5 Ways to Keep Pill Bugs from Destroying Your Garden
Although rollie pollies (also called pill bugs or potato bugs) usually eat decaying and decomposing plant matter, occasionally, pill bug numbers are high, and they can wreak havoc on a garden (and your favorite strawberries!). If you’re wondering how to get rid of pill bugs, this post shares my favorite natural pill bug control methods.
To my great frustration, rollie pollies have destroyed countless seedlings in my garden. As an organic gardener, I’m unwilling to use pesticides to control pill bug numbers when they get out of balance, so I’ve had to get creative. These are my time-tested and favorite ways to keep pill bugs from killing my seeds and seedlings.
Best Organic Pill Bug Control Methods For the Home Gardener:
What are pill bugs, and why are they harmful to gardens?
- Don’t give rollie pollies in the garden what they want
- Set traps
- Make collars
- Overplant to overwhelm rollie pollies
- Use organic controls to manage rollie pollie populations
Natural Control Methods for Pill Bugs
What are pill bugs, and why are they harmful to gardens?
Pill bugs, also known as roly-polies or woodlice, are small, crustacean-like creatures that belong to the Armadillidiidae family. These gray, oval-shaped critters are about ½ inch (1.3 cm) long and are easily recognized by their ability to roll into a tight ball when threatened. Pill bugs thrive in damp environments and often hide under mulch, rocks, or decaying organic matter in gardens.
While pill bugs are important in breaking down organic material, they can become a nuisance in gardens. In large numbers, they may start feeding on tender seedlings, young plants, fruits, or vegetables close to the ground, such as strawberries and squash. This feeding can stunt growth, damage crops, and reduce harvests, especially in gardens with an abundance of decaying plant matter that supports a growing population.
1. Don’t give rollie pollies in the garden what they want
Pill bugs prefer damp and dark hiding places. Try not to make life comfortable for them. To manage pill bugs, focus on reducing excessive moisture, avoiding over-mulching, and removing the food source debris where they might hide. Encouraging natural predators like birds can also help keep their population in check.
Remove wet leaves, fallen fruit, and dead organic matter from your garden. Try not to overwater your garden, as rollie pollies are also attracted to moisture. These steps can be helpful, but if you still have problems, keep reading for more ways to keep pill bugs from destroying your garden.
2. Set traps
If an area of your garden has an overabundance of pill bugs, setting traps is an effective way to bring the numbers back in balance. Check traps daily, and remove and either discard or transplant the pill bugs to other areas of your yard.
Citrus or fruit traps as a natural pill bug control method
Cut the fruit in half and place it face down in the affected area. The pill bugs will be drawn to the fruit. Check traps in the morning, and dig down a bit to collect the rollie pollies. Fruit can often be used for 2-3 days in a row.
Beer or yeast traps as a natural pill bug control method
Set a shallow container (such as a pie plate) with the rim flush to the ground; fill with beer or 1-2 Tb yeast dissolved in water. The rollie pollies will be drawn to the beer or yeast, fall in, and drown. Yeast and beer traps are very effective.
3. Use collars
Sick of losing my vegetable garden seedlings to rollie pollie damage, I wrapped the stems in duct tape (sticky side out) and it worked! The seedlings are thriving with no pest damage to the stems. This organic gardener technique is quick, simple, and effective. I’ve also used newspaper and toilet paper rolls as collars effectively.
Duct tape collar as a natural pill bug control method
Wrap a small piece of duct tape (sticky side out) around the stem of a seedling. Bury one-half of the taped stem in the ground, leaving some of the tape above ground as well. Remove the tape when the stem grows larger to keep the tape from suffocating the stem.
Newspaper collar as a natural pill bug control method
Tear a couple-inch strip of newspaper and carefully wrap it around the seedling stem, burying some if possible. As the seedling grows, the paper will fall off — no need to remove it.
Paper tube collar as a natural pill bug control method
Slide the tube over the seedling and into the soil. It’s best to have the collar buried an inch or two below the soil.
I’ve had mixed success with this type of collar. Sometimes it works. Other times the pill bugs get inside the collar.
4. Overplant to overwhelm rollie pollies in the garden
Certain crops are best started in the garden from seed, which makes using collar methods ineffective – the seedlings are often eaten before there is anything above ground to protect. When this happens, I usually try overplanting.
