Millipede Control: How To Get Rid of Millipedes

This page is a general Millipede control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Millipedes. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Millipedes.

If you have a garden or lawn, you may eventually come across a Millipede. Millipedes are practically harmless and can actually be quite beneficial to nature due to their habit of eating dead and decaying plants as well as smaller insects. Too many of them around, though, can become a problem.

Millipedes are usually found outdoors, near the garden and lawn, but in some instances, they can venture indoors and will usually be found near moisture. This could include garages, basements, and crawl spaces. Millipedes will often enter homes when their habitats get flooded or become too dry. In search of more suitable habitats, they mistakenly go inside homes and this one of the reasons why you might be facing an infestation.

Although Millipedes do not bite, sting, transmit disease or even cause structural damage, some species have been known to release a liquid that can be irritating to eyes and skin. This is why all Millipedes should be handled with gloves when being removed.

If you are dealing with Millipedes invading your property, our DIY Millipede Control guide below can help. Read on to learn more about Millipedes and what the best way is to eliminate them from your property using our expert tips and product recommendations.

Identification

Before gearing up for treatment, it is important to first properly identify the problem pest to be certain that it is a Millipede. Millipedes are often confused with the similarly named Centipede. While they may look alike, there are distinguishing traits that set them apart.

Common Millipedes range between 0.5 to 2 inches long and they have a tube-like body that is often brown or black but can vary and be red or white as well. Their antennae are relatively short and they have two legs per body segment. The number of legs a Millipede can have can range between 40 to as much as 400.

Centipedes, on the other hand, are usually larger, growing up to as much as 6 inches in length. They have flatter bodies and are yellow-brown in color. Their antennae are longer and they have one pair of long legs per body segment.

Use the image and description above to properly identify Millipedes on your property. If you are not totally sure, contact us and our representatives will try to assist you with proper identification.

Inspection

After you have confirmed that you are dealing with Millipedes, you should move on to an inspection to locate where the Millipedes are most active and the conducive conditions that are attracting Millipedes to your property in the first place.

Where To Inspect

Indoors, focus your search in areas where there may be high humidity such as basements, garages, and first-floor areas. Outdoors, you should look in the yard, in mulched areas, stones, bricks, woodpiles, leaf litter, and in moist soil.

What To Look For

You're looking for Millipedes and areas where moisture collects. In the basement and garage, move boxes and general clutter aside. If there are any areas in the basements and garage where moisture collects, these areas will need to be addressed. In the yard, look inside woodpiles, yard debris, leaf litter, stones, bricks, and mulched areas.

Oftentimes, when moving around yard debris you will locate major nesting and breeding sites. If you have found areas prone to creating moisture both inside and outside and the Millipedes themselves, this is where you will need to focus your pesticide application.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Millipede activity and the conducive conditions attracting them it is time to begin treatment. Remember to first read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment.

To treat for Millipedes you will need to use insecticides labeled for Millipede Control like Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, D-Fense Dust and Supreme I/T. Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules and Supreme IT should be used outdoors to treat Millipedes and keep them from venturing indoors. Indoors,  D-Fense Dust and Supreme should be used to control Millipedes that have made their way inside the structure.

Step 1 - Outdoor Treatment with Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules

Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules are a granular insecticide labeled to treat many different common household insects, including Millipedes. Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules has a residual effect that can last up to 3 months and can be broadcast over your entire yard to address the Millipede infestation.

Start by determining how much Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules you will need for treatment by calculating the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure and multiply the area length times the width (length x width = square footage).

The typical application rate is 2.3 to 4.6 pounds of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to treat 1,000 square feet of lawn.

To broadcast the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, load your spreader with the proper amount of product based on your calculations and evenly distribute over your treatment area. Broadcast half your granules in parallel lines once across the area and then broadcast the other half at a perpendicular angle to cover the area entirely.

Once the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules has been broadcast, it will need to be watered in to be activated and pushed down into the soil.

Step 2 - Apply Supreme IT

Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum insecticide that is labeled for treating many pests, including Millipedes. It works great as a barrier treatment to keep pests away because it has a long residual effect that continues to kill for up to 90 days after application. 

To apply Supreme IT, simply mix water in a 1-gallon hand pump sprayer then add Supreme IT at a rate of 0.33 to 1 fl. oz. per gallon to cover 1,000 sq. ft. Start by filling the sprayer halfway with water, add the appropriate amount of Supreme IT based on the areas square footage, then fill with the remaining half gallon of water before closing the lid and agitating. Pump your sprayer a couple of times to produce a low-pressure spray.

Spray around the entire perimeter of your home, focusing on window frames, door frames, garage doors, eaves, soffits, and small cracks and crevices at ground level where Millipedes might enter. It is recommended to spray 3 feet up your structure's foundation and 3 feet out. 

Step 3 - Indoor Treatment with Supreme IT and D-Fense Dust

Now you're ready to apply treatment indoors. You will use Supreme IT and D-Fense Dust. Supreme IT will be used as a spot and crack and crevice treatment to create an interior barrier that will repel Millipedes.

Use the Supreme IT at the same application rate of 0.33 to 1 fl. oz. per 1,000 sq. ft. indoors. You'll want to use Supreme IT as a spot treatment or crack and crevice application along baseboards, in garages, basements, in closets, under furniture and appliances, around plumbing and anywhere else where you have noticed Millipede activity.

D-Fense Dust

D-Fense Dust is a moisture-resistant insecticidal dust that is perfect to apply in moisture-prone areas (voids, cracks & crevices, etc) that Millipedes are attracted to. D-Fense Dust also has a long residual (or long-term effects) that will last up to 8 months.

To use D-Fense Dust you will need a handheld duster. Fill the duster halfway with D-Fense Dust making sure to leave lots of room for air to circulate inside the duster. Holding the duster with the cap facing upside down, you will want to apply in cracks and crevices and small openings in the rooms where you have noticed Millipedes. You should also apply under sinks and appliances as these are prime areas where moisture may accumulate and Millipedes will be found.

Prevention

If you don't want Millipedes to be a reoccurring problem, you will need to implement some preventative measures to exclude them from your property and eliminate conducive conditions indoors and outdoors that attract them to your home.

Start by sealing off cracks and crevices around your home. Use Caulk, Stuf-fit Copper Mesh, pest control foam to completely seal and block off the entry points into your home. By sealing these entry points you will make it harder for Millipedes to come indoors. Consider repairing or adding weather stripping to your doors and windows. This will go a long way in keeping bugs that might crawl under the door out. 

Address any moisture issues within your home such as plumbing leaks and dampness, and outdoors reduce mulch and leaf litter. Rake and dethatch your lawn to reduce the chances of moisture accumulation and trim tree branches to reduce shade.

Finally, you can reapply Supreme IT every 3 months and Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules every 3 months to have protection all year long.

Key Takeaways

What are Millipedes?

• Millipedes are a nuisance pest that often frequents a yard or sneaks indoors because of moisture that attracts them.
• Millipedes can especially be a problem when the weather outside starts getting cold as they look for a warm place to spend the winter. If there is excessive rain, it triggers them to move into residences for shelter.

How To Get Rid of Millipedes in Your Home

• To control Millipedes, we recommend applying Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules out in your yard and using Supreme IT as a barrier and crack and crevice treatment to keep them away.
• Apply D-Fense Dust to address Millipedes that crawl into voids and hard to treat areas.

Preventing Millipede Reinfestation

• Prevent Millipede reinfestation by sealing cracks and crevices outside your property and applying preventative treatments of Supreme IT and Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules.