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Getting rid of millipedes can be difficult because they are very good at hiding in the dark cracks of your home. The best way to get rid of millipedes is with the help of a pest control professional. McCarthy’s Pest team has the experience, training, and skills necessary to eliminate millipedes from your home quickly and effectively. At McCarthy Pest & Termite Control, we understand that each home has different needs. We’ll inspect your entire property in order to provide a customized millipede control plan.

Millipedes Seek Shelter Inside Kansas City, Missouri Area Homes When It’s Either Too Wet Or Too Dry Outside
What Are Millipedes?

Millipedes are insects that have long, multi-segmented bodies, with legs coming out of each body segment. Most millipedes are between ½ to 1½ inches long. They are usually brown, dark gray, or black in color. However, some species can be orange or red.

Millipedes usually live outside but may come indoors during extremely wet weather. In addition, when the weather turns cold and the outdoor environment is more severe, they may look to shelter inside your home.

Millipedes feed on organic decaying material and seek out places where these are common. The leggy creatures scavenge through mulch, leaves, grass clippings, and rotting wood. They may give you a scare when found hiding under a woodpile or your garbage can.

The population of millipedes can increase rapidly if you have a garden or greenhouse, because these areas provide ample amounts of the damp, organic soil mixtures they feed upon.

Millipedes are not venomous, but this doesn’t mean that you should handle them. While most millipedes do not bite, some larger millipedes will, and they are capable of delivering an acidic injection of venom created by glands behind their jaws. Their bite can be painful, but it is usually unnecessary to seek medical treatment unless you develop symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Thankfully, millipedes do not often enter a home unless they cannot find a suitable environment in which to live outdoors (i.e. when it is either too wet or too dry outside). However, if you do see a millipede in your home, be cautious. Millipedes can exhibit aggressive or defensive behavior, including the release of an acidic fluid. This fluid can burn and blister the skin, irritate eyes, and make a terrible odor. In fact, some millipede species can spray their acid several inches, so if you are sensitive to insect bites or venom, it is best to keep clear of them.

Begin by identifying areas around your home that contain moist, decaying organic matter and remove as much of it as you can. Rake and remove grass clippings and leaves, clean up wood debris or old woodpiles, and take away rocks.

Next, eliminate from your home those areas where millipedes can enter. Caulk cracks around doors, windows, and in bathrooms and kitchens.

If you have a millipede problem, we can help. McCarthy Pest & Termite Control technicians understand how to properly treat for millipedes and keep them out of your home. We will search out the cracks and damp places in which they hide and eliminate these pests by applying a spray or powder treatment.