Centipedes, Symphylids, and Millipedes – Creepy Crawlies In The GardenHow do you know whether you have centipedes, millipedes, or symphylids in your garden? It is important that you learn which is which so that you can appropriately control them or leave them alone. Not every creature that looks like a cross between a worm, an insect and a creature from outer space is a centipede. As I repeat endlessly (and not because I am senile-I’m a young 179 years old), to accurately deal with any creature in your garden, you need to know what it is, what it likes to eat and a bit about its life cycle. Only then can you really decide what you want to “do” with the creature. CentipedesCentipedes are arthropods. They have segmented bodies one pair of legs per segment. The legs are long in relation to the width of the body. For the most part, they are beneficial to gardeners. They are carnivores, so they eat insects in the garden that chew up your plants. Among their favorite meals are worms, slugs, snails and roaches. If you have too many, they can become a problem by nibbling on plant roots. If the populations in your yard grow to out of control proportions, you can try a couple of different methods to control them. Parasitic nematodes are one method of control. (Remember, nematodes that are harmful to animals are not harmful to plants.)You can also flood the area that is overwhelmed with them. Don't do it repeatedly, though, because the plants that they are chewing on don't like to be flooded either. You might just drown the plants along with the bugs. SymphylidsMany of you may not have ever heard of symphylids , or symphylans as they are called in my neck of woods, but chances are great that you have seen one in your garden. They look much like centipedes but are smaller and have fewer legs. An adult symphalid (symphylan) has 12 pairs of legs (in comparison to the adult centipede, which has 15 pairs).Most species of symphalids eat decaying plants, but have a particular appetite for young root tips. That can severely damage your young plants if you have too many of these bad guys in your garden. Because they dwell in the soil, control mechanisms are similar to control mechanism for the other arthropods. Flooding can be effective in decreasing the population. While populations are high, limit the addition of organic matter . Limiting the food supply limits the increase of the pest. While these are the most damaging in the garden, a reasonable population is acceptable. To judge whether you have too many, take a shovel full of garden soil and break it up on a large piece of cardboard. If you find fewer than 10 per shovel full, you don’t have an epidemic. More than that requires action. There is no pesticide available to home gardeners that will control this pest, and that is a poisonous solution that you don’t want in your vegetable garden anyway. Do one or more of the following:
MillipedesMillipedes are happiest in damp, shady areas of the garden. Millipedes have rounded bodies, as compared to centipedes, which are flatter. Because they like to eat composting materials, you are more likely to see a lot of millipedes in areas where there is rotting fruit, compost or leaves.Millipedes can be very beneficial in the compost pile, helping to break down the compost. In the garden, if you wish to keep millipedes from reaching high population levels, you need to remove any rotting fruits or vegetables that attract millipedes. As I said when I started, none of these insects are too harmful to the garden unless they reach out-of-control levels. At that point, you can take several cultural steps to lower the populations for all three. Happy gardening, Geefrank
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