Do pill bugs eat rhizomes?

hubble · Post by **hubble** » Jul 29, 2007 10:53 pm

Hi all. The clump of my old pale yellow iris was dying out in the center so I decided to dig it up today to recondition. As I was digging , I found millions upon millions of pill bugs of all different sizes....almost microscopic to full grown....living in the dry, well drained soil. My rhizomes were riddled with little holes. They didn't seem to cause any rot. And the iris was still growing.

I have never seen anything like this, and wondered if anyone else had encountered it. Or did I just stumble upon a pill bug baby nursery?

(These iris do not have borers.)

I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

impatience · Post by **impatience** » Jul 29, 2007 11:53 pm

My entire yard has looked like you described since mid Spring. I have never seen anything like it. They have eaten everything in their way including large hosta eyes down to ground level. Millions of them everywhere. Stuff horror movies are made of.

I believe I have complained about this earlier this year. Everyone was pretty consistant about saying that the literature always states that the pill bugs don't eat live tissue, but just decaying tissue. I beg to differ.

I am assuming here..........you are talking the bugs we called rolly-pollys as kids. I think they are actually called sow bugs and pill bugs are a bit different. (I could have that backwards).

Whichever you are talking about, thanks for giving me another chance to rant.

wishiwere · Post by **wishiwere** » Jul 30, 2007 8:24 am

This site explains both the pill and sow bugs and a little about them both, hope it helps.

http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECT ... s.htm#Pill

hubble · Post by **hubble** » Jul 30, 2007 9:37 pm

Impatience,

Boy, this is bizarre. You have my sympathy. I know folks thought I was crazy when I posted saying ants were eating my hosta eyes. I sat there and watched them!

But I don't think anyone really believed me.

We've had more rain this year than in the last few years combined. And I've been reading about your rain problems on here. Thank goodness it isn't that bad here. What rain we get is very welcome (except for my mosquito problem now).

The website wishiwere linked does say the pill/sow bugs will eat tender vegetation and strawberries. Hosta eyes fall in that category, but iris rhizomes?

Thanks for letting me commiserate with you.

Garden_of_Mu · Post by **Garden_of_Mu** » Aug 01, 2007 9:17 am

Iris rhizomes are often riddled with small holes on the undersides where old roots have rotted away, it is normal to find them. Also, old mother rhizomes will slowly decay getting soft and spongey, this too is normal. The sow bugs were likely just eating that old decaying matter. Unless you had actual open wounds with raw flesh showing on the rhiz there's nothing to worry about. Borers and some rodents are the only pests that affect irises. Well, sometimes aphids, but rarely bad enough to be a problem.

impatience · Post by **impatience** » Aug 01, 2007 11:26 pm

Thanks wishiwere for the website.

The reproduction rate of those little suckers make rabbits look celibate. And as far as "tender shoots" mature hosta eyes don't seem all that tender! I can understand my Hydon Sunrise, but large Halcyon and Fragrant Bouquet eyes? When I saw them before they were decimated they were up about 2" and hadn't begun to unfurl. Vicious little buggers.

For control purposes I wonder what it means by "steam"? And the other stuff-methyl bromide-what is that?

Does anyone have half a cantaloupe the size of a house?