The instinct to squash a millipede if you discover one in your home is hard to resist, but recent evidence suggests that killing a house millipede may not be the best decision.
Millipedes typically thrive in dark, damp areas and often appear in bathrooms or basements. When encountering them, many people instinctively want to squash them or flee.
What makes millipedes so disturbing to us is that they are also effective predators of other pests. Their speed and agility allow them to hunt various insects.
It can be frightening to see a millipede scurrying across your bathroom floor in the middle of the night, but it can be reassuring to know that these creatures help keep your home free of pests like cockroaches, spiders and ants.
Millipedes have an insatiable appetite for these insects, making them valuable allies in preventing infestations.
For those who still want to get rid of these creatures, reducing the humidity in your home and trapping the creatures in glass containers are some humane options. You can then release the millipede in a more suitable outdoor environment, such as an area with moist soil or rocks.
It is also important to know that millipedes are harmless to humans. Unlike some of their relatives, they are not poisonous and cannot bite human skin. The tiny amount of poison they possess only works against their tiny prey, which is why they are useful in controlling unwanted pests.