Posted by L. MacDonald on September 21, 2005

Q: My vacuum got infested with some small insects. When prodded they curl up and look like small armadillos. They're brown and not more than about 5 mm in length. They also seem to like plastic bags.

A: From your description, it sounds as though you have Pill Bugs. This name is misleading since these are not "bugs" (insects) at all but are crustaceans, related to shrimp, crayfish, and lobsters. Like other crustaceans, Pill Bugs have gills so are never found far from a moist environment. If you found these Pill Bugs inside your vacuum, I'm sure you've sucked them up as you were cleaning the floor. The area where they would have been located must be on the moist side or they wouldn't be there. Did someone bring in a box or package that was wet? Maybe they came in to your apartment that way! Take a look at this site I've linked to and see if these are what you have. www.pestcontrolcanada.com

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Pill Bugs are harmless so you don't need to worry about them biting or causing any other problems. Pill Bugs feed on bits of vegetation so although they're mixed in with wool and dust, this is not what they're interested in. If you can keep the portion of your home where they were on the dry side, you'll greatly reduce, if not eliminate these little guys. Hope this helps. Thanks for asking.

John Wiessinger ( September 21, 2005)