SOW BUG / PILL BUG
Pillbugs and sowbugs are not insects. They are arthropods belonging to class crustacea, along with crabs, shrimps and lobsters. You could think of them as “land lobsters”. Although most crustaceans live in water, sow and pill bugs live on land in moist environments. They resemble one another in appearance. Pill bugs roll themselves into a tight ball when disturbed, whereas sow bugs are able to roll themselves up only about half way into a U-shaped form.

They range in size from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and are slate grey. Sowbugs also have two tail-like features at the rear of the body. They are often called potato bugs. They don’t sting or bite and usually don’t contaminate anything. They are common around foundations where the grass or plants grow too close to the building and under objects that lay on top of the damp ground.

Breathing by means of gills, they must live in a very damp, moist environment outside. They do not like hot sun or clear summer days. Sowbugs and pillbugs will not damage ornamentals, but can do a little damage to new roots and tender stems of growing plants. They are more of a nuisance than a problem.

Life Cycle
They have a three-stage life cycle - egg, young, and adult. The eggs are deposited inside bodies of females in a pouch-like structure known as marsupium. Developing in one to two months, they emerge alive in three to four months to adulthood. They molt once every two weeks until twenty weeks old. There are one to three generations per year and adults live about two years.