Woodlice are quite a frequent visitor to human habitation. These are small crustaceans that have long been adapted to life on land, but always in damp and dark places. In this article we will figure out how to get rid of woodlice in your apartment if you have them.
Their natural habitat is nature. They can be found under snags, stones, fallen leaves, in landfills, heating mains and anywhere you can hide from sunlight and enough moisture. But often woodlice can be found in a comfortable apartment, where they sometimes crawl, and where they can subsequently firmly establish themselves.
Reasons for appearing in the apartment
Since woodlice are crustaceans, although accustomed to life on land, they need moist air. They, like their relatives, breathe with gills, and this explains their intolerance to dry air. Therefore, woodlice may appear in an apartment due to the fact that the humidity in the room has increased and it has become comfortable for the appearance of crustaceans.
The reasons for high humidity in the apartment may be plumbing problems (leaking pipes, etc.), frequent heavy condensation (for example, in the bathroom after washing), infrequent ventilation of the apartment, hanging washed clothes indoors to dry, etc.
But there are other reasons for the appearance of woodlice in the house:
- insects live with neighbors, from where they crawl through cracks in the floor or cracks in the walls;
- from basements or attics (which is why residents of the lower and upper floors primarily suffer from woodlice infestations);
- from the sewer;
- through ventilation holes;
- from garages and other buildings adjacent to the house;
- along with vegetables and fruits brought from the market (unlikely).
Woodlice rarely appear in large numbers at once. Usually single individuals crawl into the house, so it is not always possible to notice them immediately (especially considering their love for the dark and activity only at night). But gradually new individuals arrive, plus reproduction, and as a result, woodlice soon begin to literally swarm in the corners.
Why are they dangerous?
Where did woodlice come from in the apartment? The owners themselves could bring them into the house along with house plants, which are often taken outside for airing or washing. The fact is that crustaceans are very fond of flower pots; there is enough moisture and food for comfortable living.
In this case, the plants may die in a fairly short period of time, because woodlice damage their root system and contribute to soil compaction, which leads to a significant decrease in oxygen levels.
Woodlice do not harm the human body, because they do not bite, although there are hypotheses that crustaceans can carry spores of various fungi and lichens on their paws. To date, this information has not yet been confirmed, but is it worth the risk? In any case, they need to be destroyed to prevent wood lice from invading the apartment.
Types of woodlice living in apartments
In total, there are about 3,500 species of these crustaceans in the world. There are only a few dozen of them on Russian territory. However, only the most unpretentious of them can settle in an apartment. There are only 2 such relatively unassuming species - the common woodlice (armadillo) and the rough woodlice.
Common woodlouse (armadillo)
For armadillos, human habitation is not the best option, but once there, they can easily establish themselves firmly.
As already mentioned, woodlice look like beetles in appearance. Their body is oval-shaped, flattened, and can reach from 10 to 20 mm in length. As can be understood from the name, this type of armadillo has protection in the form of armor. On the back there is a 7-segmented hard shell, each segment has its own pair of legs. Segments are panels located “overlay”, one on top of the other (like tiles).
in the photo there is an armadillo
The body color of woodlice is dark gray or almost black. The head is small, it has 2 pairs of antennae: one pair is underdeveloped (almost invisible), the second is very well developed.
Woodlice feed on any plant food, consuming both living and decomposed plants, as well as microorganisms.
Once in the apartment, they settle in the bathroom, behind the boiler, in the toilet behind the toilet, in closets or closets where fruits and vegetables are stored. Not only indoor plants and stored fruits can be eaten, but also mucus and mold in the bathroom and toilet. When the light turns on, they try to retreat and hide in their favorite dark corners. Armadillos are very slow, and in case of danger they have little chance of escaping: when caught, they simply curl up into a ball, covering their entire body with a hard shell.
Woodlouse rough
It is this species that is the most frequent guest in human housing. Unlike the armadillo, the rough woodlouse is very nimble and runs away quite quickly when the light is turned on. If you catch her, she will struggle in every possible way, twitching her paws. Doesn't curl up into a ball.
Its shell is soft and flat. The color depends on the location of distribution: in the south - grayish-pink, in the north - yellow-red, in the east - almost black. They can occupy an apartment in hordes. Their presence in the house indicates increased humidity in the room.
Sometimes people confuse woodlice with silverfish, a small, almost white insect. It is shown in the photo below.
The harm that woodlice can cause to people
- These are, first of all, carriers of viral and infectious diseases
. - They spoil
food by accelerating the process of breakdown, oxidation and rotting. - If you choose a flower pot with an orchid and
other similar plants, they can cause the stem and roots to rot. - When settling in the soil with seedlings or other plants, they compact it and disrupt air exchange.
- Capable of carrying fungal and mold spores on their paws.
