Pillbugs are good for the compost pile when mr lizard eats the over explosion of them. But mr lizard left, and amending the beds w/ all the pilbugs just eat all the seelings
Any remedy to lower their population? Give em som of their cousin's chitin?
Yeah, shouldn't be hard. Pillbugs only live in areas of high moisture. If you just spread your compost out a little and let it dry out for a bit before you use it, that should take care of them.
They are detritovores and are part of the decomposing process in the compost pile. In smaller numbers they don't usually bother living plants, but I have heard that before that if you have masses of them like that, they will eat seedlings.
RG,
In the compost piles there alot of pillbugs- not really infested. I do sift it before storing or spreading on the beds. This is my 1st year from early summer. Back last fal or early spring this year I didn't have any issues.
I direct sowed beans in late july, and had a heck of a time will the pillbugs munching on seedlings. There are not alot of them, just enough to reduce amount of seedlings. DE helped some with multiple application. Some corn meal and beer traps also helps, but I think I lost about 10-20%.
I tried keeping it dry after spreading,and thinking ahead for when I sow seeds I need to use soaker and sprinklers for say brassica and lettuces, radish etc.
If the issue is pillbugs that are in the compost pile getting moved to the garden beds with the compost, drying the compost should get rid of them. After that when you add it to the garden bed, it doesn't have to stay dry, because the pb's are gone. Though if your bed stays too wet, it will encourage them to come back from wherever...
