I got a message from someone asking about "wiggly squiggly things about an inch long with lots of legs" inside their home. I knew what it was right away. Millipedes!

If you don't already know, let me relieve any fears you might have right from the start. They will not hurt, bite, or sting you. They will however, annoy you to distraction.

The invasion will let you know that you have week spots in your home's defenses. How do they get inside? Most experts say that they come in near the ground level, and that is true in many cases. They can come in through holes in your home like the openings around power and communication cables and plumbing pipes.

Anyone who has ever walked under a tree and had them drop on you, or cleaned out their gutters, and found them by the dozens, knows that they can also come inside from other places. In fact, gutters seem to be where the majority of them start the home invasion.

To prevent millipedes from coming inside, keep your landscape mulch away from your home's foundation, seal all the interior and exterior openings, and clean out the gutters, and cut tree limbs away from the roof. For more information on keeping bugs out of your house, see: Bug Prevention in the Home