Q: We are being inundated with large millipedes in our house. We have a number of landscape beds filled with composed mulch. Any connection?

R.C., Miami

There is a large specimen called the yellow-banded millipede that causes many homeowners concern since they climb walls and come into the house through cracks and holes in walls. They may be attracted to light, so keep outdoor lights off unless they are needed. To learn more about this millipede, visit UF website http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/mannion//pests.shtml

Try sealing cracks where they can enter your house, including the bottom of your front door. Pull the mulch away from your house as much as you can. In general, try to have a three-foot wide space of bare soil around the foundation of your house. Many insects hesitate to cross bare soil and it makes it easier to inspect for subterranean termite mud tubes.

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