Landscape Pests
Pill And Sow Bug
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Pill & Sow Bugs
Pillbugs and sowbugs are not insects. They are isopods belonging to class crustacea, along with crabs, shrimps and lobsters. Although most crustaceans live in water, sow and pill bugs live on land in moist environments-the only crustaceans that have been able to fully adapt to life on land. You could think of them as "land lobsters". They resemble one another in appearance. Pill bugs roll themselves into a tight ball when disturbed, whereas sow bugs are able to roll themselves up only about half way into a U-shaped form.
They range in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and are slate grey. Sowbugs also have two tail-like features at the rear of the body. They are often called potato bugs. Breathing by means of gills, they must live in a very damp, moist environment outside. They do not like hot sun or clear summer days. Sowbugs and pillbugs are scavengers, eating just about any organic matter, and can do a little damage to new roots and tender stems of growing plants. They are common around foundations where the grass or plants grow too close to the building and under objects that lay on top of the damp ground. They don't sting or bite and usually don't contaminate anything. They are really more of a nuisance than an actual problem.
Life Cycle:
Sow and Pillbugs have a three-stage life cycle - egg, young, and adult. The eggs are deposited inside bodies of females in a pouch-like structure known as marsupium. Between 20 and 80 can be in the brood pouch at one time. Developing in around 40-50 days, they emerge alive. They molt once every two weeks until twenty weeks old. In three to four months they will reach adulthood. There are one to three generations per year and adults live about two years.
