Most often woodlice can be found in the basement. They also appear in the residential area of private houses, crawling out of the underground. The peak of activity of these creatures falls at night, so you can catch them at the crime scene in the early morning or, conversely, in the evening.
This unpleasant-looking creature is mistakenly classified as an insect. It's actually a crustacean. It can harm summer and home plants, as well as spoil vegetables that have been stocked for the winter. Today we will look at how to deal with uninvited guests.
Diversity of species
You may be surprised, but there are about 3,500 species of woodlice on our planet. Of course, not all of them are suitable for the conditions of the apartment. Only some types of woodlice, the most unpretentious of them, are able to get along next to a person. This is what causes the fact that getting rid of them is not easy. Today we will consider the features of each of the "home" species. First of all, we are interested in two questions: why do these creatures appear in our house and how to get rid of them?
Favorite places
All types of woodliceprefer damp areas. That is why they got that name. In an apartment, they are most often found in the bathroom. Humidity is always quite high here. Bags of vegetables and flower pots are also their favorite places to live and breed. In nature, they also live on land, but prefer to settle in foliage, under stones or near water bodies.
What do different types of woodlice eat? Basically it is a vegetable food. That is roots, leaves and fruits. In addition, microorganisms, both living and dead, can be included in their diet. Woodlice eat any food waste.
Looks like
Most of you have seen these nasty creatures at least once. The body length of an adult is 1 cm. It is covered with a shell, but is divided into special plates, or segments. Each has a pair of legs. There are seven such segments in total. Some species, sensing danger, can curl up into a ball. This is due to the division of the body into segments. So the wood louse disguises itself and pretends to be dead. The body of this creature can have a different color - from gray to steel or brown, which distinguishes different types of wood lice. The color of the shell can be uniform or patterned. But these patterns don't make it any more attractive.
What are the dangers of wood lice
These pests can carry infections dangerous to humans. As mentioned above, wood lice do not eat fresh vegetables and fruits. Only rotten plants and dead microorganisms are suitable for them. Therefore, wood lice are a "hotbed" of a variety of pathogens.bacteria and source of infection. But it should be noted that wood lice are not among the most dangerous pests. The risk of getting infected from them is minimal. Woodlouse does not seek human contact, but is still an unpleasant neighbor.
Indoor plants suffer from them. Pests devour leaves and roots, deprive the soil of oxygen, as they make it too dense. Suffer from gray crustaceans and pantries with vegetable stocks.
Reasons for appearance
Before talking about how to deal with wood lice, you need to understand why they visited your home and what attracts them. If these factors are not eliminated, then other crustaceans will appear after them. Therefore, the fight will not be effective. In order for wood lice to appear in a residential area, several conditions must match:
- High humidity. Central heating solves this problem, usually in apartments, on the contrary, air humidifiers are installed to neutralize dryness. Woodlice belong to the subtype of crustaceans and breathe with gills, that is, they will die in a dry room. If a faucet is leaking in the bathroom or laundry is constantly drying, then optimal conditions are created there for the appearance of wood lice.
- Cracks and cracks in the dark corners of the apartment. They become cozy burrows to hide in.
- A large amount of organic residues. If you do not take out the bucket of garbage and food waste in time, this becomes an excellent food source for these pests.
- Faults in the ventilation system. This leads to the formation of black mold, which also attracts wood lice.
Recognize the enemy in the face
Most often, the common armadillo settles in our homes. She received this name because of the characteristic cover of the body. It resembles a dark, dense shell that rises slightly above the body. In apartments, such individuals are practically not found. But they reproduce well in damp cellars. They can also be found in flower beds, under stones. It is believed that they can cause significant damage to plants. But in practice, it turns out that these wood lice prefer weeds, that is, they even bring some benefits. It is very easy to recognize these creatures: at the moment of danger, they curl up into a ball.
Rough Woodlouse
This is another popular type that is quite common in the home. It has a fairly soft shell and moves easily. Individuals willingly migrate throughout the house - from a damp basement to an attic on the roof. There is a very interesting feature. You can argue for a long time what woodlice look like, because in different regions they can have different pigmentation. In the southern regions, wood lice are gray, in the northern regions they are yellow. If you catch this creature, then it will not curl up into a ball, but will begin to move all its paws and arch.
While the other species can be considered fairly harmless, the rough woodlice can cause serious harm. These creatures are very active, they can travel considerable distances and eat houseplants. They are simultaneously harmful to greenhouses and conservatories, kitchen gardens and orchards.
