David Attenborough here. I think you'll find that they're actually deep sea isopods, sucked up from a nearby ocean by a twister, and then dropped in this extremely localised area last time it rained.
Im just a person who loves bugs (except ants, they freak me out after one big boy snuck up on my shoulder), and I agree. Roly polies must be protected at all costs.
Same here, I like looking at bugs from a distance but I have 2 instances where I have been traumatized by fucking ANTS. The first one was when my granny was sitting on the front porch while I was playing outside, I sat on the crack of the sidewalk, and LITERALLY GOT ANTS IN MY PANTS 😭 My grandmother literally pantsed me in the front yard and picked them all off instead of just hosing me down in the shower???
And the second time was when I was repotting one of my plants, and I went to go grab some spare soil from this bucket I keep used soil in, and I didn't have any gardening gloves, so as soon as I went to go grab a clump of dirt from it, I'm PRETTY SURE I picked up an entire built colony, and ANTS WENT EVERYWHERE. up my ARMS, CLIMBING OUT OF THE BUCKET, ALL OVER THE FRONT YARD GRASS, it was almost as bad as the time I saw a kickball get popped by ants because it landed on their hill.
Ugh I know they're necessary for our planet but God, they actually scare me more than venomous snakes, and that says a lot lmao. And their bites itch and burn like a MOTHER FUCKER.
Oh god that would make my fear even worse. Mine wasnt as bad, I was just chilling in my room when suddenly I felt a little tap on my shoulder. Looked over and see a giant ass carpenter ant right on my shoulder.
Just the absolute unexpectedness of it made me dislike ants ever since 🤣
To make your day slightly worse (sorry lmfaoo) back when I was living in Phoenix Arizona, every year around May 5th on the dot, we would get SWARMS of FLYING ANTS???? something something males or females have wings?? But yes, we literally had ants that FLY 😭
I was going to downvote your disgusting mispronunciation of the word rolly polly but then I saw the twat under me and realized there are much worse ways to live
As a kid, forced to go to church and listen to dumb hymns, I changed the entirety of holy holy holy, to holy roly poly as I was in my grandparents' garden.
My mom got pissed, so I countered like, if God made em then are they not holy?
My grandpa, who was a preacher, said she's got you there.
My 9 yr old logic was unmatched, and my version is still a banger.
Also, are these little fucks what's chewing up all the lower leaves of my potato plants? I never am able to find the culprit and they are in grow bags.
On the West Coast we call these potato bugs. I don’t think we have Jerusalem crickets. And we have very little dialect variation as it is in the US, let’s preserve what we’ve got!
Maybe we're calling different things potato bugs...? Those look like terrestrial isopods to me, common detritivores. Theoretically could damage plants, but it's never happened to me. When I've heard of 'potato bugs' it usually meant either potato beetles (*Leptinotarsa decemlineata*) or Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatini tribe). Have you been having isopod troubles?
I'm great lakes region and we use all three for whatever reason lol. Weirdly (at least in my experience) city=pill bug, suburbs=potato bug, country=roly-poly. Totally anecdotal but I always found it odd.
https://preview.redd.it/iprr7xbuu58d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24cad894ec5aff53567cc46212936d33f844cfe3
They like to eat my strawberries :( this guy ate a hole in my strawberry and then tried to flee when I went to snap his picture.
We call them roly poly here. I had some in my garden box and they razed all my seedlings to the ground. I had to have pest control come out and deal with them because they were everywhere.
In my area most people call these "potato bugs".
"Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill-bug, potato bug, common pill woodlouse, roly-poly, slater, doodle bug, or carpenter" according to Wikipedia.
I have a newer hugle culture raised bed which is suffering an over population of these bugs. They've begun munching on my sprouts, so I'm relocating them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidium_vulgare
Im familiar with it. I used to keep poison dart frogs and doodlebugs were a big part of the clean up crew. I had the tropical whites, giant orange, and pandas.
Its funny in the terrarium context, i always called them isopods but if i saw the exact same bug outside, it was a roly-poly.
https://preview.redd.it/0tc5v99u758d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8c56d633c86aa05c6871c87d58b6aaf0fae6e47
I have Armadillidium gestroi and A. granulatum.
