Pest Control Houston TX — Millipede Pest Control…
Millipedes are Major Creepy Crawlies.
Houston millipedes or “thousand leggers” are brown/black wormy little creatures about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long with many legs.
They are slow crawlers yet can crawl around and cover from a few inches to several feet per minute. During rest millipeds tend to curl up. They’re most active at night.
Most often miillipedes prefer being outdoors under and around leaf litter, mulch and moist decaying matter.
Sometimes, however, millipedes do migrate indoorsand become a real nuisance. Invasions may range from light, infrequent activity to massive and seemingly non-stop movement.
Weather changes or extremes may cause millipedes to move about seeking moisture or to escape rising ground water or heavy rains which can push them into structures and dwellings. Once indoors, they often may crawl up walls, across ceilings and fall off onto the floor.
Epidemic populationsin the Houstonarea do occur every few years and this heavy activity can persist for several weeks especially in the more wooded areas around town.
Millipede species in Houston do not bite and are not a health hazard but they are bothersome and messy. And crushed millipedes can stain and produce quite a foul odor.
Residual spray treatment indoors will usually kill millipedes within 5-6 hours of contacting the control product. But since millipedes cannot tolerate a dry indoor environment for long, they often end up curling up and dying from dehydration aloneusually within a day or two regardless of indoor treatment.
The most effective approachfor millipede control is removing/ reducingas much as practical outdoor breeding areassuch as leaf litter, clutter, compost heaps, rotting firewood and overly moist areas. Water lawns in the AM and don’t over water.
If activity does not clear up in a few days, you may want to consider millipede treatment. A spray and granular band treatmentapplication around the perimeter of the structure can be made to reduce activity. A repeat booster application in 10-14 days may be necessary in cases of heavy invasion due to hatch cycles and during natural migration and seasonal mating movement.
Even with thorough treatment, some millipedes may make it indoors before dying off as safe products do not provide instant kill. Frequent vacummingwill help remove millipedes indoors during migration periods.
Protex Pest Control technicians are experts in Houston millipede control . We can help – Give us a call today!
