Millipedes usually live in and around damp areas, such as garden mulch and under rocks, bark, and other debris. They are mostly nocturnal, and they eat the damp material they live around. During cold weather, millipedes actually burrow into the ground to survive. Millipedes have a unique defense mechanism. They wind up into a coil, and emit repugnant fluids and odors. Some can even emit small amounts of toxic cyanide fumes. They also molt as they grow, adding legged segments to the body each time. Each segment has two pairs of legs. The many species vary widely in length, and some varieties can reach two to three inches in size. Since millipedes actually eat decaying matter, they are not a plant pest, and are actually helpful to the soil. Under ideal conditions they may develop annoying swarms, however.

Life Cycle:

Between 20 and 300 eggs are laid. Larvae hatch from the eggs, and go through several larval instars where they keep increasing their number of legs and/or segments. After they reach the full number, they go through four more adolescent stages to reach maturity, which may take a couple of years. Overall, they may live for 5-6 years or more.

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