Study Finds ‘Rollie Pollies’ Remove Heavy Metals From Soil, Protects Groundwater

[UngulateNerd92]

Turns out a little bug we don’t think of much is one of the best protectors of soil ever imaginable. Read on to find out more!

Turn over a brick or a board lying in the yard and underneath you may find a collection of pill bugs scurrying about. Also known as “rollie pollies” or wood- lice, these grey-colored creatures can be found in many dark, moist environments feeding on decaying matter.

Actually, these critters are not bugs at all. They are crustaceans and more closely resemble crabs and shrimp, not insects. They are characterized by their ability to roll up into a ball when they feel threatened.

Breeding or collecting pill bugs may be an important practice for homesteading and gardening. The guts of these pill bugs contain a number of microbes that help the critter feed on dead, organic matter. By releasing mass quantities of pill bugs into a mature garden, one can be assured that dead plant matter is being properly broken down and returned to healthy soil.

Study Finds ‘Rollie Pollies’ Remove Heavy Metals From Soil, Protects Groundwater

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

It would also have real value in making agriculture a bit more sustainable and econsoil friendly. That is if no pesticides are dumped on soils. BTW: no thing exists called weeds, mind you!

 

[UngulateNerd92]

It would also have real value in making agriculture a bit more sustainable and econsoil friendly. That is if no pesticides are dumped on soils. BTW: no thing exists called weeds, mind you!

Oh yes absolutely! I would like to see agriculture become more sustainable, our current agriculture practices are contributing to biodiversity loss and even climate change. One thing I would like to see us transition towards is vertical agriculture, so we could then convert that farmland for habitat/ecosystem restoration.

 

[UngulateNerd92]

Oh yes absolutely! I would like to see agriculture become more sustainable, our current agriculture practices are contributing to biodiversity loss and even climate change. One thing I would like to see us transition towards is vertical agriculture, so we could then convert that farmland for habitat/ecosystem restoration.

Pardon my further digression, but with such habitat restoration projects when complete, these parcels of land could be converted into state/provincal and county/district wildlife and game management areas or depending on the location or ecosystem/surrounding biome, the acerage could even be added to existing state/provincal wildlife and game management areas, national wildlife refuges, national parks, national forests, national grasslands, national conservation areas, national preserves, national monuments, state/provincal parks, and state/provincal natural areas etc.

Every time I drive passed farmland/tracts of agriculture, I think "this has great potential for habitat/ecosystem restoration."