Knowledgebase
Home Pests #871880
Asked June 06, 2024, 12:38 PM EDT
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
As with any insect (or in this case, arthropod) that finds its way inside as a nuisance pest, the key is exclusion. Sealing gaps and cracks with caulk or expanding foam, checking vent covers and pipe entry points on exterior walls for sealant needs, and fixing any torn window screening or worn-out door weather-stripping can all help to deny them access to the inside. If anything that retains moisture is piled against the foundation or near a doorway, like a thick layer of leaf litter, a compost pile, a firewood stack, or if there is a roof downspout outlet that empties close to the building, that can all create conditions appealing to darkness- and moisture-seeking organisms like millipedes. A garage door might be harder to seal, since the seals on the sides or base might not be snug or dense enough to exclude something this small and slender, but it might be worth inspecting to see if there are obvious gaps from cracked or missing material.
We do not recommend (re-)treating the pavement with any chemical insecticide or repellent, and a pesticide is not needed indoors either (nor would one be very effective). Aside from potentially not working, as seems to be the case here, an exterior application might harm beneficial insects or pollinators that come into contact with the spray residues.
Miri
Miri