For example, instead of planting 1-2 seeds, I plant 3-4 seeds. In my experience, at least one of the seeds is overlooked or somehow protected by the other seedlings and not eaten by the rollie pollies — success!
If more than one seedling survives, thin additional seedlings by cutting at the soil level rather than pulling. (Pulling may disturb the roots of remaining seedlings.)
5. Use Slug & Snail Bait, Diatomaceous earth (DE), or Nematodes
Using slug & snail bait to combat pill bug overpopulation:
Garden Safe Slug & Snail Bait is OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) Listed. This bait is very effective in areas where rollie pollies are an issue. Use according to package directions. After planting beans twice, none came up. After replanting the third time, I sprinkled a small amount of this and had beans emerge within days, undamaged. It’s iron phosphate with an attractant for slugs. They eat the iron phosphate, which slows them down so much they die. It’s non toxic to worms and may help plants flower.
Using diatomaceous earth (DE) to combat pill bug overpopulation:
Diatomaceous earth (DE) can be an effective means of controlling pill bug populations around your plants. DE is safe to handle (for animals and pets, too) but not to inhale – wear a mask while using.
DE, or diatomaceous earth, works to kill pill bugs by dehydrating them. Diatomaceous earth is made up of tiny fossilized aquatic organisms called diatoms. When pill bugs come into contact with DE, the sharp edges of the diatoms cut through the bug’s exoskeleton and absorb the moisture, causing the bug to dehydrate and die.
DE is commonly used in organic pest control because it is non-toxic to humans, pets, and the environment. However, to ensure effective and safe usage, it is important to follow the instructions on the product label when using DE.
To use DE for pill bug control, apply a thin layer around their frequented areas, wear gloves and a mask, avoid windy conditions, and re-apply after rain. Apply in the late afternoon when the bugs are active and follow the product label for safe and effective results.
Using nematodes to combat pill bug overpopulation:
Nematodes are microscopic organisms that are often used as a natural method of controlling pests in gardens.
Specifically, the Steinernema carpocapsae nematode is effective at targeting and killing pill bugs. These nematodes are applied to the soil in the garden and penetrate the skin of the pill bug. Once inside, they release a bacteria that quickly kills the pill bug.
Using nematodes for pest control is considered a safe and environmentally friendly option as they only attack specific pests and do not harm beneficial insects or soil quality. However, it’s important to follow the application instructions carefully to ensure the nematodes are introduced properly.
Additionally, nematodes may not be as effective if the soil is too dry or too hot, so it’s important to monitor the environmental conditions in your garden to determine the best time to use this method.
Natural Control Methods for Pill Bugs
I’ve found that combining these methods is the best way to bring pill bug numbers back into balance. Effective methods for combating pill bug damage in a home garden include reducing favorable environmental conditions, creating physical barriers, using predators, manually removing the bugs, and using natural repellents.
Looking for more information about managing pests?
Do you have other pests in your garden? Read this post for organic pest control that really works.
I use potato traps. Then I pour boiling water on the rolls polies. Also, I trap with containers of soy sauce topped with cheap cooking oil. Both methods have worked well for
me.
@Lyn, love the soy sauce idea. We always have extra packets laying around.
Oh gosh! For some reason we have a lot of them this year. I believe because of the moisture, I will reduce watering in that area. I experimented the other day, planted 2 of my tomato seedlings, they were both eaten by day# 2. I’ll try the recommendations, thanks.
Forgot to mention… these guys are not eating the broccolis though that are on same raised bed.
Very good info. I was just weeding my strawberry patch and noticed quite a few of the pill bugs. Time to deploy! I think I will try the beer and DE tips together.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If those don’t work an organic option to use with a light hand would be Sluggo Plus https://amzn.to/47onJjA
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?
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.
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.
Good to know. I don’t usually get fire ants, but know they are a horrible nuisance. Thanks for the report.
I put a piece of duct tape sticky side out around the where the stem contacts the ground. Works well with the tomatoes.
Great idea.
Break down heavy metals? How do they do that.. build a particle accelerator?
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.
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?
I haven’t tried cardboard. I do know that beer works. If you try the cardboard let me know how it goes.