I hadn’t really thought about roly-polies in years—until recently, when I started seeing them everywhere in my garden. You know the ones: those little gray bugs that curl into a ball when you touch them? Suddenly, they were under every pot, in my raised beds, even hiding in the mulch around my tomatoes.
I started wondering… where did they all come from? I haven’t noticed them like this in ages. I wondered if I brought them in with bags of compost and raised bed garden mix. But now that they’re here, I wondered if I needed to worry about them destroying my vegetables.
Roly Poly, Ball Bugs, and Roll Up Bugs. We had many names for them when I was young. But their fancy name is Armadillidium vulgare—and yes, it’s named after the armadillo because these little bugs roll up into tight balls when startled. Same strategy, just on a smaller scale, and you have to admit on a closer look they do look like armadillos.
They’re actually not insects at all—they’re isopods, more closely related to shrimp and crabs than beetles. They’ve got that segmented shell, tiny legs underneath, and they love dark, damp spots. The record amount of rain we had in May probably contributed their increase in numbers in my garden.
So, here’s the question. Are they friends or foes in the garden?
Most of the time, you can count on them to be okay in the garden. Roly-polies are basically nature’s janitors. They feed on dead leaves, rotting wood, and other decomposing organic matter. That means they’re helping to break things down and return nutrients to the soil—your own free composting crew!
If you’ve got a compost pile or a thick layer of mulch, they’re probably doing you a favor. They’re usually not interested in your live plants.
But here’s where it can get tricky. If conditions are damp and there’s not enough decaying material to snack on, they’ll start looking for something else. And unfortunately, that “something else” might be your tender seedlings, ripe strawberries, or even the stems of baby plants.
I’ve had more than one gardener friend say their lettuce was getting chewed down to nubs—and sure enough, a crowd of pill bugs was hanging out right nearby.
So, while they’re usually harmless, a population boom (like the one I seem to be experiencing!) can cause trouble—even in raised beds full of organic matter and mulch. So, my plan is just to keep an eye on them and wait and see. iSo far, my garden is growing fine, and I haven’t seen any signs of problems on my vegetables.
If you’re finding signs of damage and see them curled up around your seedlings or clustered under your squash plants, here’s what you can try:
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Water in the morning so the garden has time to dry out. Roly-polies love moisture.
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Pull back mulch from the base of your plants so they don’t have a cozy hiding spot.
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Use traps—half a melon rind or a damp piece of cardboard will attract them overnight. In the morning, just scoop and toss.
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Try food-grade diatomaceous earth sprinkled around the base of plants. It’s harmless to people and pets, but rough on soft-bodied bugs.
Like everything else in the garden, it’s about balance. Unless there is a problem, just learn to coexist.
Happy Gardening
Karen
P.S. Want help identifying other garden bugs?
Check out my Garden Allies guide—it’ll help you know who’s helpful, who’s harmful, and how to keep the balance naturally. Grab your copy here.