new hops shoots being eaten

[ColeR]

I have some hops growing in my yard, this year they seemed to be growing slow, so i start looking in to why, and all new shoots are being eaten, by pill bugs, rolly pollies, or what ever you call them. any ideas on how to control them? or even prevent them, I use bark but this have never happened before.

i can even see one of the buggers @about 3:30 along the edge of the pic...



I've heard of rabbits, raccons, catapillers this one is new.

 

[MaxStout]

Eats, hops, and shoots?
or
Eats hops and shoots?

The Oxford Comma...serious business.

/Sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[TheCADJockey]

There may simply be too much debris. They seem to like the woody, wet and messy areas like wood mulch would provide. This is why pill bugs are not often found indoors, they will not survive more than a few days without ample water supply. Your best bet is to clean up the area around it to reduce their habitat or use a different covering. There is a type of black plastic mulch you can get that insects often avoid because it retains so much heat. I'll look into some more and check a few of my books but they are not often seen as a pest so it can be tough. Good luck man.

 

[max384]

Pill bugs like damp moist areas with plenty of stuff to hide in and under. Get rid of all the mulch around your hop plants. You could put diatomacious earth around your plants, or black plastic sheeting like this:

 

[TheCADJockey]

I didn't mulch my plants at all and we have a lot of visitors to the garden. In the second year they grew over 25 feet tall so I've left them unmulched ever since.

 

[Homercidal]

From what I remember, pill bugs don't eat live stuff. They are in moist areas looking for decaying matter.

Some small animals will nibble shoots. Squirrels, rabbits, etc. Even cut worms may eat the stems of some plants.

 

[ColeR]

Cool thanks for all the input, about these pesty bugs, i'll go out and clean up around the hops, my goldings and cent. are going full on, and are about 3 feet tall.