Millipede Control – You Can Get Rid of These Pests in Your Home
Millipede Control is as important as keeping your yard clean and debris free after a storm or a severe rain. Millipedes live outdoors, but they also come inside if you put them in your yard. Here are some tips to help you control the population of these pesky arachnids.
What exactly is millipede control? While they usually live outdoors, they can come inside of your home for two reasons: for food during dry winters or in need of protection after heavy storms or rains. When you see evidence of millipeds in your yard, it’s highly likely they’re breeding somewhere in the wood. A common place to find them is in decaying wood, especially near foundations.
The first tip for millipede control involves how you should handle infested wood. It’s wise to never nail, saw, or grind wood to eliminate this pest. They will also stay in warm, damp places, so you should ensure that wood doors, windows, cabinets, and basement floors are sealed. You should also make sure you keep areas that are near creeks and water sources clean and dry to prevent them from being humidified.
Cracks around doors and windows are a common source for millipede eggs, which are then attracted to rotting wood and other sources of food. This means cracks around doors and windows should be sealed to discourage the insects. Millipedes will also seek out dark, moist places, so the best way to control them outdoors is to seal off such areas. For example, around doors and windows, you could paint door handles to match your trim color or cover them with caulk to keep moisture from seeping in.
Although millipedes do not feed on humans, their bites can still be dangerous. If you come into contact with a millipede, wash your hands immediately to avoid having stung skin. You can purchase bifen and d-fense dusts to use as a protective spray against the insects. These dusts are highly effective because they contain fenestration components which prevent millipedes and other arthropods from entering spaces where aerosol insecticides are present. These products are available at most home and gardening stores and are usually sold under the name “microwave safe” and are labeled for just that purpose.
Outside of homes, there are many other ways to apply millipede control. Because they lay their eggs in dark, moist environments, it’s important to apply baits that will kill the insects while also protecting people from them. Baits can be in the form of liquid pesticides, dusts, or granular insecticides. Liquid pesticides are applied to the outside of structures or on the ground in areas where moisture may be present. Dusts can be applied to plants and into areas where moisture may be present, such as on the outside of doors and windows. Granular insecticides can be placed in tunnels and protected from the elements as well as placed directly on the outside of structures.
When it comes to treating indoor infestations, you can find many products that can kill the adult insects, as well as prevent the young ones from reproducing. Common pest control products like roaches and spiders contain toxins that destroy the reproductive organs of the pests, preventing them from being able to reproduce. Many products on the market today also contain fenestration components to prevent moisture from penetrating the substrate. Some common indoor pests like bed bugs also have mouth parts that can pierce barriers like sheet metal. Mothballs can be placed underneath furniture and behind appliances to keep these pesky creatures away.
Millipedes can infest homes in a variety of places. They can be found living in soil, inside houses, attics, crawl spaces, and basements. To get rid of them, you need to know how to eliminate their habitat. When you do that, you will be able to effectively control your millipede population.