Pillbug Control: How to Get Rid of Pillbugs

This page is a general DIY article on eliminating pillbugs from your lawn, garden, and plant beds using the products and methods suggested throughout this guide. Follow this DIY guide and use the recommended products, and we guarantee 100% control over pillbugs on your property.

One of the most common pests you will encounter when looking underneath rocks, wood, and potted plants are pillbugs, also known as woodlice, wood shrimp, doodlebugs, or rollie pollies. Since childhood, many individuals have enjoyed handling these invertebrate pests until they form into a ball, hence the name rollie pollie. Despite this fun quirk, pillbugs should not be considered permanent guests on your property.

They are harmless to people; needless to say, this cannot be said for your potted plants and ornamental foliage. A pillbug's diet depends mainly on decaying plant matter. When these food sources are no longer available, these pests can switch to feeding on young plant seedlings and plant roots. In some cases, these pests may also invade the interior of your home through cracks and crevices surrounding the home foundation. Pillbugs are not known to cause any damage to a home's interior other than irritating homeowners with their reproduction activities.

Contrary to their name, pillbugs are crustacean pests that survive on land and in moderately wet environments. As crustaceans, they must live near moist environments, such as underneath or within wood, flower pots, leaves, and other damp areas around pipes. Interior infestations may indicate some form of mold or water leakage.

While pillbugs are considered beneficial to landscapes and potted plants, they can become a nuisance if populations rise or decaying foliage decreases. Read on to learn more about this pest and how to control pillbugs effectively using the following steps and products.

Identification

Before you can proceed with a treatment program, you must be sure that your pest is indeed a pillbug. Misidentification can lead you to use the wrong treatment products and waste time and money. Below are some characteristics of pillbugs to aid in identification:

• Pillbugs are often mistaken for its relative the sowbug, both of these pests contain an hard armored exoskeleton and seven legs. Sowbugs and pillbugs will feed during the night since temperatures are relatively cooler and moist. The major difference between these pests is that a pillbug can curl into a ball, whereas a sowbug cannot. 
• The backs of pillbugs will be more rounded than sowbugs to help keep the undersides of their bodies and gills protected or from drying out.
• They are classified as crustaceans but can live far away from bodies of water and survive mainly on land. These pests are unique because they breathe through a pair of gills, which have adapted to breathe on land by becoming hollow.
• Pillbugs will have gray or brown colored bodies, one pair of antennae, and measure between 1/4 to 3/4 inches.

Use the description and image above to determine whether the pest you encounter is a pillbug. If you are unsure, contact our experts; we will help you identify the correct one.

Inspection

Once you have confirmed the infestation is pillbugs, you can move on to inspection. During this phase, you will locate the areas where pillbugs are infesting and observe the conditions allowing them to thrive. This information will help you determine where to apply pesticide applications.

Where to Inspect

Pillbugs thrive in damp, dark areas that provide enough dead plants or moisture. These habitats are mostly found underneath fall leaves, rocks, logs, and moist soil in fields, grassy areas, gardens, plant beds, potted plants, and hedgerows.

What to Look For

Pillbugs often burrow themselves into soil or mulch around plants receiving consistent moisture or grounds containing moisture. Take a shovel or gloved hand and brush a gentle layer of dirt from these sites to see pillbugs curled into a round ball. You may also pick up rotted wood boards, logs, rocks, woodpiles, soil underneath porches and within potted plants, ornamental landscaping, and other crevices providing moisture and darkness.

Decaying plants are most prone to pillbug damage, but young seedlings and plants can be harmed and soft-tendered. Pillbugs will leave small irregular holes in the center and edge of plant and grass leaves and roots. Though rare, pillbugs will only invade the interior of your home when they come across areas containing water leakage, such as around pipes and sinks.

They will also invade damp areas such as your basement. However, interior infestations are not likely to happen, as pillbugs will perish within a few days without moisture. If you are facing an indoor infestation, look around your home's foundation for cracks and crevices.

