How long do pillbugs live?

Question

How long do pillbugs live?

Answer 1

Appearance: Not more than 3/4 inch long; thorax composed of 7 hard overlapping plates with 7 pairs of legs; only pillbugs are able to roll up into a ball.

Habits: Prefer moist locations; found under objects on damp ground; mostly nocturnal; often invade basements and first floors of houses.

Diet: Decaying vegetable matter.

Reproduction: Female gives birth to between 24 and 28 young per brood; usually 1 to 3 generations a year; may live as long as 2 years.

Other Info: Pillbugs and related sowbugs are the only crustaceans that have become completely adapted to living their whole life on land.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, some pillbugs live only a day or shorter.  Some die "in utero."

According to the "Pillbug Monthly," a relatively expensive journal, the oldest living pillbug is 4 1/2 years old and lives just outside of Lyon, France.  His daily intake of a drop  of red wine is thought by most Pillbugologists to significantly contribute to his longevity.  His spokesman and protector, Crown Prince Bugliose, an expatriate from Italy, is considered to be the world's most renowned philanthropist to the Pillbug world, although he is highly criticized for sponsoring pillbug races.  The U.S. Congress, through John Kerry's sponsorship,  has recently appropriated $76 million to investigate procedures necessary to lessen natural antipathies between pillbugs at or near borders of  different countries pursuant to the goal of increasing the life span of Pillbugs.  So optimism abounds.

Answer 3

There is variation between various species of pill bugs. Somewhere  between 2 - 5 years depending on who you ask.