Canterbury

Christchurch

By Mary Argue of RNZ

Hopes have been dashed that a parasitic worm will effectively kill hordes of invasive millipedes plaguing parts of New Zealand.

Residents on Wellington's south coast sounded the alarm about infestations of the Portuguese millipede almost a year ago, with stories of finding hundreds of the scaly black creatures around their homes and inside bags, shoes, and even beds.

Last month, website iNaturalist reported a possible sighting of the millipede in Christchurch.

The Ministry for Primary Industries had identified the species in New Plymouth and Nelson - and while it is considered a nuisance, it is not classified as a pest species and does not meet the threshold for official control measures.

Biosecurity New Zealand manager pest management programmes Cath Duthie said MPI was aware of the iNaturalist post.

She said given the species had been established in New Zealand for at least 20 years, there would not be any formal response to its spread and the population…