I recently had a ton of local A. vulgare on some rotting wood that I was cleaning up so i put them in a third terrarium. All three of the cultures currently have heaps of little babies.
They love cucumber, magnolia leaf and crushed crab shell.
I originally got a couple small groups for my boa biome, but they quickly became little pets in their own right. Sometimes they do a little happy dance when you offer a favorite food.
> Despite their common names, these insects are neither true crickets (which belong to the family Gryllidae) nor true bugs (which belong to the order Hemiptera), nor are they native to Jerusalem
Nor are they potatoes!
Interestingly the back end of that bug looks a lot like a pill-bug, could be why they got the same common name. Because you know potatoes are boldly striped lol
Neat how common names can change so much!
Anyway, unfortunately that can be an issue with hugels. They have so much rotting wood that you get a huge population boom of pill bugs, millipedes, and other critters that love eating decaying matter. Good luck dealing with the problem, once they settle down hugelkulture can be super effective for holding water and nutrients!
In Europe, we call those here potato bugs, it's an invasive species though:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado\_potato\_beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle)
This is my first season with the new beds. They are 2/3 full of oak logs, branches and chips with manure. The top third is raised bed soil from the nursery. I’ve needed to add nitrogen, as expected. I’m using blood meal for that. I’m getting a lot of mushrooms and fungus popping up. And right now I’m having a potato bug bloom, which I’m managing as you can see.
I was expecting these beds to act a little wonky for the first few seasons. I don’t mind fussing with them for a few seasons as they mature and stabilize.
WE struggled with them this year too, i never knew they could be problematic. We used big chunky wood mulch which caused a surge in population and then they started eating green plants
OK, but you just solved an ongoing mystery for me! My toddler has been picking up little bugs left and right and calling them doodle bugs! I for the life of me couldn't figure it out because it's not something we ever say. I figured he learned it at daycare, but nobody ever knew what I was talking about when I asked. Now I know!
as an isopod lover and friend it’s always so sad to hear my boys are out there wrecking ppls gardens, giving their brethren a bad name. not all isopods
no you aren’t crazy but after awhile when an isopod population gets too large, they become more brazen. they’ll begin eating fresh leaves and any fruits and vegetables nearby. even tho theyre detritivores they still love a fresh yummy treat. when their populations are smaller they don’t usually take the risk of emerging from soil
yes! if they have a predator nearby to control the population then they’ll be too timid to emerge from soil to feed.. any insectivore like a beetle, spider or centipede will enjoy them, reptiles and amphibians also love them.
A pod was the first tattoo I ever got (last fall at 38 lol); love these lil guys. Sometimes I set ‘traps’ like OPs to get fresh genetics for my big ol native terrarium. They’re an endless source of enjoyment for me, along with the other species I keep. Really glad OP rehomed these guys to a place full of stuff that’s probably even more delectable to them!
In Portugal we call them ''bichos de conta'' which translates to ''bead critters'' because they look like beads when they curl their bodies into a ball as a defense mechanism
Cut a potato in half, hollow it out a bit and leave them cut side down. In the morning lift it up and shake them off elsewhere (away from strawberrries) repeat for 1-2 days and you’ll be good to go!
If you just give them some shady spit to eat some kitchen garbage, they will make great soil for you. Trivia tidbit: They are actually terrestrial crustaceans.
Lots of questionable information in this thread but to most the world these are Rollie Pollies, they aren't bugs but isopods. They'll usually eat dead plants but like you're seeing they will absolutely gorge themselves on potatoes leaves and strawberries.
I see people say just add more compost but this doesn't make any logical sense. If you give a pest a food source then you get more pests. Trap and relocate or treat if untenable.
I declared war on earwigs this year after one crawled into my beer while I was sitting outside and another crawled under my shirt. I lifted up everything the earwigs could hide under and sucked them up with my shop vac. They were under the trash cans, potted plants, basically every random thing in my yard. Then, I plugged the shop vac hose with a towel so they couldn't escape until I dumped them in the trash can right before trash pickup. It's not a polite fix, but it worked very well for me.
They will eat living plants as well if their numbers get too high, especially with indoor growers. They can definitely be a problem. I wouldn't call it common but I've seen quite a few indoor weed growers have issues with them and have to take steps to lower their populations.
