Pill bug (roly-poly)
Armadillidium vulgare
- Identification
- Gray, segmented crustaceans (not insects) that roll into a ball when disturbed.
- Lifecycle & behavior
- Live in damp soil, mulch, and leaf litter, feeding on decaying matter; wander indoors along foundations.
- When it's active in Central NY
- Enter CNY basements and ground-floor rooms in damp weather, especially where mulch meets the foundation.
- Risk & damage
- Harmless; need moisture to survive and quickly die indoors. Purely a nuisance.
- Why DIY falls short
- They come from the damp exterior, so indoor spraying is pointless.
- How we treat it
- Perimeter treatment, pulling mulch back from the foundation, and sealing ground-level gaps.
Pill bug or sow bug?
Pill bugs roll into a tight ball when disturbed; sow bugs cannot, and have two small tail-like appendages at the rear. Both are gray, segmented, and armored-looking. Neither is an insect — they are terrestrial crustaceans, which is why they need constant moisture.
Pill bugs in Central New York
Pill bugs live in damp soil, mulch, leaf litter, and under stones and boards, feeding on decaying plant material. They wander into basements, garages, and ground-floor rooms through foundation gaps, and they typically die within a day or two indoors because it is too dry for them.
Finding them indoors is essentially a moisture report on the foundation perimeter. Pulling mulch back from the walls, improving grading and drainage, and sealing at ground level solves it far more reliably than any treatment.
Dealing with pill bug (roly-poly)?
Our general pest preventative service handles it — guaranteed, family-owned, and local.
Pill bug (roly-poly) — common questions
I keep finding dead pill bugs in my basement. Why?
Because indoors is too dry for them — they are crustaceans and need constant moisture, so they dehydrate within a day or two. Finding them inside means they are getting in at ground level and that the perimeter is damp. Pulling mulch back from the foundation and improving drainage addresses the cause.