries.
  
  

Life Cycle

• During the spring, the female millipede will lay about 300 eggs in the garden soil. The millipede breeds once per year. The eggs hatch in three weeks, and the young millipedes resemble miniature adults. Millipedes molt and cast their outer skin as they grow. Most will molt between 7 to 10 times before becoming an adult. After each molt, the young millipede grows additional legs and body segments which increases its length. The young take between one to five years to reach adulthood, depending on the species. The lifespan of a millipede can average eight years.
  
  

Migration From Yard to House

• Millipedes often invade homes, especially when populations increase. They require moist conditions and will usually die in the house, but sometimes they will continue to reside in crawl spaces or other wet locations. The millipede often seeks the sanctuary of a home or other structures if excessive seasonal rainfall occurs. The soil becomes overly saturated, and the millipede must seek the shelter of the home or risk drowning. Outdoor lights often draw millipedes from the yard. Millipedes sometimes fall into pools and drown.
  
  

Control

• Avoid over-mulching the garden area to help reduce the millipede population. If millipedes regularly invade the house from the yard, remove the mulch around the home's foundation and keep all organic debris picked up. Repair any window screens that exhibit holes, and caulk external areas of the home to discourage millipedes from entering the structure. Sweep up millipedes inside the house, and relocate them outdoors. A mild millipede population in the yard rarely requires control because the benefits of the millipede far outweigh the drawbacks. Insecticides also exist that control millipedes.