I keep isopods as pets and bioactive terrarium clean up crew. This is how I catch them when changing their soil or trapping them to put in a terrarium.
I spent about a week going out and collecting them from my raised bed to relocate them, they were… disturbingly overpopulated, munching on my plants, and so dang cute.
Trying this tonight they are destroying my beds rn was told they are good for the dynamics of the soil not when there’s thousands it ain’t lol. These things are evasive and I’ve chalked them up and 100% pest!
Haha, I have been getting shit all day long for calling them potato bugs. People really get worked up over regional differences in what we call various critters.
Why are you killing isopods? They are decomposers like worms and beneficial. They only eat healthy plant matter under certain conditions. Mostly lack of other food.
I'm seeing how they're good. Other saying too many though is bad. What if they're just always at the bottom of pots? They seem to like curling up in the drain holes.
This must be a regional thing, because where I'm from, (California) those bugs are called "rollie pollies," or if you're a transplant from somewhere else, "Pill Bugs."
Don't get me wrong, we have potato bugs. It's the most common name for Jerusalem Crickets. I didn't even know they were called Jerusalem Crickets until a few years ago because I always knew them as "Potato Bugs."
Here's a picture:
https://preview.redd.it/6cwfs3eig68d1.png?width=832&format=png&auto=webp&s=902b22614022b66f330c5bebf01c5e39dd231a3c
These are actually good for your soil so long as you have healthy soil with enough decaying leaf litter that they can break down into compost. Otherwise they'll eat your vegetation.
These are not potato bugs. They are Roly poly and it's a hill I'm willing to die on.
Entomologist here, and I agree with you.
Random gardener here, I agree with both of you.
Network Engineer here, and I agree with the trio of you.
I’m from Mars, or CB-17 as we call it, and I agree with you.
Therapist here, and I hear you.
Another therapist here and I also agree for inter rater therapist reliability
David Attenborough here. I think you'll find that they're actually deep sea isopods, sucked up from a nearby ocean by a twister, and then dropped in this extremely localised area last time it rained.
Pharmacist here. I know pill bugs when I see them.
hobbyist philosopher here. if not roly poly, why so roly?
Optometrist here. I see pill bugs when I know them.
i see what you did here and i laughed!
I'm just gonna pretend you are really David Attenborough, and we have been graced by a God with an undercover alt.
Yeah but do you really listen?
Oh you’re good!
Electrician here, and I agree with the quartet of you.
General nature enthusiast and i agree with you.
Smarty pants here, these things are crustaceans.
Another network engineer and, what that guy said ^
I don't do shit, but I stand with roly polies!
Info Sec checking in, yep. Pollies.
I’m a potato and I am here to say I agree
How can you tell someone is an engineer? Don't worry, they'll tell you. Source: am engineer
Electronics engineer here. I agree.
Etymologist here I’m tired of people getting us confused.
I asked an entomologist what I could do about a rolly polly infestation and he advised they are crustaceans
lol. 100% correct.
Well what would you know about it then, they aren’t even insects, they are crustaceans! ;)
Right on dude!
(Hobby-)Etymologist here, "roly poly" has no connection to "potato bugs" either. 🙃
I have granddaughters ages 5 and 7, and I agree with you
But regardless of whatever common name, they are NOT pill millipedes, which are a different class entirely.
Pillipedes?
No, that's a country southeast of China.
Yea what the heck, these guys are friends 🥲 great for breaking down compost and just chill in the soil!
Yes!!
Not my friend- they get in my pool and die- constantly scooping them off the bottom
Mail carrier here....100% Roly poly / pillbug
Also known as pill bugs.
Im just a person who loves bugs (except ants, they freak me out after one big boy snuck up on my shoulder), and I agree. Roly polies must be protected at all costs.
