I had a sneaky suspicion they’re up to no good but now I have confirmation. This is Tree Okra from last year that I’m hoping can overwinter here in California. The bark is still green.
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I can confirm they are up to no good. They eat my seedlings, they eat my mom’s marigolds. They gnaw at my green bean stems. They are little devils.
And people consider them…beneficial…..
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DE!! They killed so many of my coreopsis and pink muhly grasses last year by continually eating the new growth. Even went after some nearly mature winter squash. DE stopped the murder spree.
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They absolutely demolished a row of young strawberry plants for me one year. Every single crown chewed through overnight. I’d always thought they only went after dead stuff until that happened.
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They ate all my bean seedlings in spring of 2024. And I do mean all of them. Hundreds of seeds from five different species, each from dozens of different varieties. I was trying to start several landraces. I was totally gutted. I do not like those things.
I’ve discovered that I have to plant bean seeds in bare soil if I want them to not be eaten by roly polies, which is difficult because the end of our frosts marks the end of our rain, so unmulched soil becomes dry as a bone really quickly.
I heard roly polies were edible and tasted good, so I gave one a try. I do not like the flavor, but it’s a strong flavor that I think some people might enjoy. I don’t like seafood either, and they’re basically land shrimp, so it’s possible they’re very seafood-y in taste.
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you so gross for that haha. I’ve heard people say that too but i feel like it’s a lie to try to get others to eat it
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I think when their population reaches a certain critical mass they start going after everything. I had rotted logs around my garden beds that sheltered thousands of pillbugs, and yep they ate all my baby squash plants.
(Laugh.) I know, we have a huge taboo against eating bugs in American society, don’t we? But there are loads of places in the world where eating bugs is normal, and it seemed to me something to give a try, so I’d know if they might have a valuable use in a survival scenario. My decision was that, nope, they’re not a valuable protein source for me . . . but it would be cool if they would be for other people. After all, one effective way to lower the populations of pest animal populations is to eat them! 
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This is surprising to me. I’ve never noticed any damage caused by pill bugs and there is no shortage of them here.
I think I read somewhere that roly polies are extremely closely related to shrimp. Honestly wouldn’t mind eating them, but how would i cook them….
I have no idea! Boil them, probably?
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An expert on the subject once said this:
“You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, [pillbug]-kabobs, [pillbug] creole, [pillbug] gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple [pillbug], lemon [pillbug], coconut [pillbug], pepper [pillbug], [pillbug] soup, [pillbug] stew, [pillbug] salad, [pillbug] and potatoes, [pillbug] burger, [pillbug] sandwich. That- that’s about it.”
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I’m not a smart man but i know what love is Jen’nay.
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