There are many insects on our planet. Each species lives in a particular environment, and some live near us. There are those who need moisture to live. They find her next to a person in apartments and houses. For any living organism, certain conditions are necessary for reproduction. So, excessive humidity in the room can contribute to the appearance of wood lice. How harmful and dangerous they are for humans, as well as what remedies there are for woodlice in the apartment, we will consider further.
Woodlifters in the apartment
Woodlouse belongs to crustaceans. Its slug is a convex oval body with a tendril and is divided into segments. Eyes on the sides of the head. It has 7 pairs of pectoral legs that cover each other tiled and correspond to each segment, as well as antennae, one pair of which is developed, the other is underdeveloped.
If wood lice feel danger, they curl up into a ball. They live on land, but in places of moisture accumulation. Under the wet stones lying on the ground, trees. For hunting, they are suitable for the dark. For food, rotting plants and microorganisms are used. They can feed on ordinary young plants.
The apartment may start:
- In room colors, in flower pallets.
- In bathroom.
- In places of leakage of pipes, plumbing.
- In a damp room, basement.
- Tiled, in the bathroom or in the kitchen.
- Under peeled wallpaper.
- In a place to store vegetables.
- Near and in the bin.
Woodlouse can start in the apartment, even if there is no dampness. They penetrate from the neighbors, from the basements.
Can penetrate:
- Through the cracks in the floor, in the walls, from under the baseboard.
- Through a room ventilation system.
- Through holes for water pipes and sewers.
- Through outlets.
What is harmful woodlice
Consider what harm these representatives of the animal world can do:
- They cause harm to indoor hygrophilous plants.
- Destroying rotting plants and decaying microorganisms can become a source of spread of fungus, infection.
- In the basements, they harm vegetables.
Woodlice can be planted directly in a flower pot, for example, for an orchid. The flower will die. In the place where potatoes and vegetables are stored, wood lice appear that spoil the crop. They will feed on rot.
Everyone can find useful information on how to deal with these pests. What is the best remedy for wood lice in the apartment?
Start with cleaning
If you find wood lice, you need to start cleaning. It is recommended that you follow these steps:
- If there are wood lice, then there is excessive dampness in this place. You must use air conditioning or a fan. This is necessary in order to dry a room or a certain territory.
- When cleaning, be sure to ventilate the room.
- Pay attention to the pipes, maybe moisture accumulates somewhere or there is a leak.
- If there are animals in the house, look under the bathtub and sofas, suddenly something is hidden there and has already begun to decompose. It is an ideal food for woodlice.
- If you decide to make repairs, it is best to get rid of wood lice in the beginning, using home remedies, or call a specialist.
- After the destruction of wood lice, it is good to fill the cracks in the floor and skirting boards with sealant. Moisture will not penetrate from under the floor, and new wood lice will not appear.
One of the important points is the choice of an effective remedy for wood lice in the apartment. How to get rid of them using chemicals and folk methods, we will tell further.
Chemicals
To combat wood lice, there are many modern chemicals.
They are available in the following forms:
- Insecticidal aerosols.
- Concentrates.
- Insecticidal powders.
- Pencils, crayons.
- Gels.
- Sticky traps.
- The bait.
Sprays and Aerosols
Aerosols can be used as a remedy for wood lice in an apartment if a small area is processed. Such drugs are not prolonged action. These include:
- The Varan. The drug is a new generation of odorless. It fights not only with wood lice, but also with flying, crawling insects.
- "Combat". Superspray. Low toxicity to humans and animals. It is recommended for use in children's and medical facilities, in offices and in summer cottages. From creeping insects.
Concentrates are beneficial for processing large rooms. Microencapsulated drugs are highly effective and lasting. You can buy in small or large packaging.
- Geth. Available in the form of a concentrate. Has a faint odor. You can use it not only from wood lice, it also helps well from cockroaches and bedbugs.
- Tetrix. A powerful tool. The concentrate must be diluted. One bottle can handle the entire apartment. Prolonged action.
Powders and crayons
Powders are insecticides that need to be sprayed around the perimeter. Woodlice are often found on the walls. Therefore, this type of tool is used as an addition to the main method.
The best ones are:
- "Tarax". The most effective remedy for wood lice in the apartment. It is diluted in water and applied from a spray gun. It forms a poisonous film that does not affect the pest right away, but gives time to infect the others. The drug is absolutely safe for people and pets. It is not addictive in pests.
- "Phenaxin". Insecticidal powder. Suitable for flat surfaces. It is necessary to remove pets and children from the premises during the treatment.
- Riapan. Powder treated places accumulation of woodlice. On vertical surfaces, you can apply a solution of this product, diluted with water. After processing, wet cleaning is required.
