Pill bugs, sometimes also called “rollie pollies,” are the only crustacean to become fully adapted to life on land. They are a gray-colored pest with an oval-shaped body. They get their name “pill bug” because of their ability to roll up in a tight ball that looks like a pill. As you might have guessed, this is also why they’re nicknamed rollie pollies.
While pill bugs are harmless creatures, you probably don’t want them hanging around or inside of your home.
In this article, we’ll talk about everything you ought to know about how to prevent pill bugs in your house.
What to Know About Pill Bugs
Pill bugs are actually more of a threat to the outside of your home than the inside. Pill bugs feed on decaying plant material and can become a harmful pest if you have a garden.
However, for the most part, pill bugs mind their business. They not only prefer moist conditions but they need them to survive. That means that if pill bugs do make their way inside, they are seeking out damp areas of your home like a basement.
Pill bugs definitely prefer to stay hidden. In your yard, you might commonly find them under a rock or mulch. Inside, they will gravitate toward hiding spots as well.
How to Keep Pill Bugs Out of Your House
Finding a lot of pill bugs in your home likely means there is a breeding spot outdoors, nearby (probably around your foundation).
Most of the time, pill bugs come inside by accident through common entry points like a sliding door or a basement entry. Chances are, they don’t want to be inside as their primary food sources are outside.
Because pill bugs need moisture to survive, they typically dry out and die indoors (unless you have a lot of moisture in your home, such as in a basement area).
While pill bugs don’t live indoors for long, we know that it’s gross to find a lot of dried-out pill bugs around your home. For that reason, you might be wondering about pill bug control.
Here are a few tips that will help.
Correct Moisture Issues
First and foremost, you can fix any moisture problems that you might be experiencing. Keeping your home dry will keep moisture-loving pests away. Earwigs are another pest that prefers moisture.
If you have water that pools around your foundation, this might not only cause problems with pests like pill bugs but with leaks inside of your home.
You’ll also want to make sure that you properly ventilate your basements and crawl spaces.
Clean Up Debris
In addition, cleaning up debris around your property can also eliminate hiding spots for pill bugs. Clean up twigs and leaves where these pests (and others) are likely to hide.
Along with that, we recommend storing firewood off of the ground and in an area that is not close to the home. Firewood piles are common hang-out spots for many pests, including even rodents (which can lead to problems with ticks).
Invest in Perimeter Pest Control
For the best pill bug control, we also recommend investing in perimeter pest control.
This service is performed outside of the home as a proactive measure to prevent bugs from coming inside in the first place.
Perimeter pest control is an effective solution for dealing with pill bugs, which love to hang around the foundation of your home. Since we’re spraying around this area, it will get rid of these unwanted pests…and others, too.
Perimeter pest control works on ants, spiders, silverfish, centipedes, and more. These are a whole bunch of creepy crawlies that you don’t want hanging around (or inside) your home.
Perimeter Pest Control in Cincinnati, Dayton, OH and Northern Kentucky
While pill bugs are not a dangerous threat, they are a nuisance that you probably don’t want to deal with. This is why perimeter pest control can be such a valuable investment. It will take care of a variety of unwanted pests that you’d prefer to stay far away from your home.
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we can create a “shield” around your home that will keep bugs away. We use some of the same high-quality products that exterminators use, but we only treat the exterior of your home. With this proactive approach, you don’t have to worry about pests getting inside in the first place.
In the end, that translates into valuable peace of mind.
If you’d like to learn more about perimeter pest control for your Cincinnati, Dayton, OH, or Northern Kentucky home, call us at 513-697-9090 or get your quote online and help us find the program that is best for you, then sit back and relax knowing these pests are being kept away.
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