Woodlice

[PurpleDaisies]

I was going to plant a (sad) hellebore yesterday and as I lifted it from the pot I found it was absolutely full of woodlice. They'd been breeding in there. I just left it in the sun but I'm not sure what the right thing to do is.

Is the plant best abandoned rather than planted? How much of a problem are woodlice to plants generally and should I have killed them rather than letting them all run for cover? My skin is still crawling a bit from the sight of so many.

Woodlice just exist under pots. I don't think they do much damage - they like the dry conditions under there. Which are conditions, incidentally, that hellebores don't like - they enjoy shade and damp. If it's looking a bit sorry for itself, my guess would be that it's been too dry, not that the woodlice have chomped it. I wouldn't leave it out very long at all - it needs the wet. The woodlice should have dispersed by now.

Woodlice eat dead organic matter, they are no risk to living plants, and just clean up the plant detritus whilst providing food for bigger beasts.

They are fine, let them scuttle off under something else!

Thanks everyone. I'll get the hellebore in the ground asap and cross my fingers for it to survive,