How Do Roly-Poly Bugs Work?

These small, grey garden critters go by many names and are more helpful than you might think. Learn about roly-poly 'bugs' (they're actually land crustaceans!) in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey
brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb Here potato bugs, pillbugs, doodle bugs,
roly polly's. They looked like a gray shrimp crossed with
an armadillo, and they seem to have a different name
everywhere they're found, though the scientific name for these armor
plated little creatures is Arma delitrium vulgaria. With twelve known

(00:26):
varieties of roly polly bugs found in the United States alone,
these tiny gray crustaceans inhabit the northern and central parts
of the country, as well as many dark, damp places
across the world. And yes, they aren't insects, but crustaceans
like crab and lobster. They're the only crustaceans that have
adapted to living completely on land, though, like there're other

(00:48):
crustacean cousins, they breathe through gills, so they have to
keep to areas with plenty of rain or ground water,
and even then preferred damp spaces where the sun can't
dry them out. And all. You may not love having
a cool dozen of these little critters pop out when
you move a flower potter check a crawl space. They
don't bite, sting, or carry disease, and there is a

(01:10):
very real benefit to having them in your backyard garden.
It all starts with the microbes within the confines of
the roly polys innerds. These microscopic gut flora and fauna
help roly poles break down dead organic matter. Roly Pollies
are detritivores, meaning they get their nutrients by eating stuff
that other plants and animals leave behind decomposing plants, dead animals,

(01:34):
and poop. Scientists have shown the benefits of the roly
polis diet on soil. They positively affect the ecosystem that
they're in by increasing the mineral content of the soil,
essentially turning the waste they eat into healthy soil. But
it's not just what roly poly bugs add to the soil,
it's what they take out too. It turns out that

(01:56):
these guys don't mind heavy metals. After studying the comp
vision of their insides, scientists found that roly poly bugs
can crystallize stuff like lead, cappium, and arsenic in their guts,
both preventing these toxic materials from harming themselves and taking
them out of the environment, meaning a construction site contaminated

(02:16):
with heavy metals could effectively be cleaned by a bunch
of hungry roly poly bugs. Roly Polls will eat tender
plant shoots if there's nothing else available, but it's not
their preferred diet, and these bugs will also eat the
eggs of some insects that are more inclined to eat
gardens and crops, so they can be a great form
of pest control and are sometimes used in organic farming.

(02:39):
So if you are noticing a roly poly party taking
place in your backyard, don't worry. These little guys are
doing a lot of the heavy lifting involved in creating
the healthy soil that will help your garden thrive. Today's
episode was written by Jeremy Glass and produced by Tyler Clang.
For more this and lots of other curious topics, visit

(03:01):
how stuff works dot com. Brainstuff is a production of
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