Are pill bugs bad for your lawn and/or garden?

Asked by ANef_is_Enuf (26839

) May 20th, 2017

Pill bugs, potato bugs, sow bugs, roly polies… whatever you call them.
We have an abundance of them all over our yard and in our flowerbeds and every year there seem to be more and more. If you yank a weed or stick a spade in the ground anywhere on the property, you’ll see a dozen of them scatter. Is that normal? Is it harmful? Should I be trying to control them?

gardening

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6 Answers

I always thought the opposite.

They break leaves, lawn clippings, and such down to new, healthy, soil. So having a ton of them actually helps out your soil. I’ve never seen them eating live, healthy plants.

Besides, they’re about the least creepy bug around. I wish they ate mosquitos or spiders, I’d start a pill bug farm ;)

funkdaddy (17777

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I too, have never seen them eating live plants. I think they are harmless.
I like them…

MrGrimm888 (19541

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I don’t like them, but I don’t like any creepy crawlies, and I have a phobia of bugs and especially anything with an exoskeleton. But, they don’t bother me so much. It’s just that we have such an abundance that I wondered if it could be considered an infestation. If they’re harmless, I don’t mind. I had read mixed answers online.

ANef_is_Enuf (26839

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Hey…live and let live. Bugs are out friends most of the time. Sow bugs, pill bugs, rolly polly bugs eat decomposing matter. Leaf litter, fruits, veggies, etc. they are harmless and clean up funky stuff.

Coloma (47193

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