Why Sowbugs Become More Noticeable as the Weather Changes
Sowbugs are outdoor insects that thrive in locations where they feel safe and where environmental conditions are suitable for them to survive. In the fall season, sowbugs are likely to be seen when the weather conditions change.
These insects are commonly found outdoors in and around houses in garden beds, stones, or landscape materials. Their movements will give you the impression that they have suddenly invaded your surroundings, although the truth is that they have been there all along.
Changes in outdoor weather conditions during the fall may force them to move towards places that offer protection around the building.
However, the presence of a few sowbugs outside doesn’t necessarily indicate an indoor infestation. They are outdoor insects and are not accustomed to living indoors.
In rare cases, you will see sowbugs entering the house. This happens because they stray from their outdoor habitats into indoor places.
How to Recognize Sowbugs Around Your Home
Pillbugs vs Sowbugs
Sowbugs and pillbugs have similar traits, and they are even very close relatives that live in the same environment outside. The only thing that differentiates them is something simple.
Pillbugs can usually curl their bodies into a tight ball when disturbed. Sowbugs cannot.
The sowbug generally stays flattened or curved when touched. The appendages from the rear can also remain visible.
The sowbugs generally crawl slowly on any surface and not jump or fly. The presence of small gray insects near your house with segmented bodies and multiple legs could be quickly identified by seeing if they roll up into balls.
It becomes important to identify correctly since various insects and small arthropods would need different treatment. Sowbugs will give you an idea of the activities taking place.
Should You Be Concerned About Finding Sowbugs Indoors?
While seeing a sowbug inside the house may come as a surprise, it should be noted that these insects are usually considered pests rather than hazardous pests.
Sowbugs neither sting nor bite humans. These insects do not attack pets or damage the property. The regular diet of these insects consists of decaying plant material.
Most of the sowbugs found inside the house die rather quickly. Living spaces in the house do not provide necessary conditions for these insects to be active for a long period of time.
That is why finding a couple of sowbugs inside your Innisfil house does not mean that there is an infestation.
It is the pattern of their appearance that matters most. If you find a sowbug and then do not see any others for several days, it probably just happens that the insect got into the house.
However, if you see several sowbugs in the same place inside the house or if they appear again and again, it may mean that there is an infestation right outside of your house.
Homeowners can keep track of:
- How many sowbugs they are finding
- Where they are appearing
- Whether sightings are becoming more frequent
This information can help determine whether the activity is occasional or significant enough to investigate further.
What Innisfil Homeowners Should Do If Sowbugs Keep Appearing
If there are only a few sowbugs found, a complex treatment process will not be necessary.
Sowbugs can be picked up by hand, swept away or sucked up using a vacuum. The vacuum should be emptied after this if several insects have been collected.
The use of indoor insecticides just because a couple of sowbugs are present is not recommended. Since sowbugs are usually found outside, their presence indoors might not solve anything as to why they were found indoors.
It is better to monitor the insects’ movements for a few days.
It should be observed whether the sowbugs keep appearing in the same place and whether their numbers are growing. Single sightings are completely different from sighting several of them every day.
Homeowners should also observe activity outdoors. Large numbers of sowbugs around the house near low-level landscaping and other sheltered places can mean that indoor sightings are related to them.
Professional help should be sought if the number of sowbugs becomes excessive, identification is not sure, and indoor sightings persist even after removal of individual pests.
An Innisfil pest control expert at Simcoe PestX can determine whether the insects are really sowbugs and whether targeted sowbug control is needed.