I've been fighting the darn things for a couple years, now. This year they ate all the bark off a young oak leaf hydrangea around the base, and of course, killed it. I understand that if you put out corn meal around the hostas ( not right next to them, but a circle a couple inches away) that they will eat it, and it stops up their digestive system. Can't swear to that, but I added diatomaceous earth to corn meal and put that out. Plus I put collars around my hostas, making sure there were no critters inside and there was bare earth in there, first. I haven't had any problems since, this year. I put the corn meal mix outside the collars.

They ate this young hosta right to the ground when the pips emerged, but it recovered when they could no longer get to it.

I used clear plastic cup tops, cut off and stuck into the ground a half inch or so, for the small ones, and now when I plant a bigger hosta, I cut the container off and use the top of it as a collar around the plant. Doesn't hurt the plant and the leaves soon cover the collar. It also seems to stop the cutworms.

This was the best solution for me, works so far. So far......

Sandy

You all must have some strange pill bugs! The only place I have ever seen them in my whole life,was under an object by the house,such as my watering cans. They live in moisture,and that's where they stay. Maybe you water your plants too much,creating the perfect environment for them? At any rate,I never see them in the garden,let alone eating my hostas. I don't know what else to tell you,except I'm sorry they are a problem for you. Phil

Usually sow bugs and pill bugs eat partially composted plant material. Sandy, however, has a particularly hungry tribe. If those Earth Angel leaves were in contact with the ground I'm not surprised that they became bug lunch. Maybe a dry mulch between the leaves and the ground like wood chips or shredded oak leaves would solve the problem. Did you use any partially composted organic material in preparing the soil for that bed? What's different about your garden this year than previously?

Steve

Phil, if you google pill bug/sow bug damage you will be shocked by the damage they can do. They do go for live growing plants as well as dead stuff, and can decimate a vegetable garden in no time--especially leafy greens. I never knew they could be such a problem either, until I experienced it first hand, hundreds of them on one hosta plant. I never had a problem with them until about 2 years ago. They minded their own business and ate dead stuff, like my compost pile, but then there seemed to be a population explosion or something, and they got to be a real menace.

Sandy

Thanks for the suggestions Sandy. I'll be trying them out. I actually have a picture of them hanging onto the leaves of my hosta as proof that it's them. I have them in every single garden of mine this year, not just the hostas, even in the sunny beds. And that garden where the Earth Angel is does not get more water than any of the others, in fact it gets less since I don't have a soaker hose in that one whereas all the others do. In any case, they are really, really annoying.
Garnet

Steve, there needs to be bare ground under the hostas. Give them a mulch to eat and they will congregate by the thousands. If it rains, you can't keep it dry. They are even hiding under rock mulch.

Not sure that the drought of the last 2 years didn't have something to do with the population explosion, or just coincidence. They are not only in the garden, but everywhere. Put something down on the deck or patio, such as a rug, jacket, pillow, anything, and leave it overnight, when you come back in the morning there will be hundreds of the things under it.

Most of the sites I found on google did mention that they are a problem mostly in the upper and lower south, so north of zone 6 it might not be an issue.

Sandy

Well, they are a problem in Canada too. I do work in leaf litter into the soil so there is plenty for them to munch on and I normally have bark mulch in my garden but I noticed this year they are still preferring the plants. My Emerald Tiara and strawberries are taking a licking too. There are so many you could literally sweep them off the soil surface. I'll just have to keep sweeping :)

I remember growing up my dad showed all us kids that burning them with a magnifiying glass in the sun was fun. They curl up, then make a loud pop, and smell bad. Sounds gross probably but 3 kids armed with magnifying glasses on a sunny day can really do some pill bug population control.