What are millipedes?
Millipedes are not insects. Millipedes belong to the arthropod class Diplopoda which means “two footed” or “double footed.” The class name refers to the fact that most body segments support two pairs of legs. Millipedes should not be confused with centipedes which bear only one pair of legs per body segment. There are about 1,000 different kinds of millipedes. The one that has been most troublesome to homeowners in Alabama is the common garden millipede. The garden millipede is brown-black and about 1/2 to 3/4 inch long and 1/16 inch wide (Figure 2). Millipedes prefer to live in moist places, including under large rocks, beneath pine bark or straw mulch, in well-kept lawns, and under wood. They lay their eggs in the soil during the spring and summer and usually overwinter as adults. We do not know why millipedes migrate, but we believe it is in response to food and moisture. Figure 2. The common garden millipede. Do millipedes bite or sting? No, millipedes do not bite or sting. (Centip
