The Cat Came Back*, and so did the 'pedes.

Some of you may recall the Great Millipede Invasion of '09.

Within 3 days of the pest control treatment, I strolled out into the backyard, and looked down at the sidewalk that leads from my deck to my driveway, and noticed about 300 dead earthworms all shrively and curled up - kinda like you see after a huge soaking rain, when they all drown and end up on the sidewalk.

Except I knew this wasn't from rain - we hadn't had any. And then I recalled the pest control guy telling me that the treatments he was applying would treat about a 6 foot perimeter around the house - so I quickly did the math, and figured all these worms were just collateral damage.

Sorry, earthworms.

So then I decided to check a little closer around the house, and I saw thousands, and thousands, and thousands of little dessicated millipedes all around the foundation of the house.


This is the view directly outside my backdoor, on the deck. It is just so disgusting for me to think about all the millipedes that must have been slithering around in my crawl space; to quote the pest control guy, he saw "billions" of them crawling all over the A/C lineset.

At least there were no more millipedes, dead or alive, inside the house.

Victory, huh?

Not.

Is it just me, or do other people ONLY find out about A/C leaks when their homes are invaded by millipedes?

Because 28 days after the house was treated, I came down one morning and saw a dead millipede curled up by the baseboard in the front hall. And promptly convinced myself that I had just missed that one when I vacuumed up the other 10,000.

And the next day, there were 2 more dead ones downstairs.

So I called the pest control company for a re-treat.

And the next day, I started to see live ones.

And the pest control guy found 2 more leaks in the A/C's PVC pipes in the crawl space. And naturally, live millipedes crawling all over the PVC.

And since the A/C guys told me they had never, EVER seen a bug infestation as a manifestation of a leak, I am just wondering how it happens that this is the way I have found out about A/C leaks every single time I get them.

Why me?

*The Cat Came Back - obscure reference from a childhood song.