ama7395
🎶If I had a millipede (million dollars) 🎵
This image captures the humble millipede attempting to protect itself as it was interrupted while scavenging for food in my trash. This image was taken on June 3rd at 1:52 pm. In the image one can see the the millipedes worm-looking, yellowish brown legs and the contortion it is making to protect them. This is not the first one that I have found in my home; I’ve recently come into contact with about 7 in the past week. This came as a surprise to me, because I usually think that insects invade the home during the winter to find food and escape the heat. After an amount of research, I discovered that millipedes are a common pest after great rains, practicing a regular weather dependent migration. During heavy rain storms, mostly in the spring and summer, millipedes, unable to fly or swim, trek the terrain in search of high ground to avoid drowning and escape erosion. This is not the normal migration of the millipede though. Millipedes are water-dependent creatures, constantly in search of environments that are humid enough to sustain them. For most of the year they migrate towards areas that accumulate moisture, outrunning the threat of dry air rather than heavy rains. This is what triggers their season based migration into homes during the fall. These critters invade in a parasitic sense benefitting off of human actions and being a nuisance. To be fair they are not too bad, they mostly eat dust and random debris, but they can damage plants and consume food. In addition, when a female finds a nice moist organically-ripe area, they have been known to lay hundreds of eggs. For those afraid of bug infestations, most of the time millipedes within a few days of entering the home after these heavy rains, due to the dryness of the air. This is the case with most of the millipedes I have found, but luckily I was able to scoop up this little guy and send him on his way outside, more than likely to find his way back into my house during the next rain.
chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/2015/07/millipedes-invading-homes-an...
www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?ident...
🎶If I had a millipede (million dollars) 🎵
This image captures the humble millipede attempting to protect itself as it was interrupted while scavenging for food in my trash. This image was taken on June 3rd at 1:52 pm. In the image one can see the the millipedes worm-looking, yellowish brown legs and the contortion it is making to protect them. This is not the first one that I have found in my home; I’ve recently come into contact with about 7 in the past week. This came as a surprise to me, because I usually think that insects invade the home during the winter to find food and escape the heat. After an amount of research, I discovered that millipedes are a common pest after great rains, practicing a regular weather dependent migration. During heavy rain storms, mostly in the spring and summer, millipedes, unable to fly or swim, trek the terrain in search of high ground to avoid drowning and escape erosion. This is not the normal migration of the millipede though. Millipedes are water-dependent creatures, constantly in search of environments that are humid enough to sustain them. For most of the year they migrate towards areas that accumulate moisture, outrunning the threat of dry air rather than heavy rains. This is what triggers their season based migration into homes during the fall. These critters invade in a parasitic sense benefitting off of human actions and being a nuisance. To be fair they are not too bad, they mostly eat dust and random debris, but they can damage plants and consume food. In addition, when a female finds a nice moist organically-ripe area, they have been known to lay hundreds of eggs. For those afraid of bug infestations, most of the time millipedes within a few days of entering the home after these heavy rains, due to the dryness of the air. This is the case with most of the millipedes I have found, but luckily I was able to scoop up this little guy and send him on his way outside, more than likely to find his way back into my house during the next rain.
chatham.ces.ncsu.edu/2015/07/millipedes-invading-homes-an...
www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.asp?ident...