#rolypoly #organicgardening #isopods
Roly-Polies Remove Toxins & Decompose Organic Matter Not a pretty sight here. I’ve seen a few other gardeners dealing with arthropods such as roly-polies, earwigs, and centipedes eating their crops. Sometimes when things are out of balance or given the right conditions, infestations can occur. In my case, after inspecting this bed, I noticed that some of the strawberries have been eaten by either birds or squirrels. What’s left of the fruits are nearly touching the ground and are being munched on by the pill-bugs, (Scientific name: Armadillidium vulgare). I haven’t gotten around to cleaning up this particular bed with decomposing foliage from the spring lettuce. After lifting the lower leaves, I found a whole colony of roly-polies. They thrive in dark and damp places and breathe through gills. This small area provided a habitat and food source. I relocated the isopods from the garden into one of the compost piles where they have plenty of dead and decaying organic matter to eat. You can set up a trap with an upturned pot over a handful of moist hay. They will congregate there and you can move them elsewhere. Another one to try is placing a cardboard over moist soil overnight where they will hide under and can be moved the next morning. They’re not bad as some may think, like all living things, they are part of the ecosystem and play an important role. These terrestrial crustaceans are beneficial decomposers and recycle nutrients back into soil. They also remove toxins from the soil such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium. These toxins are crystallized into spherical deposits and are stored into their midguts. Did you know that roly polies are closely related to crabs, shrimp, and lobsters?🦀🦐🦞
Happy gardening!💚🌱 Estepona Gardener Estepona Gardening