European Sow Bug

I am SICK of people claiming this bug only eats dead plant material. They eat EVERYTHING in my garden. They have attacked the roots of every plant I have, particularly annuals. I can no longer plant seedlings/plugs because there are millions of these things in my flower beds and they devour small plants within days. There were so many eating my wood deck that I have to get it power washed every year to kill them.

I tried putting down slug/earwig pellets but those pellets caused mildew to grow and kill my plants, so I stopped using them.I don't use other pesticides in my garden because I have bees, monarch caterpillars, butterflies and hummingbirds.

These are not roly polys. They don't curl up in a ball. They're the worst pest on my entire property. I have p... read moreeepers and toads on my property but they don't make a dent in the population.

Sow bugs get more than half my crop of strawberries every year. We've tried putting down wood planks for them to hide under but they still nibble on almost every berry.

Sowbugs are the ones that doesn't roll up in a tight ball. They like to hide under litter, prefering the humid conditions. Damages to plants are hardly noticeable - mainly seedlings. They tend to be more common when you add wood mulch or letting nature build up leaf litter in woodland gardens. They also are found in wood piles and weedy spots. They are also more of a northern species than pillbugs.