Months ago, when we were still viewing houses, we already noticed the millipedes on the walls of the houses in the subdivision where we intended to buy a house. Not that their presence discouraged us. I have learned long ago (from Sir H, my daughters’ science teacher) that these things mean that the environment is still clean enough to allow them to thrive. Even the presence of bats, he said, should be taken as a good omen because fruit-eating bats do not go where the pollution index is high and where the natural environment has been destroyed. Still, I didn’t exactly relish the thought of seeing millipedes climbing up my kitchen wall everyday. So, I decided to read up about them.
Millipedes are arthropods (elementary, my dear Watson) that may “emit poisonous liquid secretions or hydrogen cyanide gas through microscopic pores along the sides of their bodies as a secondary defense”, a “chemical brew” that is harmless to most humans although a possible cause of minor skin irritations.
Their staple diet consists mainly of decaying wood and leaves. In small numbers, they help keep the soil fertile since they speed up the decay of dead plants which are transformed into natural fertilizer. But because they can also feed on live moist plants, in large numbers, millipedes can become garden pests. Not a good thing for me because I grow herbs in the garden. In fact, when we moved, we replanted the herbs in pots so that we could bring them to the new house and replant them directly in the soil after the renovation work is all done.
One website advises: “Millipede control begins outdoors by removing harbor aging places that hold moisture, such as wood debris, rocks, grass clippings, and leaf litter.”
Another website says:
Millipedes seldom need to be controlled. Keep in mind that they do no damage indoors and pose no health hazard. Those that stray indoors can be swept out or picked up with a vacuum cleaner. Sealing cracks and other openings to the outside helps prevent them from entering. Usually invasions are over within a few days.
Eliminating moist hiding places around the home will kill or discourage millipedes. Outdoors, this includes removing rotting wood and decaying grass and leaves from around the house’s foundation. This also eliminates millipede food sources. If there is excessive moisture in subfloor crawl spaces or basements, take measures to dry out these areas.
Application of insecticides is rarely justified for millipede control… [University of California, Integrated Pests Management Program Online]
Keeping the indoors dry is no problem but out in the garden, that’s a little hard to do during the rainy season especially in this part of the tropics where it is the rainy season for about six months out of every year.
I suppose we should just pay attention as to whether they are growing in numbers. I actually haven’t seen one around the since since we moved. The photo above was taken quite a distance from our house in a part of the subdivision where there are still a lot of unsold lots.
Hi, I red you have moved to your dream home, congratulations!
Then I went to this site and red all seven pages. I can actually feel your excitement, although we are just starting to build our custom home. Our Architect will be done on our house plans next week. I designed it myself according to Feng Shui principles.
Our lot is 65 feet x 155 feet. After our home is built, we would have a wateview from the front of the house and also waterview from the back of the house. We live 200 feet by the bay called Bayou Grande here in Pensacola Florida so it would be built on pilings. Downstairs would be 2 garages, one for our car and one for our RV (recreational vehicle) and the rest would be storage.
Second floor would be 1,500 sq ft with 2 bedrooms, 2 walk-in closets, 2 bathrooms, a 12 x 13 foyer as my garden, a living room, a kitchen, a formal dining room, and an office and an altar in the last room.
There would be an elevator because the pilings would be 12 feet high. There would be a screened swimming pool at the back.
In the front of our future home is a nice park where 2 miles of pave walking path by the water starts. My husband and I are retired accountants, we love to walk everyday. We also love to eat and cook. I’m a pinay and he’s a kano.
I can’t wait until our dream home is built.
Take care, Thel
Hi Thel, that’s a big lot! And your plan sounds wonderful! And that park in front is just great. Ah, there’s nothing like looking out your window and seeing greens and lots of space. Hope you get to enjoy your house really soon.