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Doodlebugs EVERYWHERE! Are they harmful?
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:00 pm
by annafaie
Are doodlebugs (roly polys) harmful to my garden? I have what seems like thousands of them all in my compost, around my plants, gathering on the wood all over my raised beds....EVERYWHERE!!! Are they harmless? Please say yes!!!
Anna
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:45 pm
by cynthia_h
I have roly polies all through my compost bin. I occasionally find them elsewhere, but they seem to prefer the compost bin.
Do you have a compost bin / heap for them? Maybe you can "herd" them over there by lifting some onto a piece of paper and moving them. The others may follow.
I don't worry when I find them. Maybe I should?
Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9
doodlebugs
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:10 pm
by rainbowgardener
I never heard them called that. I've always called them sow bugs or pillbugs. They are in the compost because they are detritovores, part of the cycle of breaking down organic material.
"Sowbugs and pillbugs are scavengers and feed mainly on decaying organic matter. They occasionally feed on young plants but the damage inflicted is seldom significant. Sowbugs and pillbugs thrive only in areas of high moisture, and tend to remain hidden under objects during the day. Around buildings they are common under mulch, compost, boards, stones, flower pots, and other items resting on damp ground. Another frequent hiding place is behind the grass edge adjoining sidewalks and foundations."
https://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef439.asp
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 9:23 pm
by The Helpful Gardener
HARMLESS!
Really...
HG
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:03 pm
by hendi_alex
doodle bugs live in those cone shaped depressions in loose soil. Most folks might call them ant lions, because they make a quick feast on any ant that tumbles down the sides or its lair.
Roly polies or pill bugs are the cute little grey bugs that love cool, damp, dark places. I think that they feed on my strawberries from time to time, but that could only be after some other critter munches or after a moldy spot appears. We have many, many pill bugs in the yard, and they seem to cause no major problem with anything. Wish I could say the same about the fire ants, squash bugs, corn ear worms, etc.
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 10:13 pm
by annafaie
Thanks everyone for the advice! We asked our Calloway nursery man the same question today and he shared everyone's opinion here...HARMLESS!
Anna
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 7:07 pm
by Jerseygardengirl
I've never heard them called that before. Growing up we used to always call them potato bugs.