Pill Bugs
There are many interesting facts about the pill bug. The pill bug is also known as sowbugs, woodlice, or by their scientific name Armadillidiidae vulgare . Some of their physical characteristics include a hard black, brown, or gray shell (depending on the species being studied), sharply angled antennae, seven pairs of legs, flattened or round-backed profile and an oval shape. Their head has 4 pairs of mouthparts and is followed by the 7 main trunk segments, which bear the walking limbs. Pill bugs only grow from 0.2 inches up to 0.6 inches. They are part of the class Crustacea and are related to lobsters, crabs, shrimp, and daphnia (water fleas). Crustaceans are also part of a larger group, Arthropoda (jointed-legged animals). All arthropods have a trunk divided into segments, a tough outer cuticle, and limbs that are flexible joints.
Some behavior traits include rolling into a ball when threatened, nocturnal abilities, and being able to travel considerable distances at night. They usually live in warm and wet locations such as dirt, leaf litter, compost piles, or organic garbage. They are also found beneath logs and under rubble piles. They have a limited tolerance for sub-freezing temperatures. During the winter, pill pugs burrow more than 24 inches into the soil to get to a more tolerable temperature. To reproduce the female pill bugs get sperm from the male and lay their eggs in a pouch similar to a marsupial’s during the months of May through September. The eggs hatch in a few days and the babies live in the pouch for several hours before breaking free. When they are born, they have six pairs of legs and acquire the seventh pair during their first molting. Pill bugs molt every few weeks throughout their lives. When they molt, they molt in two different sections. They molt the back end first, then the front end. If a pill bug is half pink, it means that they are halfway through their molting process. Pill bugs only live for about two to three years.
Pill
Some behavior traits include rolling into a ball when threatened, nocturnal abilities, and being able to travel considerable distances at night. They usually live in warm and wet locations such as dirt, leaf litter, compost piles, or organic garbage. They are also found beneath logs and under rubble piles. They have a limited tolerance for sub-freezing temperatures. During the winter, pill pugs burrow more than 24 inches into the soil to get to a more tolerable temperature. To reproduce the female pill bugs get sperm from the male and lay their eggs in a pouch similar to a marsupial’s during the months of May through September. The eggs hatch in a few days and the babies live in the pouch for several hours before breaking free. When they are born, they have six pairs of legs and acquire the seventh pair during their first molting. Pill bugs molt every few weeks throughout their lives. When they molt, they molt in two different sections. They molt the back end first, then the front end. If a pill bug is half pink, it means that they are halfway through their molting process. Pill bugs only live for about two to three years.
Pill