WEBVTT - How Do Roly-Poly Bugs Work?

0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:06.560
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey

0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:12.200
<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb Here potato bugs, pillbugs, doodle bugs,

0:00:12.520 --> 0:00:16.239
<v Speaker 1>roly polly's. They looked like a gray shrimp crossed with

0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:18.600
<v Speaker 1>an armadillo, and they seem to have a different name

0:00:18.680 --> 0:00:21.680
<v Speaker 1>everywhere they're found, though the scientific name for these armor

0:00:21.720 --> 0:00:26.599
<v Speaker 1>plated little creatures is Arma delitrium vulgaria. With twelve known

0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.600
<v Speaker 1>varieties of roly polly bugs found in the United States alone,

0:00:29.880 --> 0:00:33.520
<v Speaker 1>these tiny gray crustaceans inhabit the northern and central parts

0:00:33.520 --> 0:00:36.519
<v Speaker 1>of the country, as well as many dark, damp places

0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:41.040
<v Speaker 1>across the world. And yes, they aren't insects, but crustaceans

0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:44.440
<v Speaker 1>like crab and lobster. They're the only crustaceans that have

0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:48.160
<v Speaker 1>adapted to living completely on land, though, like there're other

0:00:48.200 --> 0:00:51.320
<v Speaker 1>crustacean cousins, they breathe through gills, so they have to

0:00:51.400 --> 0:00:53.680
<v Speaker 1>keep to areas with plenty of rain or ground water,

0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:57.120
<v Speaker 1>and even then preferred damp spaces where the sun can't

0:00:57.200 --> 0:01:01.520
<v Speaker 1>dry them out. And all. You may not love having

0:01:01.600 --> 0:01:04.000
<v Speaker 1>a cool dozen of these little critters pop out when

0:01:04.040 --> 0:01:06.840
<v Speaker 1>you move a flower potter check a crawl space. They

0:01:06.880 --> 0:01:10.120
<v Speaker 1>don't bite, sting, or carry disease, and there is a

0:01:10.240 --> 0:01:12.880
<v Speaker 1>very real benefit to having them in your backyard garden.

0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:17.000
<v Speaker 1>It all starts with the microbes within the confines of

0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:20.920
<v Speaker 1>the roly polys innerds. These microscopic gut flora and fauna

0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:25.600
<v Speaker 1>help roly poles break down dead organic matter. Roly Pollies

0:01:25.600 --> 0:01:29.480
<v Speaker 1>are detritivores, meaning they get their nutrients by eating stuff

0:01:29.520 --> 0:01:34.040
<v Speaker 1>that other plants and animals leave behind decomposing plants, dead animals,

0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:37.640
<v Speaker 1>and poop. Scientists have shown the benefits of the roly

0:01:37.680 --> 0:01:41.720
<v Speaker 1>polis diet on soil. They positively affect the ecosystem that

0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:44.639
<v Speaker 1>they're in by increasing the mineral content of the soil,

0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:49.800
<v Speaker 1>essentially turning the waste they eat into healthy soil. But

0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:52.639
<v Speaker 1>it's not just what roly poly bugs add to the soil,

0:01:52.880 --> 0:01:56.120
<v Speaker 1>it's what they take out too. It turns out that

0:01:56.200 --> 0:01:59.920
<v Speaker 1>these guys don't mind heavy metals. After studying the comp

0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.480
<v Speaker 1>vision of their insides, scientists found that roly poly bugs

0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:07.600
<v Speaker 1>can crystallize stuff like lead, cappium, and arsenic in their guts,

0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:12.320
<v Speaker 1>both preventing these toxic materials from harming themselves and taking

0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:16.560
<v Speaker 1>them out of the environment, meaning a construction site contaminated

0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:19.640
<v Speaker 1>with heavy metals could effectively be cleaned by a bunch

0:02:19.639 --> 0:02:24.359
<v Speaker 1>of hungry roly poly bugs. Roly Polls will eat tender

0:02:24.400 --> 0:02:27.320
<v Speaker 1>plant shoots if there's nothing else available, but it's not

0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:30.800
<v Speaker 1>their preferred diet, and these bugs will also eat the

0:02:30.840 --> 0:02:33.600
<v Speaker 1>eggs of some insects that are more inclined to eat

0:02:33.639 --> 0:02:36.119
<v Speaker 1>gardens and crops, so they can be a great form

0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:39.160
<v Speaker 1>of pest control and are sometimes used in organic farming.

0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:42.840
<v Speaker 1>So if you are noticing a roly poly party taking

0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:45.960
<v Speaker 1>place in your backyard, don't worry. These little guys are

0:02:45.960 --> 0:02:48.320
<v Speaker 1>doing a lot of the heavy lifting involved in creating

0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:56.360
<v Speaker 1>the healthy soil that will help your garden thrive. Today's

0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:59.200
<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Jeremy Glass and produced by Tyler Clang.

0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:01.760
<v Speaker 1>For more this and lots of other curious topics, visit

0:03:01.800 --> 0:03:04.360
<v Speaker 1>how stuff works dot com. Brainstuff is a production of

0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:07.200
<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit

0:03:07.200 --> 0:03:09.840
<v Speaker 1>the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

0:03:09.840 --> 0:03:11.080
<v Speaker 1>listen to your favorite shows.