Same here, I like looking at bugs from a distance but I have 2 instances where I have been traumatized by fucking ANTS. The first one was when my granny was sitting on the front porch while I was playing outside, I sat on the crack of the sidewalk, and LITERALLY GOT ANTS IN MY PANTS 😭 My grandmother literally pantsed me in the front yard and picked them all off instead of just hosing me down in the shower??? And the second time was when I was repotting one of my plants, and I went to go grab some spare soil from this bucket I keep used soil in, and I didn't have any gardening gloves, so as soon as I went to go grab a clump of dirt from it, I'm PRETTY SURE I picked up an entire built colony, and ANTS WENT EVERYWHERE. up my ARMS, CLIMBING OUT OF THE BUCKET, ALL OVER THE FRONT YARD GRASS, it was almost as bad as the time I saw a kickball get popped by ants because it landed on their hill. Ugh I know they're necessary for our planet but God, they actually scare me more than venomous snakes, and that says a lot lmao. And their bites itch and burn like a MOTHER FUCKER.
Oh god that would make my fear even worse. Mine wasnt as bad, I was just chilling in my room when suddenly I felt a little tap on my shoulder. Looked over and see a giant ass carpenter ant right on my shoulder. Just the absolute unexpectedness of it made me dislike ants ever since 🤣
To make your day slightly worse (sorry lmfaoo) back when I was living in Phoenix Arizona, every year around May 5th on the dot, we would get SWARMS of FLYING ANTS???? something something males or females have wings?? But yes, we literally had ants that FLY 😭
I've seen them in ohio and se us too, lol
Woodlouse. I will die on this hill too. My partner calls them cheesy bugs. Apparently it's a thing in the south east of England.
These are WOOD LICE GOD DAMNIT
I was going to downvote your disgusting mispronunciation of the word rolly polly but then I saw the twat under me and realized there are much worse ways to live
As a kid, forced to go to church and listen to dumb hymns, I changed the entirety of holy holy holy, to holy roly poly as I was in my grandparents' garden. My mom got pissed, so I countered like, if God made em then are they not holy? My grandpa, who was a preacher, said she's got you there. My 9 yr old logic was unmatched, and my version is still a banger. Also, are these little fucks what's chewing up all the lower leaves of my potato plants? I never am able to find the culprit and they are in grow bags.
Slaters.
Potato bug here, I agree with you.
The fuck is a potato bug
Nope all wrong, Chucky pigs
I will just lay down & die on this hill with the rest of you.
You may be right, but I also grew up calling them potato bugs. Maybe it’s a regional thing?
Google potato bug and you will see a Jerusalem cricket, which eats potato leaves. Google Roly poly and you will see a Roly poly
I understand, but 40 plus years of calling them potato bugs is hard programming to overcome.
Insect racisim......tsk tsk.
Firefly or lightning bug?
Lightning bug 🥰
Lightning fly
On the West Coast we call these potato bugs. I don’t think we have Jerusalem crickets. And we have very little dialect variation as it is in the US, let’s preserve what we’ve got!
What do you call potato bugs?
https://preview.redd.it/6vhjdmpxz58d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cb0fee29bf3cad97ce4e49c7acdc8d28524b05e That is a potato bug
Where I'm at we don't have them. I suspect this is true for others calling pill bugs potato bugs
Maybe we're calling different things potato bugs...? Those look like terrestrial isopods to me, common detritivores. Theoretically could damage plants, but it's never happened to me. When I've heard of 'potato bugs' it usually meant either potato beetles (*Leptinotarsa decemlineata*) or Jerusalem cricket (Stenopelmatini tribe). Have you been having isopod troubles?
It’s a regional thing, akin to “crawdad” vs “crawfish” vs “crayfish.” Out west we call these rolli-polli’s.
And ironically crayfish and roly polys (ie isopoods) are both crustaceans and thus more related to each other than they are to any insects.
Technically all insects as well as other hexapods are crustaceans as well.
I’ve always heard roly-poly too (or pill bug) and live on the east coast. I think OP is just mixing up their crawlies.
I'm great lakes region and we use all three for whatever reason lol. Weirdly (at least in my experience) city=pill bug, suburbs=potato bug, country=roly-poly. Totally anecdotal but I always found it odd.
Ok glad I'm not the only one who them by all 3 names. Wonder why Great Lakes area is like that for these little guys.
I call them rolli-polli too and I hate it. It’s like calling knives stabby wabbies
Exactly this. We called them "potato bugs" as kids. But we also had and knew of potato beetles. It took until adulthood that I knew their true name.
I'm out west and know them as woodbugs.