Crayons as a remedy for wood lice in the apartment are well established. This is a great way to deal with cockroaches. The insect passes through a strip of chalk, and at that moment an insecticide falls on its paws. Apply strips around the perimeter of the room, along the walls, baseboards. Ideal for vertical surfaces. Effective crayons - "Mashenka", "Titanic".
Gels, traps, bait from wood lice
Gels can be compared in effectiveness with crayons. They can be used as an additional means of pest control.
Sticky traps are suitable for prevention.
Lures are effective in combating cockroaches, but they are also suitable as a prophylaxis against wood lice. The most popular are the following:
- Schabengel. It can be used both from wood lice and from ants, cockroaches. Available in the form of gel bait. Easy to use in hard to reach places.
- Gel "Raptor". It is convenient for drawing. It easily gets into the cracks. It is odorless.
All drugs act destructively on the central nervous system of insects.
Features of the use of chemicals
Before using any of the proposed remedies for wood lice in the apartment, you must:
- Study the instructions for the drug.
- Be sure to avoid contact with children and pets. Although many manufacturers indicate that the drug is safe for people and pets.
- When using chemicals, use gloves and a mask when processing the room.
- Take into account the moment that the number of wood lice after processing can visually increase, they will randomly crawl around the apartment.
- After processing, wash the room and ventilate well.
Various prophylactic methods can be used to prevent the appearance of wood lice.
Specialists help
If you yourself can not cope with wood lice, we recommend that you contact a specialist. This is a sanitary epidemiological station or organizations that specialize in pest control.
The positive aspects of such a decision:
- Specialists will correctly and thoroughly process all possible habitats and reproduction of wood lice.
- Will be disinfected against wood lice in the apartment.
- Effective and safe agents will be used. They are odorless and leave no residue on furniture.
- The effect is guaranteed for at least 3 months. In the event that wood lice appear earlier, the treatment will be free.
Home remedies
How to remove wood lice from an apartment using folk methods? The following options are time-tested:
- The following ingredients must be mixed:
- Hot red pepper, 3 grams.
- Soda ash, 3 grams.
- Tobacco mix, 3 grams.
Dilute the mixture with water and treat the area with wood lice. After 8 hours, wash areas with bleach.
2. Prepare a solution of boric acid with water (per 1 liter - 20 grams). Spray the product.
3. Dry kvass (100 grams) diluted in half a liter of hot water. To process the territory.
4. A popular remedy is dry salt. It is scattered in places of accumulation of woodlice, under cabinets, behind baseboards.
5. If wood lice are wound up in flowers, it is necessary to transplant the plant by treating the root system.
Additional methods of struggle
Several methods of dealing with wood lice in an apartment:
- Birch brooms are wetted and placed in the corners of the room. A wet broom will surely attract wood lice. Leave overnight. In the morning, carefully collect the brooms and remove them from the apartment. It can be repeated several times.
- Make traps for wood lice. You need to use potatoes. Half cut the middle. Lay on the floor with a cut. Leave for a day. In wet potatoes, woodlice will be collected. Periodically, a trap is required to clean up wood lice.
- In a room with uninvited guests leave a bucket of quicklime. To process with this solution the places of their accumulation. Do not enter the room for 3 days.
It should be noted that wood lice do not like:
- High air temperature, dry climate.
- Alkalis and acids.
- Caustic substances. Strong odors.
Preventive actions
In order not to have to use chemical agents against wood lice in the apartment, it is better to prevent their occurrence.
We list the actions that will help to avoid the appearance of this trouble in your home:
- Ventilate the room more often.
- Take out the bin. Do not store trash. Wash and sanitize the bucket.
- In the kitchen, do not leave food in the public domain.
- Repair pipe leaks in a timely manner.
- Plumbing must be in good condition.
- Cracks in floors, walls, near skirting boards must be covered.
- The entrance and exit of water and sewer pipes at the places where they are connected to the floor and the gaps must be carefully sealed.
- After the floor in the kitchen, in the bathroom is washed, it must be wiped away without leaving wet areas.
- It is necessary to thoroughly wash and wipe the floors under the beds, cabinets, behind sofas.
- Clean the ventilation shafts regularly.
- It is better to dry clothes in the street, but not in the bathroom or in the kitchen.
- Trays of flower pots should be wiped dry, to avoid moisture stagnation.
- Peeled off wallpaper must be glued and dried.
- During periods of high humidity, use air dryers.
To summarize how to deal with wood lice in an apartment. To begin, block all the ways of their penetration from the outside. Choose an insecticide based on safety for humans and pets. An expensive remedy does not mean effective. Follow the instructions for use of any drug. Following simple methods of prevention, you will protect your home not only from wood lice, but also from other unpleasant insects.