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Millipedes in my house plants

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hello,

Last August, I finally got rid of all my artificial plants and bought REAL house plants! Yeah! I was so happy because they looked so much better and my kids loved seeing new leaves grow every few days. I bought a Peace Lily, a Cateracterum Palm and a White Bird of Paradise. Well, by late Dec I noticed I started getting millipedes in my house specifically in the rooms the plants were. We couldn't figure out where they were coming from and by Feb we realized they were in the plants. We noticed that the Peace Lily was FULL of millipedes and the other 2 plants had some too but not as much. I changed the soil in the Peace Lily (unfortunately it was so cold out that the leaves on the plant died in 5 min that I took it out...hoping it comes back to life). Today, however, I noticed there are more millipedes in the new soil. I have put DE in the plants and it has helped, however, they are still coming back. What do I do to get rid of these horrible bugs? I don't want to have to throw away my plants!!! Thank you!!!

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Comments (3)

daviderin7
9 years ago
From what I know of millipedes, they prefer moist environments, and to feed on dead and decaying plant material - I see them most often around the edges of my compost pile. I wonder if you are perhaps overwatering your houseplants? Typically, they are considered beneficial insects.

I would suggest starting by watering less, letting the soil dry out to the touch before watering again. Also - one more thing to check - are your plants always standing in water?
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samira71w
Original Author
9 years ago
Thank you for your response. I don't have drainage holes on the bottom of my planters so yes, i guess the water would be standing for a bit. We had gone on vacation for 9 days so I did over water before leaving and when we returned, started seeing the millipedes. How did they get in the plants and where did they come from?
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You should do a google image search and figure out what these are. I can never remember the difference between centipedes and millipedes, so I googled it: 'Centipedes are beneficial in the garden because they prey upon other insects. Millipedes are fine in the garden, since they mostly eat rotting detritus.' If you have millepedes in a second floor, you might have a serious problem with moisture behind the walls or under the roof somewhere. If I found these in my house, I'd want to do some scouting to find out what they might be eating. Good luck - I know how creepy it is to find insects in your house! We recently had a problem with a light timer that was supposed to control the light at the front door. When the electrician took it out of the wall, the whole switch area was full of tiny ants. I still can't touch that switch without thinking about what might be behind the wall.
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larry_gene
9 years ago
Adult millipedes likely came from eggs or larvae in the potting soil when the plants were purchased.

Try this: http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/mreenhou.html

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