Includes
Armadillium vulgare
Porcellio laevis
Pest description and damage Light to dark gray, oval, hard shelled, with seven pair of legs. Pillbugs ball up when disturbed, sowbugs do not. Both may do damage in the home, but they feed primarily on decaying organic matter.
Management
Eliminate moist areas where the sowbugs and pillbugs occur. This may mean altering the lawn watering schedule. They are most often found around sidewalks, house foundations and other moist outside places. Drying can be accomplished by removing organic matter, such as grass clippings, leaf litter, and bedding mulches from moist areas. Properly ventilate basements and crawl spaces. Eliminate entry points into structures with caulk. Seal cracks around basement doors and windows with weather stripping. In some cases a perimeter treatment with a pesticide labeled for sowbugs or pillbugs may be necessary.