Comments on: 5 Ways to Keep Pill Bugs from Destroying Your Garden

By: Angela Judd

Angela Judd — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 15:16:12 +0000

In reply to M. White. I haven't tried cardboard. I do know that beer works. If you try the cardboard let me know how it goes.

By: M. White

M. White — Thu, 29 May 2025 13:58:07 +0000

Thanks – very helpful post! I can tell you’re someone who is an actual gardener who has experience, NOT someone compiling a bunch of stuff they saw online (or AI). Have you ever tried using cardboard as a trap? Or maybe cardboard with beer on it?

By: Angela Judd

Angela Judd — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:57:01 +0000

In reply to Philip. Break down is over stating it. Pill bugs do interact with heavy metals in soils by taking them up and sometimes sequestering them in their bodies. However, they do not break down or remove heavy metals in a way that significantly remediates contaminated soils.

By: Philip

Philip — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 22:36:15 +0000

Break down heavy metals? How do they do that.. build a particle accelerator?

By: Angela Judd

Angela Judd — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 03:31:52 +0000

In reply to Erin. Great idea.

By: Erin

Erin — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 02:24:29 +0000

I put a piece of duct tape sticky side out around the where the stem contacts the ground. Works well with the tomatoes.

By: Angela Judd

Angela Judd — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 17:06:57 +0000

In reply to Xenia. They can be helpful in breaking down heavy metals from the soil, but at times they get out of balance. When that happens they not only eat dead and decaying matter but young seedlings other plants too.

By: Angela Judd

Angela Judd — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 17:03:17 +0000

In reply to JoJo. Good to know. I don't usually get fire ants, but know they are a horrible nuisance. Thanks for the report.

By: JoJo

JoJo — Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:32:46 +0000

Tried the soy sauce in a shallow pan flush with the soil level and woke up to a tremendous number of fire ants for my trouble! Ordered Sluggo Plus from Amazon and will be trying that next.

By: Xenia

Xenia — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 15:55:20 +0000

Aren’t Pillbugs supposed to be good for the garden? Rollie pollies didn’t make any damage ever in my garden, but that’s maybe because my garden is in Europe (a.k.a. native species, species that are native here but are invasive but are invasive in the United States of America, or just species of potato bugs that don’t do any damage the species plants I raise).
What species of isopods make damage to plants in the USA?

By: Angela Judd

Angela Judd — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:56:13 +0000

In reply to Mags.

If those don’t work an organic option to use with a light hand would be Sluggo Plus https://amzn.to/47onJjA

By: Mags

Mags — Thu, 09 Nov 2023 17:49:39 +0000

Thank you. I will be using a combination of all of these. I literally lost all my peppers, beans, lettuce, and strawberries and most of my potatoes last year. The infestation was out of control, so hopefully setting traps and everything from the beginning of the year and my drying them out all summer and fall will keep them away. I’ve always had issues with pests but never like last year.

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:50:51 +0000

I’ve had pill bugs destroy entire crop of seedlings. I now use corn meal to repel them. I sprinkle circle borders around each plant or group of plants.

By: San

San — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 18:20:09 +0000

Has anyone had success with just drying out the raised garden bed ? I’m thinking of covering mine with plastic to keep our Victoria rains out of it. I’ll lose the earthworms and other beneficials but if it helps to kill all Rollie Pollies, I’ll do it.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:03:23 +0000

Thank you! Most comprehensive article on this topic I have found. I’m so frustrated with the pull bugs for chewing my seedlings to death! I know they’re supposed to be beneficial decomposers, but what a nuisance when your carefully nurtured seedlings die. They really like bean stalks in my garden.