How to Get Rid of Roly Poly Bugs in Garden?

Roly-poly bugs are often found in home gardens and landscaped areas across the country. Sowbugs and Pillbugs are known as Roly polies. They feed primarily on decaying organic matter and are important in the decomposition process. However if present in large numbers, they have been known to feed on seedlings, new roots, lower leaves, vegetables laying directly on the soil, and fruits. These small scavengers scurry when disturbed and are often found outside hiding under leaves, rocks, garden debris, mulch, and other dark, damp areas. They occasionally enter homes as accidental invaders. Indoors are simply a nuisance and cannot survive for more than a day or two without water.

They are similar in appearance, roly-poly bugs are slow-moving oval-shaped crustaceans that more closely resemble crayfish, shrimp, and lobster than insects. They vary from grey to brown to almost purple in color and have seven pairs of legs, elbowed antennae, and a segmented hard shell-like covering.

How to get rid of Roly-Poly bugs in the garden?

• Reduce the habitat favored by these pests by eliminating garden debris, leaf piles, fallen fruits and weeds from growing area.
• Use mulches that are coarse enough to let water pass through easily so the surface next to plants will not remain damp for long.
• Improve air circulation around plants by providing trellises for vines and raising fruits, such as strawberries and melons up off the ground.
• Diatomaceous earth, made from the finely ground fossils of prehistoric fresh water diatoms, is abrasive to crawling insects and can be used as a barrier to protect plants.
• Apply insect killer granules around foundations, lawns and landscaped areas to eliminate or repel all kinds of troublesome pest.
• Scatter Monterey Ant Control, a safe and organic bait containing iron phosphate and spinosad, evenly over the soil around or near problem areas.
• Apply fast-acting botanical insecticides as a soil drench if pest level becomes intolerable.

If pests are problems indoors, repair and seal cracks in the foundation wall, around basement windows, and along door jambs. Reduce high moisture areas near possible entry points by properly draining water away from the house. Kindly note that black plastic mulches will discourage many insects by creating an environment that is too hot for them.

How to Get Rid of Pill Bugs?

Pillbugs are hard-shell crustaceans and natural decomposers. They exist everywhere and are part of the group of creatures that break down dead organic matter into the soil. But since they are hard shell terrestrial crustaceans, they rely on moisture to survive. Pillbugs are pesky little pests that can infest your garden and greenhouse.

They can become destructive in cases where:

1. In cases where they are not exposed to their natural predators like birds, and become overpopulated.
2. 2. Mulch is used in abundance therefore giving them ample moisture and shelter from predators. Large population of pill bugs can live and multiply in mulch.
3. 3. In dry depleted soil where there is not enough organic matter for them to decompose and not enough moisture for them to live. This forces them to eating living plant matter in your garden.
4. 4. The root structure of your plant is not healthy making them vulnerable to pest such as pill bug.

Because greenhouses often provide one or even all these conditions, pillbugs can become an infuriating issue that can make us feel defeated as organic gardeners.

How to get rid of pill bugs in the garden?

• Strong Roots and Strong Soil: The key to organic pest control is having a healthy soil and a healthy root structure. We use compost, compost teas, organic matter, good bacteria, efficient watering, and rmycorrhizae such as Orca. If pill bugs have enough organic matter and moisture in your soil, they won\’t need to use your plants as food source. Also, if the cell walls of your plant\’s root are strong it makes the plants less vulnerable to pill bugs. Young plants are also more vulnerable to pill bugs.

• Beer Traps: Any beer will be okay. Put beer in a used can or plastic cup and sink into the soil, making the leap of the container match the soil level. Pill bugs will drown themselves in beer. The trap should be checked daily and changed at least every two days.

• Potato or other fruits or vegetable traps: Cut potatoes can be placed along edges, and the underside checked each morning for pill bugs. I recommend a small container of oil to brush them into and kill them. Grapefruits or orange rinds, mango skin and many other fruits or vegetables that retain moisture.

• Bamboo, PVC or Toilet roll trap: A few inches of any tube cut lengthwise in half. Then duct tape fitted side face up. Then the duct tape fitted to the bottom side face up and placed on the soil by an edge where pill bugs will get stuck to tape looking for a moist, dark place to hide. This trap should be checked often as moisture from watering decreases, the stickiness of duct tape. Other kinds of tape or sticky traps can last longer and trap more at a time.

• Remove mulch and dead plant matter: Pill bugs live and multiply under mulch. As decomposers, the consumed and use mulch as shelter. If you remove mulch, they will be forced into traps as they forced into traps, as they are always seeking moisture and darkness. Pill bugs will also feed on decaying plant matters in your garden, so removing this quickly will also force them into the traps.

• Diatomaceous Earth: Diatomaceous Earth is a safe way to desiccate or dry out Pill bugs, therefore killing them. This earth should be spread at the edges of your planting beds will kill bugs like to live. Unfortunately, it kills ants and various other insects, meaning it could be harmful to ladybugs and other beneficial bugs but safe from worms.

• Disposal Cups:  Although we try to no use single-used plastic whenever possible, we have been known to use plastic or paper cups in the growing domes around our new sprouts to protect them from all kinds of things of tin almost especially pill bugs. Just cut the bottom off of the cup and press it into the soil and any new sprouts.