I assume you are talking about those creatures that resemble
miniature armadillos maybe 1/2 inch long (with, I think, 10 legs). I
grew up in Kansas calling them "sow bugs." They supposedly eat only dead
plant material and cause no economic harm, but CAN be serious pests--I've
had them eat the fruit of strawberries and the entire plant of small
seedlings. I'm not sure how much this will help, but I recall the thread
of discussion you refer to. You might find the discussion by searching
for "sow bug" or "pill bug." As I recall, someone asked for help with a
plague then later complained about lack of response. That complaint
brought protests that the scientific name wasn't used and one comment to
the effect that they are supposed to eat only dead plants but sometimes
don't wait for the plant to die. I don't recall any controls being
suggested.
I would expect more than usual humidity would contribute to their
numbers. About control, while I was living and gardening in Phoenix, I
gave up using mulch entirely because they were especially hard on mulched
plants. Now that I am out of the city (outside Sierra Vista in southeast
Arizona) I find I can successfully mulch, but I still have large numbers
of sow bugs. They seem to fill the niche usually thought of for
earthworms, which are nonexistent where I am now. My chickens love them
and I see large numbers only in my compost and only if I manage to keep
it reasonably moist. I'm even building compost pits in the chicken yard
to encourage those creatures because my chickens need winter-time
protein.
Would it be possible to use poultry in the orchid greenhouse? A
friend told me that guinea hens like sow bugs even better than chickens
do, and guineas supposedly are kinder to gardens than chickens. I
suggest this with reservations, however, because a friend gave me 4 adult
guineas and I had such a miserable time with them that I gave them to
another friend within 2 weeks.
Also, how about diatomatous earth (DE)? I've not tried it, but
my intuition says it might work. There is a difference of opinion about
the specifications for DE; some say that you must buy insecticide grade
while others insist that the DE used in swimming pool filters works
nearly as well. I think DE is also a component of many scouring powders
like AJAX.
These are the only ideas I can come up with at the moment. Good
luck.
-- Edna Weigel
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