Isopods in Phoenix, AZ
Armadillidium vulgare
Pill bugs and sow bugs thrive in moist landscaping. Learn what draws them in and how to keep them outdoors.
Notes: From a Phoenix, AZ Exterminator
Appearance
Isopods (commonly called pill bugs, roly-polies, or sow bugs) are gray, segmented, and oval-shaped, about half an inch long. Pill bugs can roll into a tight ball when disturbed; sow bugs cannot.
Harborage
They're technically land-dwelling crustaceans, not insects, and require consistent moisture — found under mulch, leaf litter, potted plants, and landscaping timbers.
Are They Dangerous?
No — isopods don't bite, sting, or spread disease. They're considered a nuisance pest and are actually beneficial decomposers outdoors, but large numbers indoors signal excess moisture nearby.
Treatment
Reducing moisture and mulch contact near the foundation, paired with perimeter treatment, keeps populations outside where they belong. Talk to one of Antidote Pest's Service Pro's today.
Prevention Tips
Reduce moisture around the foundation, including irrigation overspray
Remove mulch, leaf litter, and dense ground cover touching the house
Improve drainage around flower beds and planters near the home
Seal gaps around doors and the foundation
Rake up decaying plant matter and grass clippings regularly
Behavioral Notes
Isopods are actually crustaceans, more closely related to shrimp and crabs than to insects — they breathe through gill-like structures and need consistent moisture to survive.
The 'roly poly' behavior — rolling into a tight ball, called conglobation — is a defense specific to pill bugs; their close relatives, sow bugs, lack this ability entirely.
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