Question re pill bugs and Fall crocus...?

Yesterday as I was moving some plants around I noticed that on a small Fall crocus (at least I think that's what its called) that I accidently dug up, those nasty pill bugs where are EVERYWHERE in our clay soil (those and snails) had pretty well eaten all the bulb of the plant. It looked like a honeycomb actually. Do they do this to all plants? Is there a way to stop them? The plant seemed to be doing okay.





I noticed on one of my peonies once that I accidently hit the root of that a million red ants had actually eaten through and were living in the root.





I never realized those little critters could damage your plants like that. What can you do to stop them?

Question re pill bugs and Fall crocus...?
Ants are very beneficial and necessary to your peonies, and to a lot of other plants in your garden, too. Since you have clay soil, you REALLY need the ants -- they aerate it for you, giving plant roots a place to go. Also ants eat the nectar off the peony flowers before they burst into bloom-- if they are not allowed to do this, the flowers never open! So many gardeners have made the mistake of spraying insecticide to control these "pests," when ants are really very beneficial little creatures!





Now on to the pill bugs. They can do a LOT of damage in a very short time. There is a great way to get rid of them. I hope you like citrus, because you and your family are going to need to eat a lot of it in the next few weeks! Eat grapefruit each morning, and put the grapefruit halves, facing up, in the garden. The pill bugs are attracted to it. Each day, pick up the grapefruit halves, LOADED with pillbugs, and toss them into the trash. Replace. Keep replacing until the pill bugs are gone. If you just put orange peels around, it may keep them off your plants while they have a food source they prefer, but they will still multiply and your plants are not safe until you have significantly reduced their population. Good luck to you.
Reply:I always heard that the peonys wont bloom unless the ants get on them....you livin in the dessert or something?!lol...fire ants, killer snails...I thinks its about time to leave the great white north, sweetie. Come on down here with me and we'll sit under my big healthy trees, drinking beers and sippin shine!
Reply:chop up lots of fresh orange peel and scatter fairly heavily around areas for a natural fix up





add sharp sand and mix to help the clay soil

Chemicals