Organic pill bug control is crucial in many gardens. We want a share of our garden’s produce too, and we don’t have to stoop to using harmful chemicals to get rid of them. On our farm, we have found that the secret to the most nutrient dense produce is keeping our growing systems completely organic. By not introducing harmful pesticides we maintain a healthy soil food web. This soil food web supplies our plants with the nutrients they need to grow delicious and nutritious food. But what do we do when we need to get our pests under control?
This organic pill bug control is a great option to get rid of pests. First, it is important to find the problem areas. Take some time to identify your pest before you use this pest control. You can find out what is eating your plants by taking a flashlight at night and peeking at your garden. That is when most bugs will be most active. Once you know what you are working with, and it happens to be pill bugs (commonly known as roly poly’s) it’s time to try the potato trap.
Take an old potato and cut it in half. In each of the halves scoop out a depression. Then take the potato and place the cut side into the soil in the problem areas. Give the traps about a day or more to allow for the bugs to come up and begin eating them. The best time to empty your traps in the morning. Carefully lift out the potato, in the hollow you should find lots of pill bugs eating the potato. On the farm, we have the luxury of feeding our chickens this buggy feast. If you don’t have chickens, make sure to dispose of these bugs in an area where they cannot get back to your garden.
If you find that you need another organic pill bug control, we would recommend the product Sluggo Plus. In our gardens this is commonly used to bait all of the little bugs that like to much on our prized leafy greens. Sluggo Plus kills earwigs, cutworms, sowbugs, pillbugs, slugs, snails. The best time to bait is after you have watered. Watering the garden will dilute the bait. Make sure to reapply after your watering times. This will help you recover your garden from a pill bug invasion of epic proportions!
If you don’t have a potato or Sluggo Plus easily available, another great option is to use a cantaloupe rind. Simply save the rind from your cantaloupe and settle it into the soil, rind down and pat it into the soil a little bit. It can be checked just like the potato trap. In my opinion, these organic pill bug trap don’t last as long as the potato trap, but it will still get the job done!
What is your favorite organic pill bug control method that you use in your garden? Tell me all about it in the comments below. If you have a pest you are struggling with, or want to learn more about the High Performance Garden, make sure to send an email with your questions to us a info at thelivingfarm dot org.
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What do you use to get rid of squash bugs on zucchini. Last year I had gorgeous plants, that I closely watched for squash bugs. I killed adults and eggs almost daily, by squishing the eggs and drowning the adults in soapy water, and they still killed my zucchini. They hit hard and fast. I’m afraid to even plant them in my garden this year…:(
The first solution would be to not grow squash. Have a friend grow them in exchange for another vegetables that you can grow well. Or move the squash to another area of the yard. Another solution would be to get some chickens to patrol.
I don’t recommend chemicals, I would rather do without. The key is to get after the first set of eggs and adults to get them before they multiply to a point of no return.
I had better luck growing varieties which were more resistant to the squash bugs such as Chilean Squash which has a large enough stem that is can handle the bore holes and survive or butternut which has a harder stem and it is tougher for them to bore into.
Lynn and Kirk, thank you both for that information!