Millipedes: 3 Most Effective Ways to Control Pests in the Garden

The millipede, or julid, is a millipede-like worm with a strong, segmented calcium shell. It is an ancient fossil, dating back over 50 million years. Under normal conditions, it lives in the upper soil layer or forest litter, where organic matter and waste are abundant, serving as its primary food source.

In fact, it's omnivorous and very voracious (its daily diet exceeds its body weight by 1.5-2 times). It dislikes dryness, heat, and direct sunlight. It prefers rich moisture and shade. It thrives in gardens, shrubbery, flowerbeds, vegetable patches, and vegetable gardens, where it multiplies rapidly.

It readily feeds on roots, bulbs, seedlings, berries, and fruits located close to the soil. It is most active in the late evening, at night, early morning (during dew), and on cloudy and rainy days.

Harm and benefit

While not dangerous to humans, they can secrete a foul-smelling, pungent, and weather- and wash-resistant substance from their entire body (a natural defense mechanism). The beneficial effects of this massive centipede are similar to those of an earthworm—recycling organic matter and further loosening the soil for better aeration. However, unlike their harmless cousins, yulids readily abandon their normal diet in favor of juicy garden fruits, roots, and leaves.

The following are the first to suffer:

• turnip, radish, horseradish;
• flower bulbs;
• beets, cabbage, potatoes;
• carrots, strawberries, wild strawberries;
• beets, rutabaga, Jerusalem artichoke.

Melons and legumes, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini, and tomatoes are less susceptible to damage.

How to get rid of

The difficulty of controlling millipedes is due to their exceptionally strong immune system, impenetrable "armor," and rapid adaptability to changing conditions. If the millipede feels uncomfortable, it burrows deeper into the soil, curls into a tight spiral, and enters an energy-saving state of comatose dormancy.

The problem can only be effectively addressed through a comprehensive approach, with timely prevention in early spring, when the insects are in hibernation. Subsequently, technical, agronomic, and biological measures should be regularly implemented, with prevention repeated in late autumn.

Deep digging and green manure

For wintering, centipedes need dense, uncultivated soil. To reduce insect numbers, dig the soil deeply in the spring (as early as possible). At the beginning of the gardening season, cold is the most effective remedy against larvae and adults.

If weather conditions permit, you can sow cruciferous green manure (rapeseed, mustard, rapeseed) immediately. Even small seedlings will repel pests and improve the nutrient supply before planting the main crops.

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Abundant mulching

A thick layer of straw or wood mulch mixed with cardboard shreds effectively protects seedlings and mature plants from this voracious pest, providing them with an abundant food source. Compost and turfed paths between beds are also used for the same purpose.

Unfortunately, the favorable factors for centipedes and garden crops are the same:

• sufficient moisture;
• lots of organic matter;
• warmth and no drafts.

It is better to provide the worms with enough other “tasty” food, which they will process into an easily digestible and environmentally friendly fertilizer.

Long-lasting traps

One of the most effective methods of controlling and preventing millipedes in spring, summer, and fall is to create artificial traps. To do this, dig trenches or holes 1-1.5 spade depths deep and fill them with vegetable peelings (carrots, beets, and potatoes).

Cardboard, a piece of slate, and a bunch of leaves are used as a three-layer lid.

Every 4-7 days, the traps should be inspected, emptying any vegetable scraps and insects into a bucket. Then, fresh bait is added, and the cycle repeats. An alternative method for controlling and preventing millipedes is a disposable trap made from a shaded and damp cardboard box.

The mechanism of its operation is very simple and clear:

• the container is filled with sawdust, peelings, rotted leaves, bark, and scraps of paper;
• moisten the mixture well;
• sheet material (a piece of slate, old linoleum, plywood) is placed on top;
• set the trap under a bush or other shading object;
• Once a week, water the soil around the perimeter of the box.

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Millipedes love plant fibers and wood cellulose. A high food concentration (a cardboard box with a thick layer of organic matter) and the additional heat from rotting are ideal for millipede reproduction.

It takes 18-20 days for the eggs to develop into larvae. Once a month, the egg case should be burned and replaced with a new one. In practice, such a trap can accumulate up to a hundred adult and several thousand "juvenile" pests within 3-4 weeks.

Preventing and controlling millipedes in the spring requires patience, precision, and ingenuity. The insect is relatively resistant to normal doses of insecticides and other hazardous pesticides. To reduce millipede infestations, it's important to dig the soil in a timely manner to disrupt comfortable wintering conditions (late fall, early spring), plant green manure, and set traps.