The armoured train of the leaf litter. A many-legged recycler that sometimes ends up in the garage. The house millipede has a cylindrical, segmented body with two pairs of short legs per segment. Unlike centipedes, which have one pair per segment and are fast, venomous hunters, millipedes are slow, peaceful detritivores. They cannot bite or sting. A creature that is all defence, no offence. Their primary defence is to curl into a tight spiral when threatened, protecting their soft underside with their hard, calcified exoskeleton. Some species also secrete a pungent liquid that deters predators. They are the ultimate recyclers of the garden, feeding on decaying leaves, rotting wood and fungi. A single millipede can process a surprising amount of organic matter, breaking it down into fine particles that bacteria and fungi can finish off. Without them, the compost heap would take much longer to decompose. They are the quiet workers of the soil, turning waste into wealth. During wet autumns, millipedes sometimes migrate in large numbers, seeking dry shelter. They may invade garages, basements and even ground-floor rooms. They are harmless to humans and structures, but their sheer numbers can be alarming. The best defence is to reduce moisture around the home and seal entry points. They do not bite, they do not sting and they do not damage furniture. They are simply looking for a dry place to wait out the rain. The garage is damp. The millipedes crawl across the floor, hundreds of them, a slow-motion invasion. They do not know they are unwelcome. They just want to be dry. The rain will stop. They will leave. They have been doing this for 400 million years.