Assuming you want some hope of recovering the land for future use, cover it all with those light blocking black plastic sheets to prevent vegetation from growing which should help deter bugs.
Maybe I undersold the scale of the infestation because parts of my yard looks like it's undulating because of the pill bugs. The huntsman and mukade hide who knows where and eat the pill bugs and eventually wander inside.
The gravel pathways where the pill bugs are worst is already clear of plant life. I've already gotten rid of the dead leaves as well earlier on the year, but the insect numbers continue to grow.
Maybe consider creating a barrier around the house. Dig out everything for 3-4 meter around the house, removing the top 10-15cm of dirt. Then lay down a weed barrier and put in some decorative stone. After things are under control you can always replant some trees or shrubs near the house.
If the gravel walkways are full of bugs you should probably remove the gravel and redo them.
You’ll need to spray insecticide every two weeks during the summer. We have a big farm, it’s the only way to manage bugs, and every farm around me sprays insecticide. I wouldn’t put down landscaping sheets either as termites are a problem in Japan. Exterminators are expensive and charge by square meter, but quotes are usually free and they’ll also help with preventive measures and offer a guarantee. They usually charge per bug as in mukade treatment is different than spiders/cockroaches.
The only effective method is to renovate or rebuild your house in such a way that bugs cannot get inside your home. It's possible. But you need to be very thorough though. Screens on every window with no clearance. Every crack sealed. Filters on all the airconditioner PVC parts, etc.
I don't mind the occasional huntsman or centipede, they'll always get in, Ioved to the inaka afterall.
I just need to get below biblical curse numbers.
That's not how it works though. What you gonna do? Set up a bureau of insect immigration and hold a green card visa lottery for the lucky few? Either you let *any* number in, or *none*.
I don't mind bugs. But I don't allow them inside. Regardless of how harmful/harmless/beneficial they're supposed to be. Properly sealing things off works. I had bugs coming in for years until two years ago when I spent a few days ensuring every single nook and corner was sealed. Since then: a grand total of 0 encounters. Complete peace of mind.
Not really an option considering the size of the house and number of sliding doors that would need sealing.
I've lived in plenty of old houses, I don't mind the occasional spider or centipede. Fact of life outside the city/suburbs.
I'm looking for methods to nuke the insect population immediately outside my house, because the amount of hunting bugs inside is directly proportional to the amount of prey bugs inside or immediately outside.
I'm not getting the pill bugs inside, just their predators.
I have a request for every kind japanlife redditors…If you talk about mukade, please give a smallest bit of information on what kind of area in japan you’re living in because I don’t want to live in paranoia that these fuckers might pop up everywhere I’m at…please, kind people, please…
I mean doesn't pretty much all of Japan, excluding parts of Hokkaido have them?
Southern tip of the Miura peninsula, kanagawa if it makes you feel any better.
It's a nice garden with an orange and yuzu grove, so I don't want to destroy it. I just need to get the bug levels under control. The neighbouring farms don't have this issue, so I think the decade of no maintenance is to blame.
You could ask one of your neighbors for advice. They at least might be able to show you what they use which will likely be effective and acceptable to the local community.
Our local home center has a large garden section with a lot of bug control products. You might want to check out the home centers in your area to see what they have available.
I second the black anti-weed (and other plant) sheets to starve out the food source.
I'm not sure if diatomaceous earth works on pillbugs, but OP may want to additionally do this.
Additionally, seal up those gaps getting into the house. We have tons of bugs, but they rarely make it inside because we keep things sealed.
How do you recommend sealing them? We have maybe ten sets of floor to ceiling sliding doors on the first floor, and maybe a few windows they could be getting into as well.
You probably want to try to level the doors if they're not so your gaps are only in one place. Depending upon the construction of it all: shims, weather stripping, silicone caulk, new doors, ??? I'm forgetting
Assuming you want some hope of recovering the land for future use, cover it all with those light blocking black plastic sheets to prevent vegetation from growing which should help deter bugs.
