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Every autumn, millions of little legs invade Australian
houses as the feral Portuguese millipede goes
on the march, but this March hundreds of CSIRO's
Double Helix Science Club members and students
will be waiting.
Millipede
Mayhem is the latest Double Helix National Experiment
where students, families and schools work with
CSIRO to map the invertebrate's spread. The data
will become part of scientific research examining
its distribution, morphology and adaptations.
"The survey is an important step in controlling
this invasive pest," says CSIRO entomologist Dr
Geoff Baker who first studied the millipedes 35
years ago.
Portuguese
millipedes mass in plague proportions in late
summer and autumn, causing havoc for homeowners.
In
extreme circumstances they have brought rail systems
to a halt by smothering tracks and making them
too slippery for the trains to gain traction.
Little is known about more complex interactions
the invasive invertebrate has with our ecosystems
or where it has spread since the last national
survey 22 years ago.
Students
and schools interested in registering to take
part in the survey should visit www.csiro.au/education/MillipedeMayhem.html.
More information is available at www.csiro.au/helix.
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Photo
courtesy of CSIRO
