Sowbugs are exhausting shelled land-dwelling crustaceans. They don’t seem to be bugs.
Grownup sowbugs are slate grey or brown ¼ to five/8 inch lengthy with jointed armor segments and 7 pairs of tiny legs. A sowbug resembles an tiny armadillo.
Sowbugs devour decaying plant and different natural subject material within the lawn together with decaying greens and culmination. Once in a while they are going to bite on seedlings and strawberry culmination, however usually they don’t threaten plants and are essential to the method of decomposition of natural subject.
Some species of sowbugs that roll up in a ball when disturbed are referred to as pillbugs or roly polys. However no longer all sowbugs can do that. Normally, all sowbugs also are known as wooden lice.
Sowbugs reproduce each sexually and asexually. An grownup feminine sowbug helps to keep eggs at the underside of her frame till they hatch. Nymphs are small and white however another way appear to be adults sowbugs. Nymphs develop to adults via steadily dropping their shell-like exoskeleton in two levels, first the again part, then the entrance part. After molting, sowbugs seem red or blue.
Sowbugs are energetic and feed at night time. They breathe thru gills and require a damp setting. All the way through the day they conceal in darkish, wet puts, underneath forums, rocks, mulch, and decaying crops.
Sowbugs are discovered all the way through United States.
Goal Crops: Sowbugs feed on decaying plant subject material. They now and again feed on seedlings, new roots, and the decrease leaves of crops that can be laying at the floor. They feed decaying greens and culmination laying at the floor.
Feeding Conduct and Injury: Sowbugs will bite decaying plant leaves and fruit. They’re going to additionally bite strawberry culmination laying on wet soil. The wear and tear sowbugs inflict isn’t serious. As a result of sowbugs devour decaying natural subject, they lend a hand within the herbal composting procedure. Additionally they flip the soil and support in soil aeration which is an aide to plant roots.
Natural Controls: There are a number of tactics to regulate sowbugs:
- Prohibit over the top soil moisture within the lawn to restrict the selection of sowbugs. Water within the morning in order that crops and the soil floor can dry out via night time.
- Inspire air circulate within the lawn; use spun poly or plastic sheet mulch to stay plants off the bottom or develop crops on stakes and trellises.
- To stay sowbugs from plants sprinkle diatomaceous earth across the base of crops and construction foundations the place insects congregate.
- Entice sowbugs underneath stones or forums, then take away them to any other location or spoil them.
- Make paper traps painted with a sticky coating similar to Tanglefoot; then fold them tentlike and position them across the lawn.
Medical Title: Circle of relatives Armadillidae