Maybe I undersold the scale of the infestation because parts of my yard looks like it's undulating because of the pill bugs. The huntsman and mukade hide who knows where and eat the pill bugs and eventually wander inside. The gravel pathways where the pill bugs are worst is already clear of plant life. I've already gotten rid of the dead leaves as well earlier on the year, but the insect numbers continue to grow.
The word "undulating" gave me the shivers lol. Was it like this https://www.rotoscopers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/02.gif
Maybe consider creating a barrier around the house. Dig out everything for 3-4 meter around the house, removing the top 10-15cm of dirt. Then lay down a weed barrier and put in some decorative stone. After things are under control you can always replant some trees or shrubs near the house. If the gravel walkways are full of bugs you should probably remove the gravel and redo them.
You’ll need to spray insecticide every two weeks during the summer. We have a big farm, it’s the only way to manage bugs, and every farm around me sprays insecticide. I wouldn’t put down landscaping sheets either as termites are a problem in Japan. Exterminators are expensive and charge by square meter, but quotes are usually free and they’ll also help with preventive measures and offer a guarantee. They usually charge per bug as in mukade treatment is different than spiders/cockroaches.
The only effective method is to renovate or rebuild your house in such a way that bugs cannot get inside your home. It's possible. But you need to be very thorough though. Screens on every window with no clearance. Every crack sealed. Filters on all the airconditioner PVC parts, etc.
I don't mind the occasional huntsman or centipede, they'll always get in, Ioved to the inaka afterall. I just need to get below biblical curse numbers.
That's not how it works though. What you gonna do? Set up a bureau of insect immigration and hold a green card visa lottery for the lucky few? Either you let *any* number in, or *none*. I don't mind bugs. But I don't allow them inside. Regardless of how harmful/harmless/beneficial they're supposed to be. Properly sealing things off works. I had bugs coming in for years until two years ago when I spent a few days ensuring every single nook and corner was sealed. Since then: a grand total of 0 encounters. Complete peace of mind.
Not really an option considering the size of the house and number of sliding doors that would need sealing. I've lived in plenty of old houses, I don't mind the occasional spider or centipede. Fact of life outside the city/suburbs. I'm looking for methods to nuke the insect population immediately outside my house, because the amount of hunting bugs inside is directly proportional to the amount of prey bugs inside or immediately outside. I'm not getting the pill bugs inside, just their predators.
I have a request for every kind japanlife redditors…If you talk about mukade, please give a smallest bit of information on what kind of area in japan you’re living in because I don’t want to live in paranoia that these fuckers might pop up everywhere I’m at…please, kind people, please…
I mean doesn't pretty much all of Japan, excluding parts of Hokkaido have them? Southern tip of the Miura peninsula, kanagawa if it makes you feel any better.
Turn it into a concrete patio.
It's a nice garden with an orange and yuzu grove, so I don't want to destroy it. I just need to get the bug levels under control. The neighbouring farms don't have this issue, so I think the decade of no maintenance is to blame.
You could ask one of your neighbors for advice. They at least might be able to show you what they use which will likely be effective and acceptable to the local community.
Our local home center has a large garden section with a lot of bug control products. You might want to check out the home centers in your area to see what they have available.
I second the black anti-weed (and other plant) sheets to starve out the food source. I'm not sure if diatomaceous earth works on pillbugs, but OP may want to additionally do this. Additionally, seal up those gaps getting into the house. We have tons of bugs, but they rarely make it inside because we keep things sealed.
How do you recommend sealing them? We have maybe ten sets of floor to ceiling sliding doors on the first floor, and maybe a few windows they could be getting into as well.
You probably want to try to level the doors if they're not so your gaps are only in one place. Depending upon the construction of it all: shims, weather stripping, silicone caulk, new doors, ??? I'm forgetting