These do eat plants when their numbers are high. They do. There should be no debating this. If anyone doesn't believe it, they haven't had an infestation of pill bugs and don't really have the experience to help someone regarding. I cannot grow legume or peas without killing these bugs in the area or they will take down every one of the healthy seedlings. I drench the soil in the area with liquid spinosad. Once the plant is established, it's good. I gotta eat, too. I read somewhere that pill bugs remove metals and is likely to remove some toxins in the soil. I'm still trying to figure why I have so many and what purpose they are serving beyond the normal "eat decaying matter".

I know one greenhouse grower that pipes in music to his plants. He plays country 6 days a week and classical the other day. The only reason he plays classical that day is that the country station has NASCAR on that day. He swears by it. Marla

Must have been a volleyball court. Put an add in Craigslist stating they must load it themselves, if there is access or aerate your lawn in the fall and start top dressing. Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials

As the mother of four sandbox-addicted kids and as a preschool teacher for years, I consider myself somewhat of a sandbox expert! First of all, the 1/4" gap is too much-- your sand will run out. Besides that, if your box is not watertight, bugs will get in AND your sandbox will get really really yucky besides. Your best bet in my opinion is to go with a rubbermaid type container for the box itself, and since you do not want to stain your deck, do what the preschools do and build legs for it-- with wheels preferably. It becomes a sand table and depending on the height the children can either sit or stand to play in it. It makes for waaaay less mess since the kids are not tracking the sand in and out and since they are not sitting in it, and the sand stays much cleaner. I made my own, OR you can buy a pricey one like the one I have linked to below. Some of the cheaper ones meant for homes are great and some are awful, so shop carefully. Many are too shallow for good digging, my preschoolers report. Be sure yours is deep enough or the kids will lose interest much faster!!! Some look watertight but are not. The big things to keep in mind are the ability to be air and water tight, and the size of the box (deep enough to have the sand level well below the lip of the box to keep the sand in while encouraging exploration and play) and the height of the table (for sitting or standing)-- and you can wheel it around to follow the sun or shade, to get it out of the way when not in use, and to avoid permanently marking your deck with its outline. Best of all, sand tables like this are more fun and you can switch out the contents for dried beans, rice, or even water sometimes just for fun. Be sure to get a cover! Good luck! You can always do what I did: make a frame wiht locking casters to hold a regular rubbermaid tub. I can switch my tubs out-- they stay stacked nearby-- one for rice, one for beans, and an empty one for when we want water. Here is a link that might be useful: here's a sand table meant for use in a preschool