Sowbugs breathe through plate-like gills located on the underside of the abdomen. Although the names "pillbug" and "sowbug" are often used interchangeably, the name "pillbug" is typically reserved for those isopods that can roll themselves into a ball for protection from predators.
Incomplete metamorphosis: young pillbugs and sowbugs hatch from eggs and look just like the adults, except smaller. They shed their skins as they grow. Some sowbugs care for their young in water-filled pouches on the underside of the body. They feed on fungus and decaying plant material, usually moving and feeding at night. Sowbugs are preyed upon by many creatures, including spiders, centipedes, ground beetles, and small mammals.
Some sowbugs have foul-smelling, foul-tasting defensive chemicals which provide some protection from predators. Pillbugs, of course, are also able to roll themselves into a ball for protection. They are sometimes considered pests when they enter buildings, but they cannot hurt people and do not contaminate food or damage possessions. For more information about pillbugs and sowbugs as pests, read our EntFact: Pillbugs and Sowbugs.
Kentucky has several very common species of pillbugs and sowbugs. They are all similar in appearance and behavior. Pictured below is an adult Sowbug with an immature partially hidden underneath.
As mentioned above, pillbugs are able to roll into a ball, while other sowbugs are not able to. People often confuse pill bugs and sow bugs, but, to protect their soft undersides when disturbed or to keep their gills from drying out, pill bugs can roll into a ball with their legs tucked inside; sowbugs cannot do this.
Sow bugs have oval bodies when viewed from above. Their backs consist of a number of overlapping articulating plates. Their antennae reach about half the length of their bodies. The pill bug, on the other hand, has a rounder back from side to side, and a deeper body from back to legs. Their color varies, but is usually grayish brown, and they reach less than 1 inch 2. As members of the Class Crustacea, they are closely related to lobsters, crabs and shrimp. Most crustaceans live in or near water, and as dry-land crustaceans, pill bugs and sow bugs still require damp habitats due to the delicate gill-like breathing organs on their undersides, which must be kept moist to work.
They prefer to live in humid sheltered areas that have plentiful decaying vegetation, such as under logs, stones, boards, leaves and leaf litter, under pots or bricks or even in damp basements. Although a male is usually involved, these creatures can reproduce by parthenogenesis as well. The female produces eggs that take from three to nine weeks to hatch out about two dozen offspring.
She may have two to three broods each year. After leaving the pouch, juveniles molt four or five times at regular intervals until they reach sexual maturity, usually within a year, when they become adults.
Their life span is about two years. Molting occurs in two stages, as pill bugs shed only half their skin at a time. First, the skin splits at the middle and the back half is shed. A few day later, it sheds the front half. These creatures are very vulnerable during molting, and often stay isolated for the duration of the shedding.
Pill bugs and sow bugs are generally herbivores, feeding on the fungi and bacteria that infest dead and rotting vegetation. They do not bite, sting or transmit disease. They are harmless to humans. Sowbugs and pillbugs are omnivores, mainly feeding on dead or decaying plants and animals, and are therefore considered somewhat beneficial in our gardens for their role in overturning soil and producing compost.
However, they have been known to feed on tender plant tissue, seedlings, stems and roots of young garden vegetables and other plants. Sowbugs and pillbugs are not normally pests. However, if control is required, minimize moisture, clean up debris and decaying matter, and water early in the day so the soil dries out by evening.
No moisture - No problem! The Real Dirt Blog. Share Print. Recent Posts Blog Home.
0コメント