Question: I live in Ohio and have seen little worms (about 1-2 cm) all
over the basement and even outdoors. It seems like all they do is die on
the carpet or corners. They don't have long legs like a millipede. Can you
please tell me what they are? Thank-you.
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) and 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 the foundation and away from doors as possible. This reduces their breeding sites and the favorable areas for them. Make certain the door thresholds are well sealed. These animals don't reproduce inside of houses, in fact they die soon after they enter because the environment is too dry for them.
