Six Ways To Stop Pill Bugs From Eating Your Plants

Pill bugs may look cute and harmless, but it’s easy to hate them when you see how much time they spend eating your plants. It can also be disheartening when you constantly see the pill bug population grow in your yard. That’s why we compiled the six best ways to stop pill bugs from eating your plants.

The best way to stop pill bugs from eating your plants is to avoid overwatering them, as they love damp soil. You can also keep pill bugs away if you scatter diatomaceous earth throughout your soil beds, potted plants, and mulch. Beneficial nematodes, sweet water traps, and cornmeal traps can also help get rid of pill bugs.

It’s also a good idea to set up bird feeders to attract birds, which will eventually hunt and kill the pill bugs in your yard. Follow along as we highlight six ways to stop pill bugs from eating your plants.

How To Get Rid Of Pill Bugs

You can’t get rid of pill bugs overnight, but it can be done. Some of it involves altering your gardening habits, but it may also take some proactive steps. You can stop pill bugs from eating your plants if you keep a few things in mind, such as:

1. Avoid Overwatering

Overwatering can not only damage your plants and wash nutrients out of the soil, but it can also cause a pill bug problem. Pill bugs love moist environments, such as damp soil and mulch, so they’re happy when people overwater. That is why you may notice pill bugs being more active after a heavy rain.

You must avoid overwatering if you consistently find pill bugs eating your plants. Research how much water each of your plants needs, and give them no more than what is necessary. Usually, that means making sure the top 2” of soil is damp.

It’s also important to remove dead and fallen plant matter, as it will attract pill bugs when it gets wet. Stick to a healthy watering pattern and let your soil dry in the sun for a while before watering again. Doing so can also help you conserve water in the garden.

2. Welcome Natural Predators

Pill bugs have many natural predators, such as birds, shrews, and frogs. A lack of predators can help pill bugs thrive and eat your plants, as little stands in their way. However, you can turn the tables on your pesky pill bulls if you welcome natural predators.

One easy way to do this is to set up a birdhouse and bird feeder to attract birds to your yard. The birds will find the birdhouses and feeders first, but it won’t take long before they see pill bugs. That way, the birds can do the dirty work for you, and you’ll get the benefit of having gorgeous native birds around.

You can also attract frogs and toads if you provide shelter and don’t use chemical fertilizers. It’s easier to attract pill bug predators if you plant plenty of native plants. Native plants attract a wider variety of local wildlife, and you can use that to your advantage.

3. Use Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is one of the best ways to deter countless pests, including pill bugs. This natural insecticide can protect your home and plants from many pests, such as ants, pill bugs, spiders, silverfish, and more. You can easily sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the areas where you typically find pill bugs.

The only downside to diatomaceous earth is that it can be somewhat messy, as it is white and powdery. This is less of a problem outdoors than it is indoors, where you must eventually sweep it up to clean the mess. The elements will eventually take care of the mess outdoors, and it will blend in among your soil, mulch, and plants.

Ideally, you must reapply diatomaceous earth every 7 to 14 days throughout the spring and summer. However, pill bugs are active all year in some climates, so it’s worth keeping diatomaceous earth around the house. 

4. Trap Them With Sweet Water

Today, you can find some amazing wasp traps that have holes that wasps can climb through, but can’t get out. Luckily, these traps often work on other common garden pests, such as pill bugs. You can also make a variation of these traps, but the commercial traps are quite affordable.

The key is to cut oddly-shaped holes that let bugs in but restrict them from crawling out. More importantly, you must fill the bottom with a mixture of sugar and water. The sweet odor will attract everything from mosquitoes and wasps to pill bugs.

Some people even use Gatorade and beer to fill their traps. There is no limit to what you can use, as long as the liquid is sweet enough to attract bugs.

5. Use Beneficial Nematodes

The idea of using roundworms to kill pill bugs can make many people scratch their heads. However, using beneficial nematodes is among the best ways to control pests without pesticides. Beneficial nematodes can kill many types of pests, such as weevils, pill bugs, and spider mites.

That said, you must consider that beneficial nematodes are only effective if you use them correctly. Preparing nematodes takes a lot of care and attention, so you must follow the instructions. The necessary steps will vary based on the type of beneficial nematodes you get.

However, the process typically entails mixing them with water and getting the perfect ratio. Keep in mind that this often involves millions of nematodes, as they’re unbelievably small. After carefully applying them, the nematodes will get to work and stop pill bugs from eating your plants.

6. Set Cornmeal Traps

Using pesticides to kill pill bugs and other pests carries many adverse side effects. They can harm your plants and even the atmosphere, so it’s not worth using pesticides in many cases. However, there’s nothing wrong with using something as simple as cornmeal to kill pill bugs.

Pill bugs cannot digest cornmeal, so they eventually die after consuming it. The smell entices them enough that they’ll eat the cornmeal. which will kill them. Some people may object to this method, so skipping it is understandable.

Otherwise, you can fill a small container or box with cornmeal and place it in the soil in your garden. The pill bugs will find the cornmeal, eat it, and die. You can repeat this process as much as you need to stop pill bugs from eating your plants. 

Summing It Up

You can deter pill bugs in your garden if you improve soil and mulch drainage and avoid overwatering. It also helps to use diatomaceous earth and encourage natural predators, like birds, to visit your yard. Otherwise, you can use beneficial nematodes and cornmeal traps to kill the pill bugs in your garden and yard.

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