How to Get Rid of Sow Bugs

How to Get Rid of Sow Bugs

• Find the source of dampness first. A leak, a soggy flower bed or a spot where water pools after rain is usually what draws them.
• Close the gaps they walk through, including under doors, around sliding door tracks and along low windows.
• Check potted plants when you move them between the patio and the house. Sow bugs often ride along in the soil or under the pot.

Spraying inside the house does little, because the sow bugs you see indoors are strays that will dry out and die on their own. Sweep them up and focus outdoors. If large numbers keep coming in after you fix moisture problems, a targeted exterior treatment from a pest control professional can bring the outdoor population down.

A Moisture-First Plan for Sow Bugs

Sow bugs follow damp ground, so drying out the strip right around the house does more than anything else.

• Create a dry zone. Keep mulch, pine straw and leaf litter about 6 to 12 inches back from the foundation, or use a gravel or stone strip there instead.
• Adjust irrigation. Aim sprinkler heads away from walls and water early in the morning so the surface dries during the day.
• Move water away from the slab. Extend downspouts and route the AC condensate line so it drains away from the house.
• Lift things off the ground. Put potted plants on stands, and store boards, bricks and firewood away from the house.
• Tighten the bottom of the house. Install door sweeps, replace worn garage door seals and fill gaps where siding meets the foundation.
• Indoors, sweep or vacuum up strays and run a dehumidifier or fan in damp garages and utility rooms.

Common mistakes: piling fresh mulch higher against the foundation every year; leaving plant saucers full of standing water; watering beds next to the house in the evening; and treating the yard without fixing a leak or drainage problem, which brings them right back.

What professional help involves: an inspection to find moisture sources and hiding spots, recommendations for drainage and landscaping changes, sealing of ground-level entry points, a targeted exterior treatment where activity is heaviest, and follow-up during the rainy season if needed. See more on the sow bug species page.