milipede problem. anyone else getting them?

[Guest markmet]

Hi

Just wandered if anyone else is having an influx of milipedes/centipedes not sure which. Caterpillar like creatures anyway. I seem to be getting 20 to 30 a day in the house, and I even found loads of babies along one of the curtains. We have been in this rental only 2 weeks. It is a lovely modern clean house, and although it doesnt bother me that much as there are worse things I can think of that we could be getting, I was just curious as to whether it is a common seasonal thing, and how you deal with it. I am just scooping them up as I see them at the minute and put them outside, but Im not curing the problem and it is becoming a bit of a nuisance.

Thanks

Chris

[Guest JPT07]

Hi, They are a problem every year, I just sweep them up on a daily basis!!

[Diane]

Quite normal - the rain has probably brought them out. See here: Black Portuguese millipedes (Fact Sheet)

[Pesty650]

Seen them appear outside in the last couple of weeks, but none inside the house thankfully. Seems to have coincided with the recent rain. Might be worth bombing the house with those insect bomb things you can get a supermarkets, Bunnings etc. Don't know if they kill millipedes or not but I'm sure it will say on the pack. We had a centipede in the garage & it was huge. Looked like something from Dr Who!!!

[Guest nishman]

Yep - the rain brings em out. They always seem to be around and appear to be impervious to the mortien barrier.

Like you say, there are worse things that could be coming in from outside....

[Guest Kelly O]

'Millies' :arghh:as we call them in our house (which is up in Teringie in the Hills). We have had loads recently. I must sweep up at least 100 everyday. I can sweep them up and then 2 mins later more appear. There are more at night and even more when it rains. There are fat juicy ones and scrawny ones. There are gaps in our doors so it's no wonder they come in. They climb up the walls defying gravity and curl up and play dead too. Where do you live? I know some people who live on the plain and don't see them at all. During the summer months we had none. The first rainfall brought them out in droves but they seem to have calmed down now, a bit anyway!!

[tina&steve]

they do make a great popping sound when you step on them:biglaugh:. can never get rid of the buggers nothing kills them other than a big stamping foot;)

[Guest The Dimmocks]

We get lots of them as well, they remind me of when it rains in England all the worms come out. We see loads when walking to the shops especially if it been raining. It very hard to avoid squashing them though with a double buggy so we pass loads of dead ones on way back from shops. :biglaugh:

[Rob and Mel]

they do make a great popping sound when you step on them, Can never get rid of the buggers nothing kills them other than a big stamping foot.

 

I was told by a friend who has lived here all her life that the goo has a chemical in it that burns your skin.

 

She showed me a couple of marks that had been left on her skin from years ago.

 

So if you are going to stamp on the little buggers then remember to wear some form of protective foot wear!

 

Rob

[jo_marnes]

Getting them here too! They don't bother me nearly as much as the bloody ants!

[Guest Guest75]

Try some ant sand around the perimeter of the house,it has worked to a degree for us.

They are attracted to light as well so try and keep blinds and curtains closed.

[ozzieclare2be]

arrghhh!! Glad its not just me, opened patio doors other night and there must have been around 200 of them trying to get in!! They smell as well if you squish em, i just sweep them up tried mortein too but they still come in

[Jessica Berry]

We have lived in Adelaide for 3 years always close to the city centre (10-15 mins away) and we have never had a problem, we have never even seen any of them in our houses. Yet we went to a friends house who lives quite remote in the hills and their walls were covered with them, we had never seen anything like it and his wife spent most of her day hoovering them up.

 

I personally would not like to have them crawling all round the house, but we had not heard about them until we went to our friends house and saw for ourselves.

[Guest markmet]

Hi

Someone gave me a tip today on how to keep the milipedes at bay. Not sure if it works but got to be worth a go. Apparantley tomato dust is meant to keep them from coming in. Sprinkle a line of the dust outside your front and back door and it is meant to stop them. You can buy it from Bunnings, so that might be worth a try.

 

good luck

Chris

[Rob and Mel]

Hi

Apparently tomato dust is meant to keep them from coming in. Sprinkle a line of the dust outside your front and back door and it is meant to stop them.

Chris

 

Is this stuff similar to tomato sauce?

 

It could end up a little messy...

 

Rob

[Guest Lisado]

We were warned of an infestation - but havent seen many just sweep them up and pop them in the salad

[Diane]

Not to put you off the horrible little blighters but.... when I was walking the dog in the park the other day, walked past a huge pile of dog poo (some are not so good about clearing up after their pooches - and this one looked like it had eaten something that disagreed with it!) and it was absolutely covered in little black millipedes, munching away - like a writhing black mass it was, with patches of yellowy-brown occasionally glimpsed through them!

 

Whoops perhaps I should have put a warning not to read this while eating dinner!

[tina&steve]

I was told by a friend who has lived here all her life that the goo has a chemical in it that burns your skin.

 

She showed me a couple of marks that had been left on her skin from years ago.

 

So if you are going to stamp on the little buggers then remember to wear some form of protective foot wear!

 

Rob

 

I know horrible little buggers and they stink too!! As well as stain the carpets so thats why the Aussies dont have carpet in the bedrooms:biglaugh:

 

You could try talc I put this down and it keeps the Ants out xx

[Guest Guest75]

Not to put you off the horrible little blighters but.... when I was walking the dog in the park the other day, walked past a huge pile of dog poo (some are not so good about clearing up after their pooches - and this one looked like it had eaten something that disagreed with it!) and it was absolutely covered in little black millipedes, munching away - like a writhing black mass it was, with patches of yellowy-brown occasionally glimpsed through them!

 

Whoops perhaps I should have put a warning not to read this while eating dinner!

 

You have a real way with words Diane.:biglaugh:

 

Yep,they love dog poo - which is perhaps the only use I can think for them.