These animals are inactive during the day and may be found in forest floor litter, mulched flower beds, dense thatch in lawns or in deep grass along drives and sidewalks. Movement and feeding occur at night. Their nocturnal habit is related to water conservation. Millipedes do not have a lipid layer over the integument as do insects, nor can they close the tracheal openings. These factors make the animals very susceptible to water loss if they are not in a moist environment.
Growth is by a gradual metamorphosis.
Eggs are deposited in the soil in groups ranging from 20 to 300 eggs per cluster. At an average temperature of 75 degrees F, the eggs hatch in five to ten days. In one study conducted in Florida, it took the greenhouse millipede an average of 153 days to go from egg to adult. As numbers increase in an area, the competition for food and harborage forces some part of the population to seek other sites. Destruction of Habitat.