Quick answer: Reducing moisture at the foundation — pulling back mulch, fixing grading — is the most effective long-term fix, since sow bugs can’t survive long in dry indoor conditions.
Sow bugs and pill bugs are actually crustaceans, not insects, and need consistent moisture to survive — which is why they’re almost always found in damp basements, under mulch, or beneath stones close to the foundation.
They can’t survive long in dry indoor air, so a sow bug sighting indoors is a reliable sign of a moisture issue at the entry point worth addressing.
We treat active harbourage areas and identify the moisture source — grading, mulch against the foundation, a damp crawl space — that’s letting them in.
Full service area: Ajax · Aurora · Bradford · Brampton · Bowmanville · Clarington · Courtice · Durham · East Gwillimbury · East York · Etobicoke · Georgina · Keswick · King City · Maple · Markham · Mississauga · Mount Albert · Newcastle · Newmarket · Nobleton · North York · Oshawa · Pickering · Port Perry · Richmond Hill · Scarborough · Scugog · Stouffville · Thornhill · Toronto · Toronto Beaches · Uxbridge · Vaughan · Whitby · Woodbridge · York Region
No, they're actually land-dwelling crustaceans, related to shrimp, which is why they need so much moisture to survive.
Rarely — dry indoor air kills them within days unless there's a persistently damp area like an unfinished basement.
Mulch, leaf litter, or soil piled against the foundation holds moisture and gives sow bugs a direct path indoors.
Quality Pest Control GTA service will eliminate your pest and wildlife problems within your home, business, or property in Durham and York Region.
Quality Pest Control GTA © 2026. All Rights Reserved.
