Q. I have voracious pill bugs eating my tomato plants (starting at the stalk at ground level). These are the bugs that resemble armadillos and can roll themselves into a ball. Is there anything I can do to protect the plants or get rid of the bugs?
A. If they roll into a ball then they are considered pillbugs. The pillbugs or sowbugs, even though they do help in the decomposition of dead plants into organic matter, will damage soft fruit and other soft plants. Particularly if there are large numbers.
They like to congregate under boards, cardboard, rocks and other flat surfaces that stay moist and have plenty of air. Sometimes you can lay out boards or cardboard and let them congregate under the surfaces and then scoop them up and get rid of them. You can also put out semi rotten tomatoes or other vegetables which will act like magnets and attract these varmints. Then you can scoop up these rotting fruits and vegetables along with the pillbugs and dispose of them. That won't get rid of them but it will take the numbers down.
You can protect the plants with cardboard collars such as the inside tubes in toilet tissue, spray the soil surface around young plants with pyrethrum or dust with diatomaceous earth.
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| Pillbugs. Thanks Texas A and M University! |
They like to congregate under boards, cardboard, rocks and other flat surfaces that stay moist and have plenty of air. Sometimes you can lay out boards or cardboard and let them congregate under the surfaces and then scoop them up and get rid of them. You can also put out semi rotten tomatoes or other vegetables which will act like magnets and attract these varmints. Then you can scoop up these rotting fruits and vegetables along with the pillbugs and dispose of them. That won't get rid of them but it will take the numbers down.
You can protect the plants with cardboard collars such as the inside tubes in toilet tissue, spray the soil surface around young plants with pyrethrum or dust with diatomaceous earth.
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