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Tag: millipede

  • Bumblebee Millipede: The Complete Guide for American Homes

    Bumblebee Millipede: The Complete Guide for American Homes

    Are you a person who once caught the image of a very rude and yellow-and-black living being in your backyard, or even lurking on your floor? If so, you have probably seen the bumblebee millipede. This amazing millipede has appealed to nature enthusiasts as well as the individuals who are concerned with household bugs in the United States. In this detailed explanation, we are going to discuss everything you must know about it, i.e. what the bumblebee millipede is, it is a matter of concern when a bumblebee millipede is in the house and most importantly: Are millipedes harmful? Also, you will find out whether the bumblebee millipede can bite and what it implies for your health or comfort at home.

    Understand bumblebee millipede

    The bold, bright yellow-colored bands interspersed with dark black colour that appears to have a bumblebee colouration characteristic features made this bumblebee millipede (Anadenobolus monilicornis) its signature name. Originally native to the Caribbean and southern region of South America, this tenacious millipede was accidentally introduce to the tail of the United States, or to be more specific, Florida, where it lives in and thrives on leaf litter, gardens, and subtropical forests.

    Bumblebee-Millipede

    Bumblebee millipede is physically small relative to other species and typically measures a maximum of 4in (10cm) in size. Again, like all millipedes, it has many legs (up to hundreds!), but does not move very fast despite so many feet. It has a hard exoskeleton made up of protein, chitin and calcium carbonate, and it sheds periodically to enable it to increase in size.

    These insects are for the natural ecological environment. The bumblebee millipede is a decaying debris-eating animal that feeds the dead leaves, wood and other plant material in your yard or garden, breaking down into smaller compounds. They do this and other leaf litter and recycling do nearly 25% annually, where the population of earthworms are pale; thus, they play an important role in the vital soil.

    Bumblebee millipede in house

    It is not unusual to see a bumblebee millipede in house, although it may be surprising in its context. Generally, these insects come in small numbers only, and if they are there, it is most probably they are just searching for water or shelter from the heavy rain outside. They are not suitable as house pets because houses lack the high moisture that these millipedes require for life, and they are most probably going to become extinct very soon.

    Most times, when you find a bumblebee millipede in your house, you get rid of the uninvited guest just by carrying it outside again. Millipedes are not the ones that destroy structures, and they also do not eat food and other things that they do not need in the house. It is normally not dangerous to your pets, children, and property, as they are usually temporary when at home.

    Are millipedes dangerous

    Are millipedes Dangerous? Put it another way, millipedes do not pose any harm to human beings, pets or property. In contrast, the bumblebee millipede and other millipedes do not bite or sting, though, unlike their close cousins, centipedes, which can bite and inject their venom. Rather, when threatened, their first natural means of defence is to wind into a tight spiral in order either to protect themselves, or to emit a mild chemical fluid by special glands all over their bodies. Such a secretion does not necessarily smell strongly, and sometimes, on rare occasions, the sensitive skin gets irritated or becomes slightly discoloured when the casual fluid enters the eyes.

    Most individuals only need to wash their hands using soap and water after contact with a millipede in order to get rid of the secretion. Allergic reactions are very uncommon and manifest as mild red patches or itching in the worst cases.

    Millipede

    Bumblebee Millipede Bite—Do They Bite and What Happens?

    Among the common questions is whether you should be concerned about a bumblebee millipede bite. The solution: Bumblebee millipedes (and all millipedes) have so weak limbs that they are unable to bite people or bigger animals. Their mouths are made simply to scrape the soft, decaying plant material.

    The millipede bumblebee defense is only chemical secretory and not a bite. It may bring slight skin irritation or even a slight allergic reaction. Eyes should not be in direct contact with the chemicals because even when they may be irritating, the effects may be temporary. The only exception is that if you accidentally burn or develop rashes or skin discolouration after touching a bumblebee millipede, in a very unlikely event, you have to simply wash the area and apply some soothing cream on your skin. There are almost no serious effects; the secretion is not poisonous to pets or humans in the minute quantities produced by such animals.

    Key takeaways:

    • The bumblebee millipede is not a biting animal.
    • A reaction caused by touching them could lead to a chemical defence release-just wash your hands in case of irritation.
    • They are not harmful and cause no major health-related threat.