Woodlouse
They are crawdads! We’ll let crawfish slide. Mud bugs are what you tell someone after they have enjoyed them as a meal
I’m with ya on that, crawdads all the way!
https://preview.redd.it/iprr7xbuu58d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24cad894ec5aff53567cc46212936d33f844cfe3 They like to eat my strawberries :( this guy ate a hole in my strawberry and then tried to flee when I went to snap his picture.
We call them roly poly here. I had some in my garden box and they razed all my seedlings to the ground. I had to have pest control come out and deal with them because they were everywhere.
They usually do that if there's not a better alternative food.
In my area most people call these "potato bugs". "Armadillidium vulgare, the common pill-bug, potato bug, common pill woodlouse, roly-poly, slater, doodle bug, or carpenter" according to Wikipedia. I have a newer hugle culture raised bed which is suffering an over population of these bugs. They've begun munching on my sprouts, so I'm relocating them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillidium_vulgare
What do you call the yellow/black striped beetles with the red larvae, that eat potato plants then?
I call them evil ladybugs.
Potato beetle
Ive always called them roly-poly’s but i might have to go with doodle bug from now own. Will probably call my wife this as well.
You should look up all the morphs that people collect
Im familiar with it. I used to keep poison dart frogs and doodlebugs were a big part of the clean up crew. I had the tropical whites, giant orange, and pandas. Its funny in the terrarium context, i always called them isopods but if i saw the exact same bug outside, it was a roly-poly. https://preview.redd.it/0tc5v99u758d1.jpeg?width=3264&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c8c56d633c86aa05c6871c87d58b6aaf0fae6e47
Thanks for the photo!
Sure thing! https://preview.redd.it/mc7p8h30d68d1.jpeg?width=2448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62d093c1ee90e4582d24f20d92d53201d07d4ba0
Rubber duckies are *so* cute. I have a group of 'orange crayon'.
I have Armadillidium gestroi and A. granulatum. I recently had a ton of local A. vulgare on some rotting wood that I was cleaning up so i put them in a third terrarium. All three of the cultures currently have heaps of little babies. They love cucumber, magnolia leaf and crushed crab shell.
I originally got a couple small groups for my boa biome, but they quickly became little pets in their own right. Sometimes they do a little happy dance when you offer a favorite food.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_cricket I’m not saying you’re wrong, but a lot of people call these Jerusalem Crickets the “potato bug”
I would take 1000 rollie pollies over one jerusalem cricket any day.
After just now seeing what a Jerusalem cricket looks like, I Strongly agree with you!
> Despite their common names, these insects are neither true crickets (which belong to the family Gryllidae) nor true bugs (which belong to the order Hemiptera), nor are they native to Jerusalem Nor are they potatoes!
Yes, that is what I would call a potato bug. The little guys here would be pill-bugs or roly-poly.
In the UK we call them woodlice. They got much better marketing over here.
Any animal with “lice” in its name gets poor market -ing in my opinion
Yep. Woodlouse vs roly-poly. One definitely sounds better 😂
Interestingly the back end of that bug looks a lot like a pill-bug, could be why they got the same common name. Because you know potatoes are boldly striped lol
The science is settled. No one knows what a potato bug is.
It's a bug on my potato plants dammit!
Neat how common names can change so much! Anyway, unfortunately that can be an issue with hugels. They have so much rotting wood that you get a huge population boom of pill bugs, millipedes, and other critters that love eating decaying matter. Good luck dealing with the problem, once they settle down hugelkulture can be super effective for holding water and nutrients!
Good to know...I just started a hugelkulture bed this spring. I'll keep an eye out for the critters!
In Europe, we call those here potato bugs, it's an invasive species though: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado\_potato\_beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_potato_beetle)
This is what we always referred to as potato bugs
That’s lovely you relocated them. That’s much better than what I thought was going to happen. You’re a good person.
I didn't realize they'd even eat live plants
I've heard them called pill bugs before.
Same - referred to as potato bugs where I’m from
The poor thing must have an identity crisis because it has so many names :)
Ooooh how is your hugelkultur coming along?? I just learned about them so I'm curious.
