Pillbug (Roly-Poly)
Also known as roly-poly, woodlouse. Armadillidium vulgare
Armored crustaceans that roll into a ball and migrate indoors from moist mulch and debris.
Photo: sunny (CC0) · public domain/CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
About 12–19 mm, dark gray, dome-shaped with seven pairs of legs and an armored, segmented shell. Roll into a perfect ball when threatened — the defining behavior. Related to shrimp and crabs, not insects.
Moist organic matter: mulch, decaying leaves, under landscape timbers and flowerpots. They require consistent moisture and are common in heavily mulched Florida landscapes.
- Gray armored bugs rolling into balls when touched
- Clusters near the foundation, under flowerpots, in mulch and leaf litter
- Pillbugs indoors in ground-floor rooms, especially after rain
Pillbugs are completely harmless — no bite, no sting, no disease transmission. They feed on decaying plant matter and are a soil health indicator. Indoors they die quickly from dryness and are only a nuisance.
Rhino treats the foundation perimeter and advises on reducing the deep mulch and moisture that sustain populations near the structure, which stops the indoor migration.
Our General Pest Control serviceMore occasional invaders
Silvery, fish-shaped insects that damage books, paper and starchy items in dark, humid areas.
ViewPincher bugs that shelter in moist garden debris and wander indoors in wet weather.
ViewLong, cylindrical, many-legged arthropods that migrate indoors during heavy Florida rains.
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