Pill bugs and sow bugs are a crustacean that lives on land. Sow bugs have flat bottoms and rounded tops, resembling a small armadillo. They are dark gray in color, come with 7 pairs of legs, and a couple of antennae. On their hind ends, you’ll find a couple of appendages that look like a tail. When threatened, sow bugs may take the shape of letter “C”. Similar in appearance, pill bugs don’t have any appendages on their hind ends and, when threatened, roll into a ball. These insects are commonly found all over Southern Alberta.

Pill bugs and sow bugs don’t bite or sting people. They are annoying but harmless. Pill bugs will eat plant material and animals in the process of decaying. Pill bugs enter properties through ground level access points, including garages. They won’t lay eggs inside or damage any household items. Interior environments usually aren’t moist enough for them to survive.

Pill bugs and sow bugs generally live in moist soils, such as piles of wood and grassy areas outside your home, since they are dependent on humid areas to stay alive. Sometimes, if there are enough of them, they’ll enter a basement and other humid spaces of homes through crevices and cracks.

Firewood should be as far away from the house as possible, either off the ground or stacked. Flowerpots should be on stands or racks, also off the ground. Downspouts and gutters should be drained in the opposite direction of the foundation. You might need to trim the limbs of a tree if they are creating a shady, damp area near your property. Questions about the treatment? Check out our Pest Control FAQS page for more information!

 Sure! Sort of… For the odd bug in your bathroom, basement, kitchen, or other common areas, simple tissue paper will work in the relocation of a Pill Bug. We DO NOT recommend vacuuming up these insects unless already killed as the Pill Bug will simply crawl out and could continue to multiply resulting in wasted efforts.

At Spartan Pest Control our technicians specialize in treating the exterior of your property early enough in the season to limit the growth rate and sightings of common Pill Bug and Sow Bug activity during the peak summer months. We ask that no one is to be in the house during treatment and for 4 hours after. Do not apply water to the sprayed areas for roughly 1.5 weeks to allow the chemicals residual effect to work. Adding water will only dilute the poison and cause the treatment to have little or no effect on the current and future insect population. A good time to be proactive for Pill Bugs on the exterior is between May and June, and for winter time a treatment in September will reduce insect activity entering the home during the colder season. For any questions, Contact Spartan Pest Control by email or fill out our contact form, a trained exterminator will be in touch very shortly!

If you require pill bug and sow bug removal, call Spartan Pest Control. We provide commercial and Residential Pest Control in Calgary. Our technicians are trained to remove your pest issues regardless of how extreme they might be.

1. Keep firewood far from the home and stacked off the ground.
2. Remove or adjust humid areas in or near your home.
3. Ensure your property’s foundation doesn’t have any crevices or cracks. Seal them up if you find any.
4. Gaps around exterior doors and windows should be caulked up.