bananafarmer

Today ,

I saw this insect in my greenhouse, it was on dead leaves on the ground, ther were many of these insects,

anyone knows this, can it harm the plants?

sunfish

jjjankovsky

That rascal and it's cousins have a big time way of making your life miserable...their sting will hang with you for a year or more and hurt...and you may loose tissue at the wound site...

best to clean up around your plants and kill 'em as you see 'em...

or, just blast 'em with a good pesticide...

Pinnate

Looks like Opogona saccari "Banana Moth." Advise cleaning up growing area.

bananafarmer

Thanks,

yes it looks for me like mini-centipedes, the insect has so many feet.

bananafarmer

Thanks,

but it looks for me like mini-centipedes, the insect has so many feet. The insect you described is more a caterpillar.

Pinnate

I stand corrected. I was deceived by poor vision. We have millipedes: like pill bugs. We call them Wood Worms.

Kostas

These are millipedes for sure,not centipedes. You can tell that by looking at the pairs of legs in each body segment:2 pairs(4legs total) per segment in most segments -> millipede,1 pair(2 legs total)per segment -> centipede.
Millipedes are purely detritivore,feeding on decaying organic matter mainly and making the nutrients available to the plants again,so they are good to have around,especially with the amount of dead leafs bananas produce!

Millipedes dont sting and pose no health risk. Leave them be and they will help with the decomposition of the dead leafs and other dead organic material hanging around


Btw,pill bugs are not millipedes,they are isopods.

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bananafarmer

I just found this on google:


Millipedes
Millipedes normally live outdoors but may become nuisance pests indoors by their presence. At certain times of the year (usually late summer and autumn) due to excessive rainfall or even drought, a few or hundreds or more leave the soil and crawl into houses, basements, first-floor rooms, up foundation walls, into living rooms, up side walls and drop from the ceilings.

Millipedes do not bite humans nor damage structures, household possessions or foods. They can give off a disagreeable odor and if crushed, leave an unsightly mess. These creatures are usually abundant in compost piles andMillipede heavily mulched ornamental plantings, moving out shortly after sunset sometimes into dwellings.

Over the past years, they have migrated in large numbers during a period of unusually warm weather for the time of the year (75 degrees F) and then would immediately stop when a quick drop in temperature (cold snap) occurred. Anyone handling these creatures without gloves will notice a lingering odor (hydrogen cyanide-like), and the fluid may be harmful if rubbed into the eyes. If crushed, millipedes may stain rugs and fabrics.


There were also a picture on that website, similiar to mine,
l
so when the insects are millipedes they are not a pest or something bad, maybe they have positive effect on transforming leafs into material that is vulnerable for my soil and my plants.

bananafarmer

Thank you everybody for your help and identification,

let the good beeings making the soil better and the bananas grow better :-)

Kostas

Most millipede species are not the nuisance described in wiki. Most just remain hidden their whole lives and are never noticed by humans. Few give off any detectable odor when handled(to deter predators) and even fewer give off any significant quantity to be able to rub it in your eyes or anywhere for that matter... Most dont mind too much the handler.

Its great to hear they are welcome in your place! They and yours plants will appreciate it!

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bananafarmer

I suppose the came out to make love, as you see on my third picture, when you increase the picture one is on the other.

Kostas

Yes,thats typical pre-mating behavior! The male get on the female and starts pulsating its legs on the female's back. She lifts off the ground its front half and the male wraps around it and gets its front part below the female and facing it. Then they mate for a good deal of time before separation. The eggs are laid buried in the ground and the population expands! Millipedes live many years,many live a decade or more.

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''To try,is to risk failure......To not try,is to guarantee it''

jjjankovsky

Well, apparently my mistake...here in the tropics, we usually jump away from many things, especially after enduring stings from similar critters.

The season is changing here in Mexico and we are finding too many scorpions...mostly dead or almost, as we blast them...

sunfish

jjjankovsky

both those babies will get the smash here...i mean...get real...you wish those partners in your garden??

Kostas

I have many centipedes in my garden,hundreds if not thousands, and one of them is a big growing species species at 15cm final length and stocky body,although most seen are smaller. They sting very well if they wish although i have never been bitten personally even though i have handled quite a few. Its all in how you deal with them. Let them crawl calmly on you and they wont bite,and you get to move them away from where you are working in the garden. They generally live hidden under the mulch so you only meet them when disturbing it for digging or other purposes. They keep various insect populations at check as they are carnivores,including borers,root feeding beetle larvae and others. Unfortunately scorpions are rare in Greece,although i am not certain how happy i would be to have to check around for them,especially if they were highly venomous species which Greek ones arent...

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