Author Topic: Millipede in Jabo  (Read 3846 times)

AlexTrees

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Millipede in Jabo
« on: August 29, 2018, 03:34:21 PM »
Just spotted these little guys in my potted Jabo today, should I be concerned?!


shafak

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2018, 03:36:49 PM »
I may be wrong, but they don't look like millipede to me.  Look like larvae of some bug.

NewGen

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2018, 03:55:08 PM »
Don't know what those are, but definitely not millipede. I wouldn't want them in my potted plants, that's for sure.

zephian

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AlexTrees

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2018, 05:03:22 PM »
Nice! It’s says they are beneficial organisms! I guess I’ll let them be.

achetadomestica

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2018, 05:45:51 PM »
I have a different millipede that has infested my place.
One year I had some seedling E calycina and repotted them.
I topped them with mulch and it turns out this millipede was in the mulch.
The millipede girdled the young seedlings and I lost every one of them.
As the millipede gets more and more established in my yard it is everywhere
including my mulch and compost. Be careful with young plants!

zephian

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2018, 06:04:07 PM »
Nice! It’s says they are beneficial organisms! I guess I’ll let them be.
I just noticed my post is super dated (2006) If that species matches I'd do a little more research. I'm not local and don't have many millipede species where I am. (Iv'e never seen one at my place currently but we had harmless ones when I lived in the foothills)

edit: Just came across this lovely piece of information, These millipedes sound super cool! :

"Monkeys utilize them to repel mosquitos, and also to get high," Edwards said.

They give off a mildy caustic defensive chemical that's typically harmless to humans, but can act as an insecticide, which monkeys have learned to rub on their fur. They can also serve as a cheap hallucinogen.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2018, 06:07:47 PM by zephian »
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Cookie Monster

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2018, 06:57:51 PM »
Millipedes are indeed beneficial. They are one of the first to much on fresh organic material. You'll find them in mulch piles.

We get 2 kinds here: the native orange ones and the introduced yellow / black banded ones. The latter group tend to make their way into the house and can be a bit of a nuisance.

A few years back, one of the yellow banded ones made it into our bed. The Boss rolled over onto it and caused it to release its toxin. She had an itchy millipede shadow on her for a couple of weeks thereafter. Wasn't very pleased about it.
Jeff  :-)

AlexTrees

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2018, 07:42:38 PM »
Learn something new everyday! TFF rocks!! 😜

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2018, 02:13:52 PM »
they crawl all over the trees at night, up the trunk from the soil, I've seen them up over 2-3ft off the ground, they just seem to clean the trees really, eating organic matter, nothing living.
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Guanabanus

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2018, 02:20:54 PM »
Where not exposed to rain or irrigation, a dry band of diatomaceous earth keeps them out of the house.
Har

pineislander

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #11 on: September 01, 2018, 06:52:55 AM »
You have a very good photo and it shows the small 'pellets' the millipedes are submerged in quite well. Every one of those grains came out of the millipede's own body after processing organic matter. Last year I got 2000 cubic yards of hurricane debris mulch and spread 1500 yards of it. I have the most fantastic population of millipedes you would ever want to see. Any fresh organic matter is worked on every night, or in shade, or if covered by anything. A pile of banana leaves or grass if lifted up is a mass of those critters. My wife looked down last week and realized there were dozens crawling everywhere under her feet. Some areas of mulch 1 foot thick have been eaten down to 6 inches in less than a year. I've sifted it out and used it for great light seed-starting potting soil, better than anything I could buy.
If their physical aspects aren't too sick for you a closer look at their digestion shows they aren't well set up to digest their own food and depend on a wide range of bacteria in their guts to digest about 5% of what they eat. No problem because they can just eat their  own poop over and over. Hope that didn't bore or gross you out but I consider them a benefit.

Details:
https://idosi.org/ijmr/ijmr8(1)17/3.pdf
« Last Edit: September 01, 2018, 07:48:06 AM by pineislander »


Cookie Monster

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #13 on: September 02, 2018, 06:49:44 PM »
I think those pellets are millipede feces, aka, pupe.

What did you use to spread that much mulch around?

You have a very good photo and it shows the small 'pellets' the millipedes are submerged in quite well. Every one of those grains came out of the millipede's own body after processing organic matter. Last year I got 2000 cubic yards of hurricane debris mulch and spread 1500 yards of it. I have the most fantastic population of millipedes you would ever want to see. Any fresh organic matter is worked on every night, or in shade, or if covered by anything. A pile of banana leaves or grass if lifted up is a mass of those critters. My wife looked down last week and realized there were dozens crawling everywhere under her feet. Some areas of mulch 1 foot thick have been eaten down to 6 inches in less than a year. I've sifted it out and used it for great light seed-starting potting soil, better than anything I could buy.
If their physical aspects aren't too sick for you a closer look at their digestion shows they aren't well set up to digest their own food and depend on a wide range of bacteria in their guts to digest about 5% of what they eat. No problem because they can just eat their  own poop over and over. Hope that didn't bore or gross you out but I consider them a benefit.

Details:
https://idosi.org/ijmr/ijmr8(1)17/3.pdf
Jeff  :-)

pineislander

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #14 on: September 02, 2018, 08:47:04 PM »
I think those pellets are millipede feces, aka, pupe.
What did you use to spread that much mulch around?
Oh, yeah those are faecal pellets for sure. I used a 35 year old Kubota 25 HP 4WD tractor with front end loader for the carry and dump  then for the spread and level a pitchfork & rake. It is Hurricane Irma FEMA debris mulch they dumped for me. In July/August my son and I planted  1000 1 gal. Sunshine mimosas(Mimosa strigillosa) for ground covers as the mulch is getting consumed so fast.

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #15 on: September 03, 2018, 12:05:38 PM »
OK. I stopped mulching about 18 months ago, and I now have a weed forest. I tried perennial peanut, and I'm not liking it so much. It gets about a foot tall and requires almost as much mowing as grass. At this point, I'm just waiting for the canopy cover to provide sufficient shade that wees no longer thrive.

I think those pellets are millipede feces, aka, pupe.
What did you use to spread that much mulch around?
Oh, yeah those are faecal pellets for sure. I used a 35 year old Kubota 25 HP 4WD tractor with front end loader for the carry and dump  then for the spread and level a pitchfork & rake. It is Hurricane Irma FEMA debris mulch they dumped for me. In July/August my son and I planted  1000 1 gal. Sunshine mimosas(Mimosa strigillosa) for ground covers as the mulch is getting consumed so fast.
Jeff  :-)

pineislander

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #16 on: September 03, 2018, 05:56:05 PM »
In July/August my son and I planted  1000 1 gal. Sunshine mimosas(Mimosa strigillosa) for ground covers as the mulch is getting consumed so fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5iWY1zjs7A

Cookie Monster

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #17 on: September 03, 2018, 08:09:04 PM »
How tall it get?

In July/August my son and I planted  1000 1 gal. Sunshine mimosas(Mimosa strigillosa) for ground covers as the mulch is getting consumed so fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5iWY1zjs7A
Jeff  :-)

pineislander

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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #18 on: September 10, 2018, 05:38:26 PM »
A couple of weeks ago I pruned my mango trees. We have been getting daily rains and the large millipede population has done some interesting work on the prunings. They skeletonized the leaves before they dried up and all that biomass has already been turned into composted pellets.
 


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Re: Millipede in Jabo
« Reply #19 on: September 10, 2018, 06:28:42 PM »
Lots of millipedes here. The ones here are all broww/reddish colored. Never seen them damage seedlings. Yes they are like earthworms, breaking down all the organic matter.
Oscar