Therefore, seemingly harmless woodlice are not such innocent creatures at all. Therefore, you should listen to further recommendations from specialists to avoid such problems.
Damage caused
The main danger of woodlice is for indoor plants. They often settle directly in pots, especially if water often accumulates in the trays after excessive watering. Crustaceans happily feast on the leaves of plants, eating holes in them, and also compact the soil in pots, which blocks the access of air to the roots, and the plant dies.
If the house has pantries or closets where supplies of fruits or vegetables are stored, woodlice will be happy to spoil them too. The same applies to the kitchen, where there are both food supplies and sources of moisture.
Woodlice do not attack or bite humans, so they are not capable of causing significant harm. But, crawling into a home from landfills, dirty basements, attics, and simply from the street, woodlice automatically spread infectious diseases. In order not to expose yourself and your family to the risk of becoming infected, you should immediately begin the fight against woodlice.
Fighting with chemicals
With development, more and more chemical products are appearing on the market that can easily help you get rid of insects.
To combat wood lice, the following products will help you best:
- Gel for exterminating insect pests – Antiinsecte.
This product is enough to treat 2-3 medium-sized rooms. Completely harmless to humans and pets. - A household remedy for fighting any insects is Tarax.
Perfect for treating rooms affected by woodlice. The drug not only kills, but also poisons all other individuals of the insect colony, which has a great effect on its economy. - Household – Varan.
Does the job perfectly. Has no smell. After use, it is necessary to ventilate the room. - Gettor product will effectively and efficiently help get rid of various pests.
Safe for people and pets.
When treating premises against woodlice with chemicals, it is always necessary to familiarize yourself with the safety measures and instructions for use in order to avoid harm to the health of family members and pets.
Destruction of woodlice
Removing woodlice is not difficult, and you can do it yourself. Before you fight these crustaceans, you need to identify where they got into the house from. It is necessary to carefully check the walls, floors, ventilation for cracks, cracks and other damage. Once entry routes are discovered, seal them immediately. You need to hang a mesh over the ventilation holes. Only after this will it be advisable to begin directly combating woodlice in the apartment.
After this, you should find the places where woodlice mainly accumulate. To do this, you need to take a good look at flower trays, dark corners in the bathroom, trash cans, toilets, under baseboards, behind sofas. When areas of accumulation are detected, the destruction process can begin:
- dry the room thoroughly (you can use an air conditioner or fan);
- scattering table salt in the corners or perimeter is an effective folk way of fighting these creatures;
- use boric acid - a proven insect repellent (sprinkle powder or place poisoned baits);
- use traps (a wet rag or a damp broom at night near the accumulation areas, and in the morning throw them away along with the crustaceans that have crawled there);
- carry out wet cleaning with a chlorine solution (40 g per liter of water);
- transplant the plants into new soil, after first washing the roots with lukewarm running water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
If the above methods are ineffective, it’s time to resort to “heavy artillery” - insecticides:
- draw out the room with chalk to prevent cockroaches “Mashenka”;
- carry out treatment with universal gel “Schabengel”;
- treat areas of accumulation with Dichlorvos, Tarax from household insects, Tetrix, Mole, etc.
You will also have to treat the soil of indoor plants, strictly following the instructions so as not to harm the flowers. Grom, Grom 2, Aktara, Ideal are suitable for this.
Home methods for controlling woodlice
Before starting a full-scale fight, you need to dry and ventilate the room as much as possible. The basic recipes for compositions that will help cope with woodlice are as follows:
- Boric acid or salt . It is recommended to sprinkle dry substances on the area affected by woodlice.
- Kvass . It is necessary to mix dry kvass with boiling water in a ratio of 2:1. Spray the mixture with a spray bottle onto insect habitats.
- Chlorine _ A small amount of bleach or Bleach should be diluted with water and sprayed on woodlice.
- Salt, pepper and tobacco . Prepare a mixture of 3 grams of salt (can be replaced with soda ash), the same amount of dry pepper (preferably red) and snuff, add one liter of water and spray. The treated area must be left for several hours and then wiped with soapy water.
These products are somewhat less effective than special preparations that are sold in gardening or hardware stores, but their use also requires caution.
Another popular method advises leaving wet birch brooms in the corners of the room overnight, and in the morning throwing them out, along with the woodlice that managed to get inside, or rinsing them with boiling water and leaving them to dry in the sun. You can also shake the brooms well over the fire. Despite its simplicity, the method is very effective.
Prevention
The appearance of woodlice in an apartment can be completely avoided if you monitor the order and condition of your home, avoiding excessive air humidity:
- remove moisture in a timely manner;
- regularly ventilate the room;
- do not accumulate water in trays;
- Wash dishes and take out trash in a timely manner;
- seal any cracks and cracks in a timely manner;
- monitor the condition of plumbing;
- dry washed clothes on the balcony or loggia, and not in the bathroom or kitchen;
- systematically inspect indoor plants;
- keep the apartment clean, including in hard-to-reach places.
