In article ,
Carol Russell wrote:

No they werent, they were eating decaying matter, thats what woodlice do.

And probably not the matter trapped by the ivy, as that is usually
fairly hard. They have VERY weak mouthparts, and could not possibly
damage the bark of even an established annual, let alone a tree!
They might JUST be able to eat leaves that had already been damaged,
but probably only when the leaves had already started to rot.

From "Readers Digest encyclopaedia of garden plants and flowers" " and may
cause damage to roots stems and leaves of various plants ".

That particular rag has had a reputation for publishing a mixture of
pap and nonsense for 50 years; I am glad to see that it is preserving
its tradition.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren,
University of Cambridge Computing Service,
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QH, England.
Email:
Tel.: +44 1223 334761 Fax: +44 1223 334679