Millipedes are scavenger pests that thrive in damp places around your home such as flowerbeds, mulch piles, compost piles, and around foundations. They often make their way into your home in search of shelter or water. Inside your home you will often find them in areas near moisture such as the laundry room or crawlspace.

Millipedes can be difficult to control. They look like worms with legs and feed on decaying plant material. They aren’t harmful, though, and don’t bite. They also won’t cause any significant damage to your home.

Here are 10 ways to get rid of millipedes in your home:

  1. Seal any cracks and crevices in your home’s foundation, around wiring and around plumbing where millipedes can enter. Seal the expansion joints where patios, sunrooms, and sidewalks are next to your foundation and also along the walls of your basement.
  2. Repair any leaks you find in the home, including leaky faucets, water pipes, and air conditioning units.
  3. Use a dehumidifier to keep the air dry in your home and use fans in rooms that don’t have good airflow.
  4. Reduce the humidity in your house by enclosing your crawlspace or in your basement by providing adequate ventilation.
  5. Clean out and remove debris from gutters or consider installing gutter guards to prevent clogs. Make sure gutters, downspouts, and splash blocks are properly functioning and diverting water away from foundation walls.
  6. Keep your yard clean by removing dead plant matter, piles of leaves or mulch, grass clippings, rotting wood, and woodpiles, especially those that are directly against your foundation walls.
  7. Keep your grass mowed short and dethatch your lawn.
  8. Avoid overwatering your lawn and try to water in the morning versus at night so the grass has time to dry out before nightfall. Adjust your sprinkler system to minimize water pooling up on your lawn.
  9. Take preventative pest-proofing measures in your home by adding thresholds and weatherstripping around doors and windows and caulking or sealing any other openings to keep pests out.
  10. Call a professional pest control company who can thoroughly inspect your home for potential entry points and help you with a treatment and prevention plan to keep millipedes out.