Pest Gallery

Pillbugs and Sowbugs: Isopoda

These pests are crustaceans, so they are more closely related to shrimp and crayfish than to insects. They doorways sowbugs possess two tail-like appendages at the tip of the abdomen and are incapable of rolling into a tight ball. The common pillbug lacks such appendages at the tip of the abdomen and can roll itself into a ball. This habit is the reason they are often called “rolypolies” in some areas.

Both pillbugs and sowbugs feed upon decaying vegetable matter and are found under mulch or vegetable debris of all kinds beneath objects on damp ground. They frequently invade damp basements and crawl spaces and may infest potted plants. A heavy infestation indoors generally indicates that there is a large population immediately outside the building.