A Bazillion Pill Bugs in My Strawberry Boxes

[Rahab222]

Okay, I had this same problem last year with the pill bugs gnawing on my strawberries before I could get to them. This was a result of the compost I purchased from the Master Gardeners that I used in my boxes, not realizing the pill bugs were there. But as I continued to work my way through the bags of compost, I could see thousands of them. After some research, I found the only thing that would kill pill bugs was Sluggo Plus. However, I could only use a few tablespoons of this per 100 square feet and not at all during the fruiting season.

Apparently, the pill bugs over wintered very well in my boxes and multiplied and divided. I went out to check them yesterday and there were dozens of beautiful, gnawed on strawberries and some of them now have small snails sucking on them. Between rain storms, when the dirt in the bed was a little drier, I doused all my beds with diatomaceous earth. Then it rained again the very next morning and the diatomaceous earth will only work if the soil is dry. At this rate, I'm not counting on getting any strawberries from these two boxes again this year. I got a couple from a box on the opposite side of the yard and they were wonderful - no pill bug bites or snails.

So much for organic remedies, which Sluggo Plus doesn't seem to be since it is so potent. Any non-organic ideas on how to get rid of the pill bugs? Sevin Dust doesn't list pill bugs as a critter it will kill (yes, I have some in the garage.) I'm really hacked about this as I have babied these for three years and now, at their peak, they are all being ruined.

OR, should I simply remove all the plants (which are beautiful and healthy) and transplant them elsewhere? Can I transplant strawberries this time of year? I'm not sure where I would transplant them too, except maybe into large pots or planters. I had a beautiful pot - 30 gallons - growing by my front door and somebody stole the whole dang pot when I wasn't home.

If I transplant them elsewhere, I would have to dig out all the compost and take it to the dump, as I sure don't want it anywhere else in my yard or garden. This would give me another 16' x 5' plot for growing other items if I remove the two raised boxes. I really need a solution for this, so thanks in advance.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Pillbugs (and sowbugs) are not insects, but are classified as isopods or crustaceans, closely related to crayfish & crabs. They have a particular biology in which eggs & young remain inside females for several months inside a pouch-like marsupium. This provides protection from predators & prevents desiccation (drying-up). Females may produce two or more broods during the year with 20 - 28 young per brood. Both sowbugs & pillbugs primarily feed on decaying organic matter/fungi because they possess weak chewing mouth parts; however if populations are abundant they may occasionally feed on the stem and/or roots of young seedlings, & may feed on young, tender vegetation or fruit. They can cause damage to beans, lettuce & other vegetable crops. The food source for pillbugs/sowbugs must contain copper as this element is essential to their survival because the oxygen transporting chemical in the blood is hemocyanin (which is a copper-containing molecule). They are nocturnal (night-time) feeders hiding during the day under rocks, plant debris, boards lying on the ground & in mulch; however, they may be observed during the day-time after rains or when conditions are overcast. They may also burrow several inches into soil. Both sowbugs & pillbugs require constant moisture for survival since they cannot control or regulate water loss from their bodies as they lack a waterproof exoskeleton. Adults may live up to 2 years or more.

Now to answer your question & fix the bug problem, you will need to keep your gardens clean at all times (do not allow plant debris to remain in your garden & they won't have as many places to nest or to eat).

Then spray either Malathion or Sevin to eradicate them. Note: you may have to do this numerous times to get them as some may be underground.

 

[Rahab222]

WR; You are a tremendous resource to all of us. Does the dirt/compost need to be dry to use the Melathion or Sevin in the strawberry boxes? Can you use this during the fruiting season? I am absolutely appalled by the information you laid out on pill bugs. I have noticed that they tend to have their nests around the roots of the plants or along the sides of the inside of the box. I also see them trying to escape when I pull a gnawed on strawberry out of the box. I squish as many of them as I can by hand, but apparently there are many more beneath the surface.

When you say "spray" Malathion or Sevin, is this in liquid form? Thanks for all your assistance!

 

[w_r_ranch]

Does the dirt/compost need to be dry to use the Melathion or Sevin in the strawberry boxes?

It doesn't matter as you are spraying the bugs & the plants. If you want to treat the soil, use a granular form of sevin.

Can you use this during the fruiting season?

Yes, but read the the product label for the timing of the harvest. I generally don't spray within 7 days of my harvest.

When you say "spray" Malathion or Sevin, is this in liquid form?

Yes.

 

[Rahab222]

The strawberries are in full swing as far as the harvest. That's why I am either going to have to sacrifice this years crop to the pill bugs or the insecticide. It's a lose-lose either way I go. The plants are gorgeous and loaded with gnawed on strawberries and flowers. The reason I have gone organic in the past is because Sevin Dust, etc. kills bees (my pollinators) and they are attracted to both the berries and the flowers. My time in the garden has been limited since I went back to work and because we have had so much rain. I really don't care what it takes, I'm going to get some tomato and pepper plants in the ground this coming weekend.

Another big question. My main garden for tomatoes and peppers had so many weeds in it, it looked like the lawn. I just got out there on Tuesday and went to town pulling out the bulk of the weeds. As far as the smaller weeds that are still remaining. Do I need to get every small weed out, too, due to my tight deadline or planting; or they will turn to mulch/compost once I till in all my compost prior to planting?

I am going to use Sevin on my strawberries because I'm so desperate over the pill bug situation. I will probably also transplant some into another bed and pots. However, I notice the pill bugs tend to gather or make a nest around the roots, so I hope I can get rid of all of them and not be transplanting them with the plants into new beds or pots. Honestly, there are bazillions of pill bugs in my garden thanks to the compost I bought from the Master Gardeners. I bought a composter that supposedly makes compost in 6 weeks. What a joke. I started my current batch last spring and its still not ready. My compost pile that is out in the elements has sunk from a height of 4 feet to about 6 inches. I'm hoping there's some black gold under there for my tomato bed that I can mix in with manure. I'm tired of buying bad compost from the retailers. The manure comes out like a dust or powder, with no moisture left in it at all. However, I used this "powdered" manure in my first potato box and the plants are now 8 inches tall in 3 weeks. The other two potato beds, I used a compost of manure and hummus. Those potatoes are just now breaking through the soil, so I think the potatoes prefer the straight up manure. I've already fertilized the first box and will do the last two boxes this weekend with organic fertilizer spikes. Oh how I wish I had more space for planting. Gifts from the garden thrill my friends, neighbors and family. Next year, I will have another raised bed.