Louse in the bathroom
Home wood licenot directly dangerous to humans. If you notice this creature in the bathroom or in the toilet, you can not worry much. They will not be able to bite or harm finishing materials. But such a meeting should suggest that there is a very humid place nearby. Perhaps there is a water leak under the bathroom that needs to be found and fixed. Together with her, domestic wood lice will also disappear.
Get rid of unwanted guests
Now you can go directly to how to deal with wood lice. Their respiratory system can only function in a humid environment. That is, the main source of attracting wood lice to the bathroom is increased dampness in the room. As soon as this indicator is adjusted, the pests themselves will disappear from your home. The environment will become unsuitable for them.
Looking at the photo of wood lice, you can see that these are small creatures of almost flat shape. Therefore, they can easily hide in any gap. This proves once again that it makes no sense to hunt for every pest. This is a waste of time and effort.
Ventilation
Poorly functioning vents are another source of pests. It is important to know where wood lice come from so that their appearance does not come as a surprise to you. To do air drying, you must first adjust the ventilation system. To do this, it is best to call a specialist who will help assess the presence of air currents. There are several ways to optimize your ventilation system:
- Adjust the ventilation system of plastic windows.
- Check the operation of the vents. Shafts can become clogged, disrupting air circulation.
- Install special devices for room ventilation.
There are many options, but you need to select them yourself. Woodlice, whose photos are shown in the article, really do not like a dry and cool room and will try to leave it as quickly as possible.
Prevention measures
It is very important to apply the full range of measures in order to surely solve the problem.
- The faucets need to be repaired, leaky gaskets replaced and leaks fixed.
- Insulate the bathroom, if necessary, install additional heaters.
- Do not dry things on the radiator in the bathroom. This drastically increases the humidity levels.
- The bathroom door needs to be kept open periodically. This avoids excess moisture.
- All cracks in the floor, in the walls and in the baseboard must be sealed with sealant. Then the pests will not be able to penetrate from the neighbors.
Folk methods of struggle
Now the good news: You don't need to buy expensive drugs to drive these creatures out of your home. It will be enough that every housewife has at hand. And the very first on this list is boric acid. It can be bought at any pharmacy in powder or liquid form. The principle of operation of this tool is as follows. You already know what a wood lice looks like. She has a soft shell that is easily damaged. Boric acid corrodes it, resulting indeath.
The way to fight is quite simple. In places where pests appear, you need to sprinkle the powder. Crawling along it, they will cling grains to their shells. This will be the cause of their death. If the house has a damp corner where a lot of pests have grown, it is recommended to treat it with the following solution: 10 g of boric acid must be diluted in 0.5 liters of water.
Using dry kvass
This is a method proven by our grandfathers to get rid of wood lice. You need dry sourdough. Fill it with boiling water and spray it in places where pests accumulate. This method has proven itself very well as a preventive one. As a rule, it is enough just to brew kvass a couple of times and treat the room with it. After that, the pests disappear.
Hot mixture
The mechanism remains the same. All these tools work on the principle of contact action. As long as the pest does not take a walk on them, they will not cause him any harm. There is a special mixture that has a detrimental effect on wood lice. Many years of practice has proven its effectiveness. To prepare this mixture, you will need ground red pepper, soda ash and tobacco powder. All ingredients are recommended to take 3 g and mix with a liter of water. With this solution, you need to process all the places that woodlice visit.
S alt or lime
This is a very simple and affordable means of dealing with wood lice. Ordinary s alt can be an indispensable assistant. It is scattered along the pathsbaseboards, near the sink and toilet, near the trash can. A great way, since s alt is not toxic to humans and pets. At the same time, it performs its function perfectly.
Quicklime is used for processing cellars, cellars and pantries. It is scattered on the floor, where the appearance of wood lice was observed.
Instead of a conclusion
Woodlice are not overly annoying pests. In an apartment, they are most often found as separate individuals, only in the dampest corner you can immediately find a whole brood. These creatures do not bite, do not climb into food. But they are quite unpleasant in appearance and can spread the infection. It should be noted that the fight against wood lice is not difficult or lengthy. It is enough just to treat the room a couple of times with simple and affordable means and eliminate the cause of dampness, and wood lice will disappear by themselves. Only in damp basements may it be necessary to carry out regular preventive maintenance to prevent the spread of wood lice.