This is my first season with the new beds. They are 2/3 full of oak logs, branches and chips with manure. The top third is raised bed soil from the nursery. I’ve needed to add nitrogen, as expected. I’m using blood meal for that. I’m getting a lot of mushrooms and fungus popping up. And right now I’m having a potato bug bloom, which I’m managing as you can see. I was expecting these beds to act a little wonky for the first few seasons. I don’t mind fussing with them for a few seasons as they mature and stabilize.
Very cool. Keep us posted!
WE struggled with them this year too, i never knew they could be problematic. We used big chunky wood mulch which caused a surge in population and then they started eating green plants
Oh man, the 'Ant Lion' is also called 'Doodle Bug'
The point being missed however is why? What damage do they do?
Huh. Learn something new every day.
I grew up calling them potato bugs too. The ones where I was didn't roll up, so why would I call them Roly polys?
OK, but you just solved an ongoing mystery for me! My toddler has been picking up little bugs left and right and calling them doodle bugs! I for the life of me couldn't figure it out because it's not something we ever say. I figured he learned it at daycare, but nobody ever knew what I was talking about when I asked. Now I know!
Common names are potato bug, pill bug, and rolli pollis. Depends on where you're from.
Ah, poor man’s lobster in my neck of the woods.
as an isopod lover and friend it’s always so sad to hear my boys are out there wrecking ppls gardens, giving their brethren a bad name. not all isopods
These guys are now living it up in my compost mound. You don’t have to feel bad for them.
Yayyy 🐞🫡
I thought they were good for the soil, helping break down leaves, twigs, etc into dirt. Am I crazy?
no you aren’t crazy but after awhile when an isopod population gets too large, they become more brazen. they’ll begin eating fresh leaves and any fruits and vegetables nearby. even tho theyre detritivores they still love a fresh yummy treat. when their populations are smaller they don’t usually take the risk of emerging from soil
I just toss any expired strawberry under a flower patch for them
my pods like the decaying fruit better than the fresh fruit so i think that may be a good technique lol
so the garden just needs the presence of some animals that eat them?
yes! if they have a predator nearby to control the population then they’ll be too timid to emerge from soil to feed.. any insectivore like a beetle, spider or centipede will enjoy them, reptiles and amphibians also love them.
A pod was the first tattoo I ever got (last fall at 38 lol); love these lil guys. Sometimes I set ‘traps’ like OPs to get fresh genetics for my big ol native terrarium. They’re an endless source of enjoyment for me, along with the other species I keep. Really glad OP rehomed these guys to a place full of stuff that’s probably even more delectable to them!
I'm in the UK and have always know these as woodlouse.
Also live in the UK, can confirm wood louse (or wood lice for plural)
In Portugal we call them ''bichos de conta'' which translates to ''bead critters'' because they look like beads when they curl their bodies into a ball as a defense mechanism
I have too much of these as well that they end up eating my strawberries.
Cut a potato in half, hollow it out a bit and leave them cut side down. In the morning lift it up and shake them off elsewhere (away from strawberrries) repeat for 1-2 days and you’ll be good to go!
Thanks!
Mine too!
Me too, I don't know how to stop them!
I’m going to try the apply core trick.
I did the same thing with beer in the cup. Killed A mess of them but they still got my strawberries!
every living creatures love strawberries
If you just give them some shady spit to eat some kitchen garbage, they will make great soil for you. Trivia tidbit: They are actually terrestrial crustaceans.
> give them some shady spot to eat some kitchen garbage Why did you just describe my own childhood? 😂
Um, also most of my afternoons, presently.
"Thank you for the hunk of apple kind lady." It's like they are on a family outing at the local restaurant.
Deff thought that was a stick of butter
Same. Core? Might as well have given them the whole apple!
Lots of questionable information in this thread but to most the world these are Rollie Pollies, they aren't bugs but isopods. They'll usually eat dead plants but like you're seeing they will absolutely gorge themselves on potatoes leaves and strawberries. I see people say just add more compost but this doesn't make any logical sense. If you give a pest a food source then you get more pests. Trap and relocate or treat if untenable.
100%! My problem with them gets so much worse after I amend the soil because it's more free lunch!
I'm no expert on bugs, but the only place I find those is chewing up dead stuff. They seem pretty good for the soil that way.
They are over-populated and eating my sprouts. I'm relocating them to my compost pile.
