millipedes

johnd123

hi all has anyone any idea why there is an infestation of millipedes for the last two or three years
they are coming in to my sheds and now house hundreds of them
is there any way to stop them etc
any advice welcome

amandstu

Is there any way you can properly seal the (mainly ground level) entrances so they can't get in ? (it is probably at night that they move around)

I think they are more a nuisance than a harm (although I think their bodies contain strong chemicals , and so you can irritate your eyes if they get onto your hands-I had dry eyes for several weeks as a result of killing them manually ,for no good reason in the garden)

They seem to love living under debris and stacks of wood etc.

I think there are chemical treatments but they are not really advised .

I have actually found that this year they are far less numerous than previous years.

johnd123

thanks for reply the house is reasonably well sealed but obviously not good enough im curious as to why they seem to be around for the last few years and havent seen them before

amandstu

johnd123 wrote: »

thanks for reply the house is reasonably well sealed but obviously not good enough im curious as to why they seem to be around for the last few years and havent seen them before

Have you introduced places for them to shelter near the outside of the house ?(not just the shed,is it?)

I have done this by stacking wood near the house . I have noticed this practice can import hundreds of them very quickly.

Or just vegetation . They can live under stones (damp places seem to be best).

If I go out at night they will be crawling up the exterior walls up to 8 feet or more.

my3cents

We used to have our cottage walls almost black with millipedes at night but we now keep chickens in the yard and millipede numbers are greatly reduced.

amandstu

my3cents wrote: »

We used to have our cottage walls almost black with millipedes at night but we now keep chickens in the yard and millipede numbers are greatly reduced.

That is some digestive system they must have. It is a really pungent unpleasant smell you get from those beasts.

I have to kill them in the house at night sometimes when they get bad and almost have to beat a retreat as a result of the gas in the air as a result (I use a knife on them against the tiles and hoover them up later)

my3cents

amandstu wrote: »

That is some digestive system they must have. It is a really pungent unpleasant smell you get from those beasts.

I have to kill them in the house at night sometimes when they get bad and almost have to beat a retreat as a result of the gas in the air as a result (I use a knife on them against the tiles and hoover them up later)

I'm not even sure the chickens eat them I suspect they disturb the places they hide at night and eat the eggs. However given that I watched a hen swallowing a small dead mouse, that the cat had probably killed, hole today I don't think they worry much about what the food tastes like.

magicbastarder

i've definitely seen our hens eating woodlice and pill millipedes - i suspect millipedes would be on the menu.

amandstu

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've definitely seen our hens eating woodlice and pill millipedes - i suspect millipedes would be on the menu.

I suspect their "scales"/segments might not dissolve in the gastric juices(if chickens have that) and so they might need to be broken open (and we all know about hens' teeth:) )

But the same might apply to the pill millipedes ,I suppose.

magicbastarder

amandstu wrote: »

I suspect their "scales"/segments might not dissolve in the gastric juices(if chickens have that) and so they might need to be broken open

hens have gizzards, though.

amandstu

magicbastarder wrote: »

hens have gizzards, though.

I see (live and learn):)