Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 12:54:47 -0700 From: "Chris Hind" <chind@hotmail.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1573$foo@default> Subject: Re: Woodlice
> Dear All,
>
> My Sarracenias have had, possibly for as long as the last 10
> years, an infestation of woodlice (Armadillidium sp?) in the pots.
> This doesn't seem to have affected the plants too badly (or I would
> have done something about it), but it makes repotting unpleasant.
>
> So - do woodlice cause damage (other than giving me the creeps)
> or are they just detritivores?
>
> And how can I get rid of them? I assume they can't swim and so,
> because the pots stand in water for much of the year, each pot
> must have its own isolated colony. Do I a) wait until, Tepui-like,
> each pot evolves a new exciting species of woodlouse, b) wait until
> they die out from the genetic results of inbreeding, or c) poison the
> buggers? If c), what with?
>
> Help me - they're icky!
hahahahaha, on the west coast we have those like mad and they're not 'icky'.
If you want icky try walking around the southern california beach cities
after a rain and stepping on a billion snails. Around here woodlice are
often called rolly-pollies and i recommend you use insecticide or something
to get rid of them because they can eat roots and theyve also been known to
literally devour strawberry plants which is why we have to keep them in
hanging pots where the suckers cant get to them. Then again you could try
picking them out with your hand, (they dont bite) and theyre rather large
critters in comparison to other pests. Just try to get them before summer
hits which is when they usually breed and make thousands more little
critters. I know alot of kids who when growing up here used to collect them
in their hands as kids and have the pleasure of them popping open and giving
birth to hundreds of little white pill bugs all over their hands. YUCK. now
THATS icky.
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