Are those things bad for my garden?

[Trellum]

Hello everyone! I was wondering if these folks are bad for my garden:

And if they are.... what's the worse that can happen? I was told these bugs were bad for gardens and plants in general, but I'm not sure how true is that. There are many of those things under my plant pots and also walking around the garden. Should I let them be or do something about it?

 

[gata montes]

They look like Woodlouse to me Trellum, and as far as I know, they do no harm whatsoever to the garden or the plants in it, and the hundreds and thousands that live in and around my garden, including under plant pots certainly haven't done any harm at all, in the many years that they've lived here.

 

[zigs]

Yep, i'd agree with Gata, don't do much harm apart from occasionally nibbling holes in basil leaves, all part of the food chain.

 

[blueeyes]

They look like Woodlouse to me Trellum, and as far as I know, they do no harm whatsoever to the garden or the plants in it, and the hundreds and thousands that live in and around my garden, including under plant pots certainly haven't done any harm at all, in the many years that they've lived here.

I had some of these under my plant pots and didn't have a clue what they were. Its good to know they do little to no harm to our plants. Thanks so much for the information

 

[zigs]

They're a land dwelling relative of the Shrimps, quite a few different species, but they all like damp dark places.

Lots of local names over here, Woodlice, Pillbugs, Cheesybobs and one of my favourites, Coffin Cutters

 

[morlogs]

They look like what we have always called Sowbugs or as my grandchildren call them RolliePollies.

 

[Trellum]

They look like Woodlouse to me Trellum, and as far as I know, they do no harm whatsoever to the garden or the plants in it, and the hundreds and thousands that live in and around my garden, including under plant pots certainly haven't done any harm at all, in the many years that they've lived here.

Thanks a lot for the answer! I just wanted to make sure Someone told me they were harmful for the plants, I'm glad to find out they aren't! Because to be honest those little creatures are everywhere! I used to play a lot with them as a kid, so I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of ''getting rid'' of them, I'm so glad I don't have to do that.

 

[Trellum]

They look like what we have always called Sowbugs or as my grandchildren call them RolliePollies.

Lol, RolliePollies! That's a good one To be honest I had no idea what their name was in english!

They're a land dwelling relative of the Shrimps, quite a few different species, but they all like damp dark places.

Lots of local names over here, Woodlice, Pillbugs, Cheesybobs and one of my favourites, Coffin Cutters

Wow, coffin cutters!? That's a new one for me, lol! Over here we simply call them ''cochinillas''. I used to play a lot with those! I had no idea they were related to shrimps! Thanks for the interesting info

 

[headfullofbees]

They do have one use: they indicate the presence of moisture, so if you have them in an area which needs to be free from damp, they let you know you have a problem.

 

[claudine]

I'm not 100% sure about it, but I think that we talked about sowbugs in one of threads in this forum and somebody said that actually, they may harm plants. But as I said, I don't remember it very clearly and I can't find the thread.
Anyway, I have them in my garden too, fortunately not too many. I find them creepy!

 

[blueeyes]

They're a land dwelling relative of the Shrimps, quite a few different species, but they all like damp dark places.

Lots of local names over here, Woodlice, Pillbugs, Cheesybobs and one of my favourites, Coffin Cutters

Lmao - I have to say the names of these little critters are quite humorous. Like you my fave would be , coffin cutters too

 

[zigs]

Told the Hippy woman next door they're not called Woodlice because they eat wood, but they're actually dedicated to Woden, the Norse God of War

 

[Kansas Terri]

We had a lot of them where I grew up in California, and they never seemed to hurt the plants. I have been told that they do sometimes eat the new shoots but mostly they prefer to eat rotting vegetation. Those dead and decomposing blades of grass were mostly what the pill bugs ate in the house I grew up in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse

 

[zigs]

Yep, they might have a nibble, but they're not a serious pest.

A cow will eat a lot more of your veg than a woodlouse will.

 

[gata montes]

Pleased to have been of help Trellum, am glad that you are feeling much happier about these critters being around now, especially as you used to play them, which is something, I really don't think I could ever do, and have to agree with Claudine, they give me the creeps.
Out of curiosity, what sort of games,did you used to play with them?
Just to reassure you even further, woodlouse/woodlice are apparently very beneficial to the garden, as apart from all the other names that Zigs has mentioned, are also known as natures garbage collectors.

Zigs, never heard the name coffin cutters before, but love it and that animated smiley too.

Would also agree with Zigs that a cow could seriously devastate your vegetables, much more than a woodlice or coffin cutter.