This method is a bit unconventional, but here goes: I acquired 2 Barred Rock hens a few years ago. Because of the number of wild critters nearby, I can't let them roam, so have them caged in a chain link enclosure. They like the roly poly bugs very much. So - now every morning, when I check them, I add some almost finished compost - a shovel or 2. You should hear them chortle - as they scratch through their morning compost offering. Also, when the compost is finished - I like to screen it before use and adding to planters, so the siftings are allowed to sit overnight in the wheelbarrow. Next day, all of the bugs will congregate to the top - the birds will dispatch them readily - or again, I scoop them up and feed them to "my girls" in their pen. One other thing that seems to be working - I have acquired a plethora of small lizards more so recently - and they scamper around the yard slurping up all my bugs. Truly - I see very few in my strawberry bins, and only an occasional peck (bird/bug/lizard?). On a thoughful note, however, I also noted one lizard CHEWING on a boysenberry FLOWER. This may/or may not be a future problem, but if so - I might encourage more of the neighbor's visiting cats to keep things in check. Never a dull moment in the yard of an organic farmer! Bejay

I'll add my experiences to this substantial list. I garden 15 miles north of Seattle and have been since 2006. I'm all organic and very much a "chop and drop" gardener - so a lot of fresh woody and green organic matter is laying around at all times. My three compost bins are nearly always filled to capacity, and I don't have surplus yard material hauled away, so this is how I deal with excess organic material. I would say that the woodlice have become steadily worse over the 10 year period. I think that all of the organic matter is one contributing factor, but I wonder if something else is going on in the environment that favors these critters, because I'm clearly not the only one struggling with woodlice. It would be interesting to get some perspective from old time gardeners with a lot more experience than I have regarding these critters: have woodlice always been a problem, or is this situation new or different? The worst damage is on seedlings: beans, peas and pepper seedlings were heavily damaged this season. I had to replant several rows of early peas and later had to replant pole beans. Nearly every seedling was killed in some rows. They cluster around the seedling stem right at and slightly below the soil level as they feed, and shelter in the cylinder shaped crevice, eventually girdling the stems. Once the plants are over 8" high or so they don't seem to be bothered. Strawberries are probably the next most affected crop. I find this damage somewhat less heartbreaking than the seedlings because no plants are actually killed--and I don't have to replant anything--its the fruit that is eaten. Yes, they ignore the berries until just before its perfectly ripe, exactly one day before optimum ripeness to be precise. My three compost bins are always teeming with hundreds of thousands of woodlice. I have no way to stir my compost, so its rarely hot and apparently an ideal environment for them. Occasionally the critters crawl up the sides and gather under the lid, perhaps when it does temporarily get too warm for them in the compost. Of course the compost eventually makes its way into the garden beds, along with millions (not hyperbole) of woodlice and their larvae. My veggies are all in raised beds, 24 are wood, one is galvanized steel. I go out after dark almost every night to see whats going on in the garden (slugs, snails, root weevils, raccoons, etc.) and numerous woodlice are always hanging out all over the wooden raised beds, presumably after or before having some fresh garden salad, to round out their diet. I will probably gradually convert all of them to steel. In addition to bean seedlings and strawberries, woodlice apparently eat wood, and they love to shelter in the crevice between the wood and the soil, so any reduction in the amount of wood in the garden will hopefully help. I've been mulching pathways with arborist much--because its free--and I think that will have to be discontinued as well, and I'll have to gradually convert to gravel pathways. Regarding natural predators, we have pretty much - none. There are no frogs or toads at all in my neighborhood. We have a lot of water and many streams (I have one on my property) but I suspect the water is too polluted for amphibians...who knows. There are some songbirds--towhees and such--but I never see them digging in my raised beds, which is what they would have to do to gain access to woodlice during the daylight hours. I've come to the conclusion that chickens may be my best weapon...I'm assuming they enjoy eating woodlice, yes-no? I know that chickens need to be kept in their run most of the time or they will destroy a garden. My plan is to let them out from time to time, supervised by me, and herded to where I know there are abundant woodlice. I would then expose the nocturnal and hiding woodlice so the hens can do their worst. A team effort is required, I think. I can imagine for example, having the flock ready and waiting when I move compost--and millions of woodlice therein--from the bins to the garden beds. Perhaps even turning a liability--inedible and destructive crustaceans--into an asset - fresh, edible eggs. One can dream. But -- as much of a problem woodlice have become in my garden, they positively pale in comparison to the rats. Cheers from Cascadia

Rick You are referring to Colorado Potato Beetles. They usually head for potato plants but will also dine on Tomato plants if there aren't enough potatoes around. They have some of the same compounds in the leaves that attract them. I have found that the easiest, albeit perhaps stranges way to get rid of Colarado Beetles is to first of all make sure your potatoes are healthy and growning well making them less attractive then weaker plants (true of all insect invastions) Then you can mulch them with hay or straw and it makes the next steps easier. Also easier digging here in clay country. Early on I watch for the beetles and hand pick the first round checking the underside of the leaves for eggs and smashing those. I usually carry a jar with a small amount of kerosen or gas in it to drop the beetles in. As the plants grow and it becomes harder to cover 150 pounds worth of spud sets I just go out with a broom every three to four days and "sweep" the plants off. As the eggs hatch this knocks they nymph larva off and they usually die before they can get out of the straw and back on the host plant. Other than a few strange looks from passing vehicles, it works like a charm for me. By the way, many around me use any where from 1 to a combination of three chemicals to kill them and they are usually covered up with them the whole season and out there spraying every 3 days. This year I only had to sweep the plants twice because I've been doing it for many years now. To tell you the truth I think the beetles have come to like the bug juice everybody else sprays more than the potato plants.

So maybe they really appreciate the compost I just added to my beds, esp. the one I haven't gotten around to mulching yet. It is a moist, shady bed so they're could be some fungus--I'll get a fungicide and see if that knocks out both problem. Something's been eating the turk's cap and can't see any mealy bugs, aphids or the usual culprits so I thought it might be the roly polies. I'll get some mulch on it soon and that might help too. No kiddos yet, but I did love playing with them as a little girl--so not just the boys!