When infestation pressure is high, the animals gnaw on the root tips or root collar, and holes in the roots are also possible. As the animals live in moist soils, damage is usually caused by fungal diseases. When the animals reproduce rapidly, the substrates are also completely decomposed, which further damages the roots due to oxygen deficiency.

The group of diplopods is said to include >12,000 known species, with 3,500 species of centipedes that hunt live prey. There are around 150 species of myriapods, and approximately 550 species of oligochaetes are known. In 2021, an animal with 1,306 legs was found in Australia, identified as Eumillipes persephone.
In addition to introduced species, the spotted millipede (Blaniulus guttulatus Bosc.) plays a role as a pest. They feed primarily on roots. They are easily recognisable by their two pairs of legs per segment. Dwarf millipedes have only one pair of legs per body segment. In moist, humus-rich substrates, the greenhouse dwarf millipede (Scolopendrella immaculata Newp.) can play a role.

Reproduction is usually sexual, with males transferring sperm to females using modified legs (gonopods). In some species, reproduction is parthenogenetic (virgin birth). After fertilisation, the females lay their eggs in the soil, covering them with faeces or substrate for protection, from which larvae with few pairs of legs and segments hatch. After multiple moults, the larvae grow, developing more segments and legs until they are fully grown and sexually mature. Development can take several years.

Clean, sterile substrate, appropriate watering. Well-aerated substrates are rarely infested by millipedes. Sprinkling slug pellets can reduce infestation.

Applying Steinernema feltiae Filipjev nematodes can quickly reduce infestation. The use of predatory mites (Hypoaspis miles Berl., Hypoaspis aculeifer Can.) also offers good opportunities for biological plant protection. These soil-dwelling beneficial insects are polyphagous, feeding on many soil pests, and can establish themselves well in greenhouses.

Nothing could be found about millipedes in the available literature. However, as extremely toxic chemicals such as arsenic, nicotine and cyanide were always used, the animals had no chance of survival from the outset.