Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tammy Zaluzney on May 16, 2011 at 11:49am

Rollie Pollies or pill bugs are actually crustaseans.  While completely terrestial, they like damp conditions.  They tend to eat decaying or rotting vegatations.  If your garden is very shady, wet or has a good amount of leaf or vegatable decay pill bugs will be right at home.  My understanding is that they also like younger gardens and that as plants mature and toughen off, pill bugs are less of an issue.  Soem say that you can use the same beer or yeast method you might use for slugs.  Put your solution in a small dish or cup to attract the pill bugs / slugs, bury the cup almost up to it's rim in your garden and the critters will fall in and not be able to get back out.    

Permalink Reply by Chrissy Graves Z5 IN on May 16, 2011 at 12:43pm

Thanks! I'll try that

Permalink Reply by Terry 'Red' Sebolt on May 17, 2011 at 3:56pm

I've had major issues with them in the past few years. There are several different species, and a few seem to prefer young plants. I've had to use slug bait in the past. Didn't want to, but nothing else seemed to work. I would put the bait out well before harvest, usually right after the plants germinated.

 

Things that seem to have helped recently without too much slug bait...Eggshells, citrus peels, and perlite/vermiculite. The perlite seems to dry them up, sucking moisture from their bodies, the way salt does to slugs. It also holds water for the young plants to use, so it's a double benefit. You might want to give it a try. So far, no damaged plants this year. Even my pumpkins, which were ravaged last year, seem untouched.

Permalink Reply by Chrissy Graves Z5 IN on May 18, 2011 at 6:25am

Thanks Terry! I am going to try both and see which one works best.