Beloved “Rollie Pollies” Safely Remove Toxic Heavy Metals From The Soil

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The “Rollie Pollie” may be the perfect addition to our outdoor compost piles…

There’s not too many creatures that harken sweet childhood memories like the beloved “Rollie Pollie” aside from fireflies and butterflies. They’re also called Pill bugs or Woodlice and turns out this crustacean is more than just cute! Yes, despite their name, they’re actually crustaceans and not insects. They more closely resemble and are related to crabs and shrimp rather than insects although they could easily pass for and are thought of as a beetle.

They’re famously characterized by their almost endearing quality of rolling up into a tiny ball when threatened, are the only crustacean to live out of water and can live up to three years. They have seven pairs of legs and actually tote their eggs around them in a pouch called a marsupium, much like kangaroos. Once the eggs hatch, the babies remain in their parent’s pouch for another couple months. They look exactly like their parents, just in miniature form. Strangely, they don’t urinate but instead exchange gases through gill like structures. The Sow bug is an actual insect that looks very similar but you can tell the difference between them easily because the Sow bug can’t roll into a ball.

Surprisingly, a new study found that they aid in removing heavy metals from soil and protect groundwater. They leave the good minerals while cleaning up pollutants like lead, cadmium and arsenic. Their secret is in their gut microbiome which helps them feed on dead plant matter which is thoroughly broken down and returned as part of healthy soil. When they take in heavy metals, they’re able to be appropriately broken down by way of the metal ions being crystallized in their stomachs. The toxins become tiny spherical deposits in the gut but the pill bugs survive where as most creatures would not.

Pill bugs in general play a role in proper soil aeration as well as return organic matter back to the soil so that it can further and more easily be digested by other fungi and bacteria. This process naturally adds healthy vital nutrients back into the soil and overall they expedite decomposition and the speed at which our compost turns over and becomes usable. Rollie pollies are not picky eaters and will feed on almost anything but especially love anything soft and decaying. A compost pile would be the perfect home for any Rollie pollie. Breeding or collecting them may be an important and relatively undiscovered practice to home composting, possibly more important than adding worms, especially given that some worms can be harmful if not native to our locale.

Pill bugs are truly magical, sweet and harmless little creatures that could make a world of difference to any garden compost pile aiding in decomposition and removing heavy metals. The only caveat is that if you don’t want too many Rollie pollies in your actual garden, make sure you’re only putting compost onto your garden that is well broken down and clear of decaying material. The Rollie pollies would have likely moved on to the area of your compost bin that has fresh material in it to feed on by that point. In this way, you’re preventing Rollie pollie’s the opportunity to feed on your plant shoots, leaves or fruit. They’re usually not a problem in gardens anyway unless there is an extremely high number of them.

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