Sowbug Control Service
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- We’re committed to CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, with over thousands of Google 5 Star ratings for pest control.
- We offer a complete 58 POINT Pest Control Survey & Analysis of your home or building.
- ASSOCIATE CERTIFIED ENTOMOLOGIST and a public health specialist on staff.
- A team of EXPERIENCED PEST TECHNICIANS to carry out all pest control services.
- Our GUARANTEE is UNMATCHED by any competitors! (If you’re not happy, you don’t pay!)
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How Do You Know It Is a Sowbug (Identification)
Colour
Grey, slate-grey, or brownish-grey, with a lighter underside.
Size
About 6–15 mm long and oval-shaped body.
Description
Segmented body, seven pairs of legs, two pairs of antennae, and a pair of small tail-like appendages at the rear.
Notes
Often mistaken for pillbugs. Pillbugs have a more rounded body and curl into a ball, while sowbugs have a flatter body and crawl away.
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Signs You Have a Sowbug Problem
One sowbug isn’t a crisis. Several, showing up repeatedly, usually point to a moisture issue. Watch for:
- Live sowbugs in basements, crawl spaces, garages, or storage rooms.
- Groups near floor drains, sump pumps, or damp walls.
- Sowbugs under boxes, mats, firewood, or stored items.
- Activity near doors, windows, foundation cracks, or utility openings.
- Large numbers in mulch, garden beds, or compost.
- More sowbugs after heavy rain or snowmelt.
- Dead sowbugs along baseboards, window wells, or basement corners.
Why Are Sowbugs in Your Home?
Sowbugs aren’t after your food. They want moisture and shelter. The usual causes:
- Wet soil at the foundation: Poor grading, blocked gutters, and short downspouts keep the ground soggy.
- Damp basements and crawl spaces: Leaks, condensation, and poor ventilation let them survive indoors.
- Mulch and garden debris: Thick mulch, wet leaves, and compost against the house give them food and cover.
- Entry gaps: Worn door sweeps, foundation cracks, window wells, and pipe openings let them in.
- Weather swings: Spring thaw, summer rain, and autumn cold push them toward your home.
In Edmonton, Calgary, and Red Deer, expect the most activity during snowmelt, after summer storms, and in early fall.
Should You Be Worried?
Do not worry about your health. Sowbugs don’t bite, sting, spread disease, or damage your home.
But they’re a warning sign. Repeated sightings can mean:
- Poor drainage or pooling water.
- A leak or condensation problem.
- Gaps that other pests can use too.
- Damp conditions that encourage mould.
How to Prevent Sowbugs
Start with moisture, then cleanup, then exclusion. If sowbugs keep coming back after this, the source is still active. That’s when a professional inspection pays off.
- Fix leaking pipes, taps, gutters, and downspouts.
- Direct downspouts away from the foundation.
- Keep soil graded away from the house.
- Pull thick mulch back from exterior walls.
- Clear wet leaves, grass clippings, boards, and debris.
- Store firewood off the ground, away from the house.
- Run a dehumidifier in damp basements or crawl spaces.
- Replace damaged door sweeps and weather stripping.
- Seal cracks around the foundation, windows, pipes, and utility lines.
- Raise stored items off damp basement floors.
How Worried Should I Be?
It’s a fair question, and the honest answer is: not very. Sowbugs are a nuisance, not a danger. But seeing them often is a sign that your home has a moisture problem, and that’s worth fixing early.
Health risk — Sowbugs don’t bite, sting or spread disease. They don’t contaminate food or carry the kind of bacteria that rodents do, so there’s no need to throw anything out.
Property damage — Sowbugs don’t chew wood, wiring or drywall. They feed on damp, rotting plant matter, so indoors they’re harmless to your home. Outdoors, large numbers can nibble seedlings and soft plants in garden beds.
Speed of growth — Sowbugs breed steadily through the warm months, and females carry their eggs and young in a pouch under the body. A damp spot with plenty of cover can fill up with them over a season. They die off quickly in dry conditions, so fixing the moisture is what stops them from coming back.
Our Sowbug Control Process
We don’t spray first and ask questions later. Here’s what you can expect:
- Inspect: We check basements, garages, crawl spaces, window wells, and plumbing areas for sowbugs, moisture, drainage issues, and cracks.
- Find entry points: We look at doors, windows, foundation joints, vents, and utility openings.
- Explain what we found: You’ll know where they’re coming from and what’s feeding the problem before we treat anything.
- Treat: When treatment makes sense, we target harbourage and entry areas, based on activity level and how your property is built.
- Recommend fixes: Treatment alone won’t last if moisture and gaps remain. We’ll point out what to seal, drain, or clear.
- Plan ahead: We show you how to prevent a repeat.
Sowbug Control Across Alberta
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FAQs About Major Pest Control Services
No. They don’t bite, sting, or spread disease. They’re a nuisance, but repeated indoor sightings can point to moisture or drainage problems.
They come in through foundation cracks, door gaps, window wells, or utility openings. Damp soil, leaks, condensation, and high humidity make your basement more inviting.
Remove wet leaves, mulch, and boards near the foundation. Fix leaks, improve drainage, lower basement humidity, and seal entry points. If they keep appearing, call a professional.
No. Sowbugs are flatter and can’t roll into a ball. Pillbugs are rounder and curl up when disturbed. Both are controlled by reducing moisture and shelter.
Not always. A few near an exterior door can often be handled by removing moisture and sealing gaps. If you see them regularly in finished areas, or in large numbers, book an inspection.
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