Treatment

Before you begin any type of pesticide application, you will need to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when mixing or spraying.

For nuisance pillbugs, we recommend using products containing beta-cyfluthrin (B-cyfluthrin), carbaryl, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, esfenvalerate, gamma cyhalothrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, or permethrin. We recommend using Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules and Supreme IT, as both of these products contain one of these active ingredients.

Step 1: Treat the Yard with Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules

Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules is a granular insecticide containing 0.2% bifenthrin, which repels and eliminates pests like pillbugs through paralysis and eventual death. Once applied, this product protects your lawn, flower gardens, flower beds, around and along the perimeters of your home and other structures, mulch beds, fence lines, and decks and decking for up to three months.

Determine how much Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to use by calculating the square footage of the treatment area. To find this, measure the treatment areas' length and width in feet and multiply them together (length X width = square footage).

To eliminate pillbugs, apply 4.6 lbs. of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules per 1,000 sq. ft.

We recommend using a push or broadcast spreader to apply these product granules. You may also use a hand spreader for small areas.

Based on your calculations, load your selected spreader with the proper amount of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules. Broadcast the granules in parallel lines once across the treatment site and then at a perpendicular angle (like a grid pattern) the second time to evenly treat the area.

Wait until the product has been completely applied to your property before watering with irrigation or liquid. In the following step, you will want to use Supreme IT to activate the product's effects.

Step 2: Spray Supreme IT

Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum liquid insecticide that treats over 70 insects, including pillbugs, for up to 90 days. Compared to Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, this product may be used on the exterior foundation of the home to prevent pillbugs from coming within 3 feet.

Use 0.25 to 0.5 oz. of Supreme IT per gallon of water per 1,000 sq. ft. of lawn and ornamentals.

To prevent indoor infestations, you may spray 3 feet up and 3 feet out from the home foundation. We recommend using a hose-end sprayer for lawn applications.

To mix, fill your hose-end sprayer with the appropriate amount of Supreme IT and attach it to the end of the garden hose. Do not add water before attaching this sprayer, as you will spray until the measured amount of water is added.

Adjust the sprayer to a fan-spray setting to achieve an even application across your yard. Spray until the top and bottom of leaves are wet, but not to the point of run-off.

Prevention

After successfully eliminating pillbugs from your property, you will want to ensure these pests do not return. Here are some preventative measures we suggest following to keep pillbugs away.

• Raking away piles of leaves, plant debris, sticks, and mulch too close to your home's foundation or within potted plants or garden beds can remove hiding places for pillbugs.
• Mow turf when it reaches a height of 3 inches to prevent moisture and shade from overgrown foliage. This includes trimming overgrown shrubs and trees close to your home's foundation.
• Prune dead branches and leaves from plants as this is a main food source for pillbugs.
• Repair leaky faucets and pipes and fix any appliances causing moisture issues, such as air conditioning. Adjust your lawn sprinklers to only apply an inch of irrigation once per week, as this will also help retain moisture while properly watering your lawn.
• Retreat property once 90 days have passed after the first application with the recommended products.
• Seal cracks and crevices around window and door frames and along your home's foundation with caulk to prevent pillbugs from entering.

Key Takeaways

What are Pillbugs?

• Pillbugs are common nocturnal garden pests that can roll into a ball when startled and feed on tender-leaved or decaying plants.

How to Get Rid of Pillbugs

• We recommend first treating moisture issues within your property by adjusting water practices and repairing any leaks around homes. Then, you will apply Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granule across your yard and treat the perimeter of your home with Supreme IT.

Preventing Pillbugs Reinfestation

• Seal cracks and crevices with caulk around your home's foundation to remove hiding places for pillbugs. Maintain regular lawn care practices such as mowing and raking to remove habitats and feeding sites. Spray Supreme IT across your yard and against your home's foundation to prevent future activities.