How to Get Rid of Pill Bugs

How to Identify a Pill Bug Infestation

Pill bugs need damp surroundings to survive. During the day they stay out of sight under anything that holds moisture against the soil, such as mulch, pine straw, compost, flowerpots, pavers, landscape timbers and fallen leaves. The strip where lawn grass meets a sidewalk, driveway or slab edge is another favorite, because the soil there stays cool and wet.

After dark, and especially after rain, they leave these shelters and roam across patios, walkways and the lower part of outside walls. Some find their way in under a worn door sweep, through the track of a sliding glass door or past a gap at the garage door. Most Florida homes sit on a slab, so ground-floor rooms near exterior doors see the most. If you keep finding them indoors, a large group is probably living right next to the foundation. Indoor air is too dry for them, and most die within a few days.

Drying Out the Zone Around Your Foundation

Pill bugs dry out quickly in open air, so the most effective control is making the strip around your house drier and less sheltered.

• Create a dry border. Pull mulch, pine straw and leaf litter back several inches from the foundation, or replace that strip with gravel.
• Adjust irrigation. Aim sprinkler heads away from walls, and water in the early morning so the soil surface dries during the day.
• Fix drainage. Clear gutters and extend downspouts so roof runoff doesn’t soak the soil against the house. Repair dripping outdoor spigots.
• Get things off the ground. Set potted plants on feet or stands, and store boards, bricks and firewood up off the soil and away from the walls.
• Close the gaps. Replace worn door sweeps and weatherstripping, including on garage doors.
• Indoors, sweep or vacuum them up, and run a dehumidifier in damp ground-floor rooms if needed.

Common mistakes include treating the inside of the house when the population is actually living outdoors along the foundation, and spreading thick new mulch against the walls every season. In vegetable gardens, lift ripening strawberries, tomatoes and melons off the soil with straw or supports, since pill bugs will feed on fruit resting on damp ground.

When large numbers keep coming in, a professional visit typically includes an inspection of moisture sources and entry points, exclusion recommendations, targeted treatment around the foundation where needed, and a follow-up check. For another moisture-loving crawler, see our millipede page.