SOWBUGS AND PILLBUGS

Click on image to enlarge Sowbugs

Click on image to enlarge Pillbugs. (Photo: J. Kalisch University of Lincoln Nebraska Dept. of Entomology)

General Information

Prevention:

• Prevention begins outdoors by removing harbor aging places that hold moisture, such as wood debris, rocks, grass clippings, and leaf litter and other debris from the foundation walls, doors, basement windows and other points of entry.
• Firewood should be stored off the ground.
• Lawns should be watered in the morning to promote drying by the afternoon.
• Flower beds should not be over mulched.
• Properly ventilate basements and subfloor crawl spaces to eliminate excess moisture.
• Repair and seal cracks and openings in the foundation wall, around doors, and around basement windows with caulking compound and weather stripping.
• Drain standing water and moist areas near potential points of entry.

Recommended Measures of Control:

• A good residual sprayed along entry pts., cracks and crevices, baseboards is important. Even more important would be a good residual sprayed on the outside ,in particular on the exterior walls that they are entering the home.

   

  Bifen It or Talstar One Liquid Residual Insecticides or CYPER WP work well, sprayed 3 feet out, along the foundation and 3 ft. up the exterior wall as well as sprayed around the entry pts, like doors and windows.

  Repeat treatments of these suggested liquid residual insecticides every 3 months

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  You may also use an aerosol like 250 Propoxur Residual Insecticide, sprayed around doors and windows and other places where these pests may enter premises.

  Repeat treatment of this aerosol once a month.

   

   

      TALSTAR ONE or BIFEN GRANULES would be an additional treatment around the house to serve as a barrier. The advantage of granule treatments in addition to liquid residual barriers is that they hold up under rainfall.

  Repeat treatments of granules every 3 months