Residents of Ngxongweni, a rural settlement near Port St Johns in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, have been left stunned by an unusual natural event after thousands of white millipedes emerged from a nearby forest and moved into their homesteads.
The mass movement, which began earlier this week, saw the creatures covering trees, walls and rooftops, and crawling through doorways and windows. Several families said they were forced to leave their homes temporarily as the insects spread rapidly across the area.
Local resident Nomvula Dikweni said she had never witnessed anything like it. “We woke up and the walls were moving,” she said. “They were everywhere, on the floor, the bed, even the roof. We were scared to stay.”
The white millipedes, described by experts as rare and poorly documented, appeared to move in dense clusters, creating what some villagers called “living carpets”. While millipedes are generally harmless to humans, their sheer numbers caused alarm and disruption.
Port St Johns municipality confirmed it had deployed environmental health officials and entomologists to assess the situation. Authorities are working to identify the exact species of white millipedes and determine what may have triggered the sudden migration.
Preliminary assessments suggest that recent heavy rains, combined with changes in soil moisture and temperature, may have forced the millipedes out of their natural habitat. Deforestation or other disturbances in the surrounding forest are also being considered as possible factors.
An environmental specialist assisting the investigation said mass movements of millipedes are rare but not unprecedented. “When conditions underground become unsuitable, millipedes may surface in large numbers,” he explained. “The unusual aspect here is the colour and scale of the event.”
The provincial Department of Environmental Affairs said it would continue monitoring the situation and advise residents on safe, non-toxic ways to manage the infestation. Officials have urged people not to use harmful chemicals that could damage the environment or contaminate water sources.
For now, residents remain anxious, hoping the white millipedes will retreat as suddenly as they arrived. Community leaders have called for longer-term environmental studies to prevent similar incidents in the future.