If neither preventive nor destructive measures for any reason help to cope with woodlice, you can contact the sanitary and epidemiological station.
Professional assistance in removing wood lice – features, cost
In special cases, when the fight is not on equal terms, you can use the services of apartment disinfection by especially experienced specialists from various insect extermination organizations or sanitary and epidemiological stations.
The advantages of such a struggle can be called:
- Availability of the necessary safe and at the same time extremely effective means to combat wood lice;
- The ability to process all places where it is almost impossible to do it yourself;
- All the work will be done for you;
- A guarantee of a repeat free procedure upon the return of insects from the organization.
The average cost of disinfecting a premises depends on the prices of the organization engaged in this activity, the area of the premises being treated, and the methods and means for combating woodlice.
Average prices for insect control from different organizations:
- 1 room apartment - from 1500-5000 rubles;
- 2-room apartment - from 2000-6500 rubles;
- 3-room apartment - from 2400-6800 rubles;
- 4-room apartment - from 2800-7500 rubles;
- 5-room apartment - from 3000-8500 rubles;
Advice! When planning the renovation of a room or apartment, it is necessary to carry out treatment in the presence of pests before starting work. If you start repairing and destroying them, the disinfection process will become more complicated due to a change in their habitual habitat.
Chemicals
Modern insecticides make it possible to quickly remove almost any insects and pests, and wood lice are no exception.
It is important to use any chemicals strictly following the instructions to avoid harm to yourself and family members, since such substances are extremely toxic. But when used correctly, the risk of human poisoning is reduced to zero, but you can get rid of wood lice after the first use. You can now buy wood lice repellents for your apartment at a very affordable price.
Special baits
Chemical baits are used on the same principle as baits from folk remedies, only they have a more powerful composition that is destructive to pests. They are placed in places where wood lice accumulate, so that the gel bait is not accidentally touched by people or pets.
One of the popular remedies for woodlice is the Schabengel gel bait.
, produced in tubes. The product has a very affordable price; one package is designed for 3 medium-sized rooms. One application is usually sufficient to kill woodlice.
Tetrix
The drug "Tetrix"
produced in the Netherlands and widely used in the fight against woodlice. "Tetrix" is available in packaging from 250 ml to 5 liters. To prepare the product, 10 ml of the substance is diluted in 1 liter of water.
The resulting mixture is sprayed onto the affected areas. When using the product, you must use gloves, a respirator and goggles. Before the procedure, pets should be isolated, food and hygiene products should be removed.
The main advantage of Tetrix is its effectiveness and how long it lasts. The disadvantage is quite high toxicity and cost.
«
Tetrix
is
a broad-spectrum drug. It is often used to destroy
Tarax
The product is produced in Russia in the form of insecticidal powder. Packaged in 1 gram volume. Tarax is toxic to all insects and pests, including woodlice. One package is designed to process 60 square meters.
The principle of action of Tarax is to create a toxic film on surfaces that infects pests. Affected individuals carry the substance on their paws to the nest, where the others are poisoned.
The drug has an affordable price, but is quite toxic to humans. It is necessary to work only according to the instructions.
How dangerous are woodlice to humans?
The main danger of woodlice to humans is the infections that pests can carry.
Woodlice are a source of a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria
, because they feed on rotten plants and dead microorganisms, which carry the risk of infection.
In addition, houseplants suffer from woodlice: the pests devour leaves and roots, deprive the soil of oxygen, making it too dense. Woodlice also spoil vegetables stored in the house - potatoes, carrots, etc.
But despite all of the above, woodlice is not on the list of the most dangerous pests for humans, and usually the risk of human infection from woodlice is minimal.
How to eliminate sources of woodlice
The first approach to ridding your apartment of woodlice is to first eliminate their food source.
and clean all the places they like to hang out in the house. The guide to ridding your home of silverfish consists of the following steps:
- Thoroughly clean all rooms, corridors and storage rooms
. Everything is cleaned down to the removal of a layer of dust from the walls. - Ensure that water supply or sewerage communications are always in good working order.
- The heating in the apartment
should be normal so that condensation does not form on the walls. - The premises should be regularly ventilated
. - Pay attention to the condition of the soil in flower pots. This is especially true for tropical plants.
If you want to have a more radical impact, it is useful to read:
You should understand once and for all that silverfish or woodlice will always be attracted to dirt and dampness. Therefore, by removing this source, you will thereby remove the problem itself. You may not even have to use any insecticide; the creatures will go elsewhere on their own.
woodlouse
- an unpleasant-looking creature, a pest that can cause damage to country and apartment plants, as well as spoil vegetables stored in bins and basements. Many people mistakenly classify woodlice as an insect, when in fact it belongs to a subphylum of crustaceans.