I’ve had this problem too, ear wigs and pill bugs eating my plants because their numbers got too big.
How did you fix the issue? I am having the same problems with earwigs now.
I declared war on earwigs this year after one crawled into my beer while I was sitting outside and another crawled under my shirt. I lifted up everything the earwigs could hide under and sucked them up with my shop vac. They were under the trash cans, potted plants, basically every random thing in my yard. Then, I plugged the shop vac hose with a towel so they couldn't escape until I dumped them in the trash can right before trash pickup. It's not a polite fix, but it worked very well for me.
Sluggo plus
They will eat living plants as well if their numbers get too high, especially with indoor growers. They can definitely be a problem. I wouldn't call it common but I've seen quite a few indoor weed growers have issues with them and have to take steps to lower their populations.
I keep isopods as pets and bioactive terrarium clean up crew. This is how I catch them when changing their soil or trapping them to put in a terrarium.
Why are we catching rolly polly’s? Do you fight them like roosters ?
In small numbers they are great for the soil. In large numbers they wreck seedlings. OP is relocating.
Sow bugs, pill bugs, roly polys, but not potato bugs
They’re called roly polies you savage.
I spent about a week going out and collecting them from my raised bed to relocate them, they were… disturbingly overpopulated, munching on my plants, and so dang cute.
This is fantastic, I’m going to relocate the excess to my compost as well. They’re way overpopulated in my garden.
Trying this tonight they are destroying my beds rn was told they are good for the dynamics of the soil not when there’s thousands it ain’t lol. These things are evasive and I’ve chalked them up and 100% pest!
TIL it's only in NZ and Australia that we call these Slaters
Haha, I have been getting shit all day long for calling them potato bugs. People really get worked up over regional differences in what we call various critters.
Why are you killing them they are great for your soil.
I don’t know about OP, but they never bothered me and I left them alone…until…they began to destroy my strawberries, so they are no longer welcome.
I'm not killing them. I'm relocating them to my compost pile. They are overpopulated and eating my sprouts.
In small quantities they’re good. Right now I pick about 50-100 each day, since they’ve eaten about half my beans/zucchini plants.
They can destroy plants. That's why.
Ok will this stop them from eating my seedlings?
Thank you for this!! They have been wreaking havoc on my garden this year.
Watermelon rinds work too!
Land Shrimp!
Omigosh I so could've used this about 6 weeks ago. My raised bed was full of them, one day I pulled out over 200 of them (I counted)!!
Ugh those things murdered my strawberry patch this year
This person is likely from the northwestern US or Canada, we call them potato bugs a lot here.
Yep I was thinking Portland. We call them potato bugs
Why are you killing isopods? They are decomposers like worms and beneficial. They only eat healthy plant matter under certain conditions. Mostly lack of other food.
This is exactly why common names are garbage.
Why do we hate them?
In small numbers they are great, and great in your compost. In large numbers, they destroy seedlings.
We like them in our compost. If they become overpopulated in our garden, they will eat soft plant tissue like sprouts and strawberries.
Deff thought that was a stick of butter
Now I know whose been eating my strawberries.
I'm seeing how they're good. Other saying too many though is bad. What if they're just always at the bottom of pots? They seem to like curling up in the drain holes.
We call them Billy bakers in the South uk
Mmm little land shrimp.
This must be a regional thing, because where I'm from, (California) those bugs are called "rollie pollies," or if you're a transplant from somewhere else, "Pill Bugs." Don't get me wrong, we have potato bugs. It's the most common name for Jerusalem Crickets. I didn't even know they were called Jerusalem Crickets until a few years ago because I always knew them as "Potato Bugs." Here's a picture: https://preview.redd.it/6cwfs3eig68d1.png?width=832&format=png&auto=webp&s=902b22614022b66f330c5bebf01c5e39dd231a3c
Holzläuse.
A potato bug is a Jerusalem cricket! I have seen one and they are gross! That’s a rollie poly
Edible and taste like Itty bitty shrimp
Roly-poly bugs, not potato bugs
These are actually good for your soil so long as you have healthy soil with enough decaying leaf litter that they can break down into compost. Otherwise they'll eat your vegetation.
Rains constantly on the Oregon coast, can potatoe bugs swim to apple core?