Millipedes are sometimes called "thousand-leggers" but they usually have 30-90+
pairs of legs. They are widely distributed throughout the United States
and most of the world, with about 1000 species occurring in the U.S.Millipedes
Millipedes are sometimes called "thousand-leggers" but they usually have 30-90+
pairs of legs. They are widely distributed throughout the United States
and most of the world, with about 1000 species occurring in the U.S.
Adults are about 1/16-4 1/2" long, usually cylindrical and wormlike but some slightly flattened. They are usually blackish or brownish in color but some are red, orange or mottled with patterns.
Millipedes overwinter as adults or young. Adult females lay 20-300 eggs either in soil cavities or among decaying organic matter during the summer. Eggs hatch after several weeks. Adults often live for several years.
Members of several millipede groups give off an ill-smelling, repugnant fluid through openings along the sides of the body. It can cause vesicular dermatitis (small blisters) in humans.
Millipedes have high moisture needs, like pillbugs and sowbugs. They are typically found in areas of high moisture and decaying vegetation such as under trash, piles of grass clippings, flower-bed mulches, leaf litter, etc.. Millipedes are nocturnal or active at night. Sometimes, and usuallly in autumn, millipedes will migrate in great numbers.
Millipedes are primarily scavengers and feed on decaying organic matter, usually plant material but occasionally on dead insects, earthworms, and snails. They may attack living plants during dry periods in order to obtain needed moisture.
(Insect Information excerpted from the NPCA Field Guide to Structural Pests)