Hi Katie. They are probaby trying to survive the moisture. However, they can be a problem and they will eat your plants if there is no organic matter for them to eat. I've had them do it. The topic is controversial.

Occasionally, I am overrun with them. My solution? Spinosad. Works well. Spinosad isn't good for all the other bugs, but it is organic. Needs to be reapplied after rains or watering.

Spinosad is also an ingredient in the product SluggoPlus (not the regular Sluggo). If you cannot find Spinosad, you can use Sluggo Plus.

is use a liquid concentrate of Spinosad diluted per insutructions as a soil drench only in the area where I'm trying to save my plants.

otherwise, I remove the mulch in that area exposing the light of sunshine which they abhor.

bon

Periodically they are a problem in heavily mulched areas. In my garden this year, they are bunching up along the wooden planks that comprise the sides of the raised beds. Yes, there's tons of them.

I've always used Slug-Go and Slug-Go Plus for them, and Slug-Go Plus is slightly better and preferred. I just ordered some yesterday. Slug-Go itself contains the active ingredient Iron Phosphate and is organic. It was intended for control of snails and slugs as a non-toxic alternative to the very toxic synthetic snail/slug baits containing metaldehyde. Products containing metaldehyde are toxic to dogs and cats and shouldn't be used around them....and that's how we ended up with a nice alternative like Slug-Go and Slug-Go Plus.

Long ago and far away in another land....lol....many of us (I'd guess thousands to tens of thousands) who started out using Slug-Go for snails and/or slugs noticed it was killing pill bugs and sow bugs, and began to spread the word to one another, particularly on gardening forums. This was quite a few years back. Of course, the manufacturer of Slug-Go learned we were using it off-label for control of pill bugs and sow bugs, so they did their own research and set out to create an improved Slug-Go targeted not only at snails and slugs, but at pill bugs, sow bugs and cutworms too....and that is how we ended up with Slug-Go Plus.

Normally I use it in Spring at planting time if I am seeing snails, pill bugs or sow bugs (I don't have slugs). It is in a bait form you can just sprinkle around your plants after you transplant them into the ground or around seedlings after the seeds germinate and the plants emerge from the ground.

You'll know it is killing your pill bugs and sow bugs when you start finding whitish ones, usually curled up in a ball and as dead as a doornail (old folk expression), but not always.

Normally, sow bugs and pill bugs are beneficial and I'd rather leave them alone and let them live. They are decomposers and are really good at breaking down organic matter. However, when their population is large and too many of them are competing for a limited food source, they'll eat your plants, especially young seedlings. They'll even climb tomato plants and feed on tomato fruit, or they'll feed on melons. So, I usually treat for them in spring one time, and that is all it takes. Sometimes in the absolute worst years (usually very rainy ones), I may have to treat again around the start of summer.

I prefer Slug-Go or Slug-Go Plus (or equivalent organic snail baits from other manufacturers) to plain Spinosad because it attacks pests that are commonly an issue in my garden in early spring---snails, pill bugs, sow bugs and cutworms. Either one will work fine for you if your only problem is pill bugs and sow bugs or pill bugs, sow bugs and snails. I consider the fact that Slug-Go Plus also kills cutworms to just be a bonus.

Slu-Go Plus looks like this (and I notice it now is labeled for earwigs too):

Slug-Go Plus

Oh thanks guys for the great info! I have two little dogs so I prefer the safe method...gonna order some now!