Pest of the Week-Millipedes

What is a Millipede?

A millipede is a part of the arthropods family. They have 2 pairs of legs on every segment in their body(except the first two or three segments-the head has no appendages, and the next few segments only have one pair). Even though millipede in Latin literally means "one-thousand foot",  species on average only have between 36 and 200 legs. There is a rare species that can have up to 750 legs!

Common Defense Mechanism of Most Millipedes

They typically are dark brown or reddish in color and around 1-2 inches in length. Although, the largest of this family, the African Millipede, can grow to be 11 inches long.

Behavior

Millipedes will eat almost any type of soil. They especially love to eat damp leaves or decaying organic matter. Most are only herbivores, but there are some species that are omnivorous, meaning they eat both vegetation and small insects.

Millipedes may have a bunch of legs, but that doesn't make them faster. In fact, it only slows them down. Millipedes are slow, but very powerful in burrowing into the ground. They also seem to reinforce the tunnels they create with other objects.

When threatened, millipedes curl up into a ball to protect the soft under belly of their bodies.

Reproduction

Millipede females can lay between ten and three hundred eggs per laying. This varies depending on the type of species. Within a couple of weeks, the eggs will hatch. They are not hatched with all the segments of their bodies, as they get older and molt, more and more segments will be added every molt.

Types of Millipedes

There are many types of millipedes, over 10,000 different species worldwide. These are the most common species you might find near your home.

1. Black Millipedes-Larger of the species (60 mm), usually shiny black.
2. Bristly Millipedes-Completely covered in bristly hairs, brownish in color, only grows to be about 2 mm.
3. Flat-backed Millipedes-Flattened bodies, about 20-40 mm in length, and can vary from brownish to a pale color.
4. Pill Millipedes- Commonly known as a pill bug or roly poly, only 20 mm.
5. Spotter Millipedes-Commonly found in the gardens with potatoes, corn, or bulbs. These are thin and pale with red spots on the side.

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