Question: What are the little brown worms in our basement that curl up and get crunchy when dead?  We live in south central Iowa and have had these  worms in our basement practically year-round. Is there a way to get rid of them?

ANSWER  Probably what you have is the common turfgrass millipede.  They are characterized by the numerous legs on each side of the body, thus the name 'thousand legger'.  These animals are common household invaders, especially  from spring to fall.
 
They live outdoors in moist and decaying organic material (dead leaves, flower garden mulch, even the thatch layer in turfgrass), and usually go unnoticed at these locations.  Sometimes millipede populations increase rapidly, or their environment get too wet, and they start to migrate to get away from these conditions.  They usually move to the sides of houses (where it may be warmer and drier).  They  sometimes come inside under door thresholds and around windows at ground level. 
 
The best control is to remove as much of the moist mulch around doors and away from the foundation as possible(make a 6 - 12" gap between mulch and house.).  This reduces their breeding sites and the favorable areas for them. Make certain the door thresholds are well sealed.  These animals don't reproduce in houses, in fact they die soon after they enter because the environment is too dry for them. 

An insecticide application around the outside foundation can help prevent millipedes from coming inside.  Pick an insecticide that lists millipedes on the label. Follow label directions for mixing and application. 

Related Questions:
The Orkin Man used the information above to also answer the following questions submitted by Orkin.com users.

Question: I have some bugs that look like worms that are about a 1/2 an inch long. I just wanted to know what are they?

Question: I recently moved in to the basement of a friends house (the house is around 30 years old) however prior to the move I had discovered these gray worm-like bugs, curled up like a coil, dead, all along the baseboards/trim on the floor.  They are grayish/silverish in color, about the width of a toothpick, maybe half an inch in length. I vacuumed them up and figured they should be all dead.  Unfortunately, this morning I found one alive "crawling" on the floor.  It moved like a centipede, not sure if it had legs or not, but it didn't appear to move like a worm.  When killed, it excreted a bright yellow substance.  This is the first one I've found alive.... do you know what this is?  How can it be treated? What should I do to get rid of them?  Thank you

Question: We have one inch long, black, worm-like bugs found primarily on the kitchen floor.  What could it be? Where would it come from? What products do you recommend?

Question: I am wondering about millipedes, if what I see occasionally are in fact millipedes. Do they look for dampness or dryness? I've seen a couple in the last 2 weeks.

Question: I had discovered these gray worm like bugs curled up like a coil. What should I do to get rid of them?