How do you get rid of pill bugs in your garden?

Pillbugs, also known as roly–polies and potato bugs, enter gardens and eat the plants and vegetables being grown. They roll up into a ball when threatened, and they are classified as crustaceans, like lobsters, crabs and shrimp. Items needed to remove pillbugs are a bottle of beer and empty tuna cans. Fill the empty tuna cans with beer until nearly full, and place the cans near the infestation site to create a trap.

1. Remove leaf litter from the garden

   Pillbugs feed on dead or decaying material as well as live plants, fruits and vegetables. They live in moist and shady places. Remove leaf litter from the area to prevent the pillbugs from entering the garden.

2. Place the tuna cans

   Decide which areas of the garden have pillbug problems. Make a hole the size of the tuna cans in the soil in those areas. Place an empty tuna can into each hole so that the top is even with soil level.

3. Pour beer

   Pour beer into each tuna can until it is almost full. The pillbugs are drawn to the beer and climb into the tuna can, eventually drowning.

4. Empty the cans

   Empty the tuna cans out often to get rid of the dead pillbugs. Clean the tuna cans, and replace the can in the ground. Pour more beer into the cans. Repeat the process until the pillbugs are manageable in the garden.