Most often, wood lice can be found in the basement. They appear in the residential area of ββprivate houses, crawling out of the underground. The peak of activity of these creatures falls at night, so you can find them at the crime scene in the early morning or, conversely, in the evening.
This unpleasant-looking creature is mistakenly attributed to insects. This is actually a crustacean. It is able to harm summer and domestic plants, as well as spoil vegetables that were stocked for the winter. Today we will look at how to deal with uninvited guests.
Variety of species
You may be surprised, but about 3,500 species live on wood lice. Of course, not all conditions are suitable for them. Only some species of wood lice, the most unpretentious of them, are able to get along with a person. This is precisely what determines the fact that getting rid of them is not easy. Today we look at the features of each of the "home" species. We are primarily interested in two questions: why do these creatures appear in our house and how to get rid of them?
Favourite places
All species of woodlice prefer wet corners. Therefore, they received such a name. In the apartment they are most often found in the bathroom. Humidity is always quite high. Bags with vegetables and flower pots are also favorite places of their residence and reproduction. In nature, they also live on land, but prefer to settle in foliage, under stones, or near ponds.
What do different types of wood lice eat? This is mainly plant food. That is, roots, leaves and fruits. In addition, microorganisms, both living and dead, can enter their diet. Woodlice eat any food waste.
What does it look like
Most of you have ever seen these nasty creatures. The body length of an adult is 1 cm. It is covered with a shell, but at the same time it is divided into special plates, or segments. Each has a pair of legs. There are seven such segments. 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 is disguised and pretends to be dead. The body of this creation 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 do not make it more attractive.
What are dangerous woodlice
These pests can transmit infections that are dangerous to humans. As mentioned above, woodlice do not eat fresh vegetables and fruits. Only rotten plants and dead microorganisms are suitable for them. Therefore, wood lice are a "hotbed" of various pathogenic bacteria and a source of infection. But it should be noted that wood lice are not among the most dangerous pests. The risk of contracting them is minimal. Mokritsa does not seek contact with a person, 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 the appearance
Before talking about how to deal with wood lice, you need to understand why they visited your house and what attracts them. If these factors are not eliminated, then other crustaceans will appear after them. Therefore, the struggle will not be effective. In order for wood lice to appear in a living room, several conditions must coincide:
- High humidity. Central heating solves this problem, usually in apartments, on the contrary, they install humidifiers to neutralize dryness. Woodlice belong to the subtype of crustaceans and breathe with gills, that is, in a dry room they will die. If a faucet leaks in the bathroom or linen is constantly dried, then there are created optimal conditions for the appearance of wood lice.
- Cracks and cracks in the dark corners of the apartment. They become cozy minks to hide in.
- A large number of organic residues. If you do not take out a bucket of garbage and food waste on time, this becomes an excellent source of food for these pests.
- Failures in the ventilation system. This leads to the formation of black mold, which also attracts wood lice.
We recognize the enemy in the face
More often than not, in our homes an ordinary armadillo wood louse is inhabited. She got this name because of the characteristic cover of the body. It resembles a dark, dense carapace that rises slightly above the body. In apartments, such individuals are practically not found. But they reproduce very well in moist cellars. They can be found in flower beds, under the stones. It is believed that they can cause significant damage to plants. But in practice, it turns out that these woodlice prefer weeds, that is, they even bring some benefit. It is very simple to recognize these creatures: at the moment of danger they curl up in a ball.
Rough wood louse
This is another popular species that is quite common at home. It has a fairly soft shell and moves easily. Individuals willingly migrate throughout the house - from the wet basement to the roof attic. There is a very interesting feature. One can argue for a long time what a wood louse looks like, because in different regions they can have different pigmentation. In the southern regions, woodlice are gray, in the northern - yellow. If you catch this creature, it will not curl up into a ball, but will begin to move all its paws and bend.
If the rest of the species can be considered quite harmless, then a rough wood lice can cause serious harm. These creatures are very active, they can cover significant distances and eat home plants. They are simultaneously harmful to greenhouses and greenhouses, vegetable gardens and gardens.
Woodlouse in the bathroom
Homemade wood lice directly to humans is not dangerous. 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 the finishing materials. But such a meeting should lead to the idea that there is a very humid place nearby. There may be a water leak under the bathtub that needs to be found and repaired. Along with it, homemade wood lice will also disappear.
We get rid of uninvited 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 the increased dampness in the room. Once this indicator is adjusted, the pests themselves will disappear from your home. The environment will be inappropriate for them.
Looking at photos 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 an extra waste of time and effort.
Ventilation
Poor 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 flow. There are several ways to optimize the ventilation system:
- Adjust the ventilation system of the plastic windows.
- Check the operation of vents. Mines can clog, which disrupts air circulation.
- Put special appliances for ventilation.
There are many options, but you need to pick them yourself. Woodlifters, photos of which are given in the article, really do not like dry and cool rooms and will try to leave it as quickly as possible.
Preventive measures
It is very important to apply the whole complex of measures in order to solve the problem for sure.
- It is imperative to repair cranes, replace leaky gaskets, and repair leaks.
- Insulate the bathroom, if necessary, install additional heaters.
- Do not dry the battery in the bathroom. This dramatically raises the humidity level.
- The door to the bathroom should be kept open periodically. This avoids excess moisture.
- All cracks in the floor, in the walls and in the baseboard must be sealed. Then the pests will not be able to penetrate from the neighbors.
Folk methods of struggle
And now the good news: you do not need to buy expensive drugs to expel these creatures from your home. It will be quite enough what every housewife has at hand. And the first on this list is boric acid. It can be bought at any pharmacy in the form of powder or liquid. The principle of action of this tool is as follows. You already know what a wood louse looks like. She has a soft shell that is easy to damage. Boric acid corrodes it, resulting in death.
The method of struggle is quite simple. In places where pests appear, powder should be scattered. Crawling along it, they will cling grains to their carapace. This will be the cause of their death. If the house has a wet corner, where many pests are divorced, it is recommended to treat it with the following solution: 10 g of boric acid should be diluted in 0.5 l of water.
Using dry kvass
This is a method of getting rid of wood lice, verified by our grandfathers. You need dry sourdough. Pour it with boiling water and spray in places of accumulation of pests. This method has proven itself very well as a preventative one. As a rule, it is enough just to brew kvass a couple of times and process the room with it. After this, the pests disappear.
Burning mixture
The mechanism remains the same. All these tools work on the principle of contact action. Until the pest walks on them, they will not do any harm to it. There is a special mixture that acts destructively on wood lice. Years of practice have 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 visit woodlice.
Salt or lime
These are very simple and affordable means of combating wood lice. Plain salt can be an indispensable tool. It is scattered with paths along the baseboards, near the sink and toilet bowl, near the bin. A great way, since the salt is not toxic to humans and pets. However, it perfectly performs its function.
For processing basements, cellars and pantries, quicklime is used. It is scattered on the floor, where the appearance of wood lice was observed.
Instead of a conclusion
Woodlice are not too 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 get into food. But they differ in a rather unpleasant appearance and can spread the infection. It is worth noting that the fight against wood lice is not difficult or lengthy. It is enough to process the room a couple of times with simple and affordable means and eliminate the cause of dampness, and the wood lice will disappear by themselves. Only in damp basements may it be necessary to regularly carry out preventive maintenance to prevent the spread of wood lice.