Mary Jo DiLonardo has worked in print, online, and broadcast journalism for 25 years and covers nature, health, science, and animals. The roly-poly, or pill bug, is a terrestrial crustacean that looks ...

Mira M. of Sebastopol asks: I have quite a few of those ‘roly-poly’ bugs in my garden. A friend called them ‘sowbugs.” Are they a bug that I need to control? Will they do any damage to my plants?

This is a roly-poly, not a bug. Nature is full of surprises. Some may not exactly rock your world, but might prompt a closer look at tiny creatures you commonly see. Take Roly-poly bugs for instance – ...

Most people assume that pill bugs, which are more colloquially referred to as ‘roly polies,’ are insects. But while you might find these little critters hanging out under rocks with other bugs, they ...

Pill bugs are gray pests related to crustaceans, and they are known for their ability to roll up into a ball when they encounter threats. Also commonly known as "roly-polies," these small, harmless ...

I have been invaded by roly-poly bugs! I've always had two or three show up, but now I have hundreds. This morning, as I stepped into the bathroom with bare feet, it was "crunch, crunch, crunch." Oh, ...