    Conclusion

    To sum up, bumblebee millipedes are a vividly coloured, good insect that is occasionally found in American houses, but they are not a danger to people, animals, or property. Nevertheless, if you happen to see a bumblebee millipede in your house, it will be a fact of no harm and certainly from your garden or yard rather than that of a pest for which intensive control is necessary. In the first place, are millipedes dangerous? But, to fight against those pests and keep our lawn fresh, the answer is: “No, No”, these peaceful recyclers serve a purpose to save our natural world.

    If you wish for more expert advice or pest treatments that are specifically designed according to your needs, visit SayNoPest—your trusted supplier of intelligent, science-driven pest control and the most current knowledge to keep your home protected and comfortable.

  • What Do Millipedes Eat

    What Do Millipedes Eat

    The question of what do millipedes eat is an important one to ask. This can give us a lot of information about these interesting arthropods that are very important to the health of the ecosystem. Shocked right?   Millipedes are the nature’s helpers because they decompose organic matter and return nutrients to the soil.

    Introduction

    Millipedes are animals that fall under the class Diplopoda. They are very easily seen decomposes in the terrestrial ecosystems. These multi-legged arthropods, have different feeding habits that make them the primary contributors to the environmental health. Many people consider them as pests but knowing what do millipedes eat can open our eyes to the fact that they are a part of the recycling system of nature.

    What Do Millipedes Eat

    Millipedes are mainly detritivores. They consume decaying organic matter, and not animals. Major part of their diet is made up of decaying plants, such as rotten wood, fallen leaves, and decomposing vegetables.

    Millipedes mostly consume dead and decomposing plant materials such as fallen leaves, rotting wood, and bark. All of the food they consume should be moist to some extent.

    They go after water, cow manure, clippings of lawn, and fruits that have started to decay. When these best sources get depleted, millipedes turn to plants, fungi, and fresh fruits to obtain their nourishment. They generally supplement their diet with old grasses, stems, and flower parts that they break down and thus become a part of the natural recycling process.

    They mainly consume fungi and mushrooms, especially when the other food sources are not that easily available.

    Millipedes, being vegetarian animals, are some of the few times that they may eat the remains of small animals like insects, worms, or snails, but such cases are very rare.

    Once they have shed their skin, they consume it to replace the minerals lost such as calcium and even eat their own feces to ensure that they have absorbed all the remaining nutrients. They are more active and feed more in the rainy season because their feeding habits are dependent on moisture.

    In general, millipedes are responsible for the decomposition of dead materials and soil enrichment.

    10 Interesting Facts about Millipedes

    Millipedes have definitely interesting characteristics that make them one of a kind among the arthropods:

    1. Millipedes are the ancient and modern representatives of the terrestrial fauna from 428 million years ago. The first known millipede was only 1 cm long.
    2. Although they are labeled as “thousand feet” in their name. But no millipede species even comes close to having 1,000 legs.
    3. Millipedes have the most interesting and unique defensive mechanisms. They become a solid ball when one of their parts is touched to protect their soft underparts.
    4. Millipedes develop through a quite complicated process called anamorphosis, during which they shed their skin 7-10 times before reaching sexual maturity. Each shed adds new segments and legs to the body, with young ones starting off with three pairs of legs only.
    5. Vast and diverse millipedes of the past, for example, Arthropleura, could compete with giant animals of today in length that surpassed 2m.

    A Few More Facts about Millipedes

    1. Millipedes are able to live very lengthy lives, with their lifespan being 2 to 15 years depending on the species.
    2. The lifespan of the giant African millipedes is 15 years, while those of North American species are 2-3 years on average.
    3. Female millipedes lay 10 to 300 eggs in a breeding season. To protect the eggs, which are the developing offspring, they make nests out of the soil or the decaying matter of plants.
    4. Millipedes ecosytem engineers, are causing great changes in soil structure and nutrient cycling in the environment. Through their feeding, fungi and bacteria get the larger pieces of plant material broken up so they can continue reprocessing it further, as if it were smaller particles.
    5. The millipede genus exhibits a variety so wide that it is challenging to number them. Because of their diversity only 12,000 species of millipede have been described so far. The real number is way higher than 12000. New species appear constantly in different ecological niches.

    Conclusion

    For the people facing an invasion of millipedes, it is important to have in mind that recognizing the general habits of millipedes such as what do millipedes eat, etc can help you find some new methods of pest control. Make sure the methods are environmentally friendly and at the same time, you should still be in fovour of the recycling forces of the Nature rather than opposing them.