Pillbugs, rolly-pollies, sowbugs, woodlice, potato bugs, we’re all familiar with those “cute little bugs” that roll up into an armadillo like ball when threatened. But they’re not so cute when they get into your garden and eat the plants and vegetables you’ve worked so hard to grow. In fact, they are not even classified as insects or “bugs” but as crustaceans, just like lobsters, crabs, and shrimp.

A little bowl of hot melted butter or cocktail sauce probably won’t do very much to keep pillbugs out of your garden, but surprisingly, a cold bottle of beer just might do the trick.

Preventative Measures
Before having to worry about getting pillbugs out of your garden, it’s a lot easier to keep them from getting in to begin with. Pillbugs are omnivores, or scavengers, that feed on dead or decaying plants or animals as well as live plants, fruits, and vegetables. They live in moist shady places, so make it a habit to clean leaf litter out of your garden regularly.

Get Rid of Them

What You'll Need
	A bottle of beer, it doesn’t really have to be cold. Other fluids or beverages will not work. A few empty tuna cans that have been washed out.
Place the Cans
	Determine which areas of your garden have a pillbug problem. In those areas, make a little hole in the soil that is the same size as an empty tuna can. Place an empty tuna can in the hole so that the top of the can is even with the soil level, kind of like a little in-ground pillbug pool.
Fill’er Up
	Poor beer into each empty tuna can until it is not quite full.
Lifeguard Not on Duty
	That’s it. Over the next few days, pillbugs that are in that area of the garden will be drawn to the beer, fall in the can, and drown.
The Results
	Just empty the cans out regularly and refill with fresh beer.