Do you know what or who are “rollie pollies”
The singular actually refers to a chubby baby, with dimpled elbows and fat little legs!
But the plural actually is an ‘animal’ which a very effective heavy metal remover of the soil! These can also be kept as pets by the way!
You may know them as woodlice!
Woodlice do not usually damage healthy plants, they can however become associated with damage which has other causes such as slug damage or plants that have died and begun to rot. Woodlice occasionally damage very soft plant tissues, such as seedlings and sometimes strawberry fruits.
Woodlice can also invade homes in groups searching for moisture, and their presence can indicate dampness problems.
They are not generally regarded as a serious household pest as they do not spread disease and do not damage sound wood or structures.
Apparently Woodlice have become a popular household pet for children as well as a hobby for insect enthusiasts or collectors!
While some isopod species are kept purely as pets, some can also be used as an addition to bioactive terrariums, due to their ability to break down decaying organic materials.
Now you would ask what is a bioactive terrarium?
Well a bioactive terrarium (or vivarium) is a terrarium for housing one or more terrestrial animal species that includes live plants and populations of small invertebrates and microorganisms to consume and break down the waste products of the primary species. In a functional bioactive terrarium, the waste products will be broken down by these detritivores, reducing or eliminating the need for cage cleaning. Bioactive vivariums are used by zoos and hobbyists to house reptiles and amphibians in an aesthetically pleasing and enriched environment.
So next time you visit a garden, turn over a brick or a board lying in the yard and underneath you may find a collection of these pill bugs scurrying about.
And by the way they are not insects!
Actually, these critters are crustaceans and more closely resemble crabs and shrimp!
One very unique feature of these crustaceans is their ability to safely remove heavy metals from soil. For this reason, they are important for cleaning up soil pollutants such as lead, cadmium, and arsenic. In coal spoils and slag heaps, pill bugs also come in handy. The heavy metal toxins become spherical deposits in the mid gut. With this special cleanup capability, pill bugs survive in the most contaminated sites where most creatures can’t!
As they feed on decaying matter, they are major recyclers converting garden detritus into a rich growing medium!
They are characterized by their ability to roll up into a ball when they feel threatened! So the tiniest of the creatures can help you only if you let them!
So remember that nature will thrive even if humans are not there! We do not take care of nature! It takes care of us! Then again only humans can sing! Not only sad songs like his name but also happy ones! That is Pankaj Udhas by the way in case you did not recognise the skecth!
shubh ratri!
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