PEST PROFILES: NON-INSECT ARTHROPOD PESTS

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Pillbugs and sowbugs Description: Adults are about 3/8 inch long, with a number of rounded body segments and 7 pairs of legs. Sowbugs possess a pair of tail-like structures on the back end of the body. Pillbugs do not have these structures and are capable of rolling into a tight ball when disturbed a behavior that resulted in their common name "roly-poly". Sowbugs and pillbugs are terrestrial crustaceans, and are more closely related to lobsters, shrimp and crayfish. Damage: They will feed on the tender foliage, stems and roots of young garden vegetable transplants, seedlings and bedding plants. They also rasp the outer skin of cucumbers lying on the ground, causing fruit to be deformed and blemished. Life cycle: Females carry their eggs in a pouch underneath the body. Eggs hatch into young sowbugs and pillbugs that resemble adults but are smaller. They remain in the pouch up to 2 months after hatching. Adult development takes one year and they breed mainly in the spring. They may live up to 3 years and produce up to 3 broods per year.