Woodlice in the apartment: where do they come from and how to get rid of it

Woodlouse – video, description

By the way, almost everyone who has studied biology for a long time is sure that woodlice is an insect. Meanwhile, woodlice is a representative of the class of crustaceans, an order of isopods. That is, she is the closest relative of crayfish and crabs. Woodlice should not be confused with silverfish insects.

The body of the woodlice is convex, consisting of small segments, the eyes are located on the side, and the outer antennae are almost equal to the length of the body. Some species have designs on their backs similar to oriental hieroglyphs. The shell is divided into segments, each of which has legs. When in danger, they pretend to be dead, curling up into a ball.

She bears offspring in the folds of her abdomen; after the eggs turn into living individuals, they come out. The lifespan of woodlice is from 9 to 12 months.

There are 4,500 species of these isopod crustaceans, which have adapted to survive in different conditions. Woodlice are found in all climatic zones of the planet.

They live on land, but in damp places. During the day they hide in shelters, and in the evening and at night they go in search of food.

Woodlice feed in the house on plant debris - plant roots, flower stalks, new shoots. In nature, these are tree bark, algae and moss. After a feast of woodlice, holes can be found on the leaves of plants, but only on the outside; they do not move on the inside.

What sizes are there?

Depending on their size, woodlice are divided into small, large and giant.

Little ones

The sizes of such wood lice range from 1 mm to 1 cm. Their color depends on their habitat. It can be blue, pink, yellow, etc. The habitat of small woodlice is living quarters and damp places. They feed on plant waste, mold and moss. They absorb moisture through milked tubes on the last pair of limbs. The secretions leave the body in the form of ammonia vapor due to the pores on the shell.

Large

Outwardly they are no different from small ones. The only difference is their size, which can be up to 4 centimeters. One of these woodlice is the tongue woodlice.

Gigantic

Again, they are no different in appearance, except for their huge size. There are 9 species of giant woodlice in total. One of the largest of them is the sea cockroach, the size of which is 10 cm. The habitat of this woodlice is water. It belongs to the deep-sea inhabitants. Deep-sea woodlice generally have a body length of 15 to 40 cm. The largest giant woodlice caught was the giant isopod Bathynomus giganteus, which was 76 cm long and weighed 1.7 kg.

Why are wood lice dangerous in an apartment?

The destruction of woodlice in an apartment is an important undertaking. They do not bite animals or people, but if they are not removed, the consequences can be extremely dire.

It has been proven that wood lice in the house are carriers of various diseases; they spread lichen and fungus throughout the premises, thereby causing enormous damage to human health.

Many people feel disgust at just one glance at a repulsive and unpleasant insect, and constant contact with them, for example, if woodlice appear in the bathroom every time you turn on the light, can cause stress and a nervous breakdown.

Stages of creature development

After some time, larvae emerge from woodlice eggs, but even after the larvae are born, they still live for some time in the so-called “brood chamber.” There they grow and develop for about forty or fifty days. The main difference between larvae and adult representatives of this class is that they have only twelve legs, while adults have fourteen. Before the adult stage, the larvae molt up to ten times. All these molting processes for woodlice larvae take approximately three months.

Where do woodlice come from?

Many people have encountered woodlice. Someone meets them while clearing out stale garbage from the site, and someone can see the crayfish when they go down to the cellar. They live under fallen leaves, in humus. They need moisture, woodlice in the apartment settle in places where dampness accumulates - the bathroom, toilet, kitchen, basement and attic. Excess moisture can accumulate in potted plants, which means the answer to the question of where woodlice appear in an apartment is obvious. In private houses they can be found after rain under a stone or brick.

If woodlice have settled in an apartment, how to get rid of them and where to look for habitats is a top priority. First of all, you need to inspect places where water accumulates, basements, baseboards in the kitchen, under the rug in the bathroom, under pipes, in closets with stale linen, on damp books, under the sink. Is there any leaking plumbing, or is there any garbage lying for a long time in a secluded place? They are often attracted to moist soil in flower pots.

Before you destroy wood lice in your apartment, you need to find out where they came from in order to block the paths of further spread.

In apartment buildings, insects often enter the premises through ventilation grilles, through sewer pipes; if they do not like the conditions (the room is dry), wood lice do not even linger in the bathroom or toilet, but go to look for the most favorable housing.

On the top floors, woodlice appear in the apartment, descending from the attic. Therefore, it is a good idea to check the attic space as well.

In a private home, close attention should be paid to greenhouses and greenhouses, where they end up with humus. In the cellar, the cause of their appearance may be rotten vegetables. In the garden - these are broken bricks, cuttings of branches, stones, rotting leaves. And in each case, the recipe for how to deal with woodlice is individual.

Interesting Facts

1. In dry and hot environments, woodlice will increase movement. If you place it in the opposite environment, the effect will be the opposite.
2. During the night, woodlice can rise to the height of the seventh floor.
3. Ambient temperature affects the body color of these animals.
4. In woodlice, the back part of the body molts earlier than the front part. Because of this, it feels like it consists of two parts.
5. In California, in some areas, there are ten thousand individuals per square meter.
6. If a male woodlice is infected with bacteria, it changes sex.
7. Woodlice have blue blood.
8. Several species have a non-uniform color and have unusual patterns that are similar to hieroglyphs.

How to get rid of woodlice: prevention measures

Have wood lice appeared in your apartment? It's all due to excess humidity. The fight against woodlice in an apartment begins with removing moisture, because crustaceans breathe with gills and need moist air. In addition, it is necessary to limit their access to food. Each room needs to be regularly ventilated, and more attention should be paid to ventilation in the bathroom, bathroom and kitchen. The process can be speeded up by using fans and heaters. Before removing woodlice from the apartment, you need to tidy up the plumbing, water supply and sewer pipes. Do not leave dishes or trash in the bin overnight in the sink.

Indoor flowers affected by woodlice need to be replanted. Wash the roots of the plant and treat with a solution of potassium permanganate. It is not recommended to reuse old pots, even after treatment.

Those who live outside the city often wonder if there are wood lice in the house - how to get rid of them in the cellar and basement? In this case, good ventilation is also effective. Humidity will be reduced by quicklime placed in special containers or simply scattered on the floor. In the room, it is good to sprinkle salt in the corners or make a saturated saline solution and spray it. Empty containers and rotten fruits and vegetables should not be left in the cellar, as this will attract even more woodlice.

How to get rid of woodlice in the garden? You also need to put things in order on your personal plot: get rid of fallen leaves, fragments of bricks and stones, cuttings of trees and branches, pieces of polyethylene and other debris.

In greenhouses and greenhouses, it is advisable to dry the soil and carry out moderate watering.

Preventive measures

Prevention is based on following three simple rules.

1. Purity. We take out the trash on time. We make sure that dirty dishes are not left on kitchen surfaces. Floors and walls are periodically washed well, especially in hard-to-reach places. We monitor the cleanliness of flower trays and flowerpots.
2. Humidity. We don’t accumulate mountains of wet clothes, linen, towels. We regularly ventilate the premises. We use air drying devices. We ventilate things on the balcony. We check the functionality of the climate control equipment. We clean ventilation pipes and grilles. We fix plumbing breakdowns in a timely manner.
3. Moves. If there are cracks and crevices in the floor or walls, we use polyurethane foam and sealant. If the wallpaper falls off, quickly glue it back up.

Woodlice are a kind of indicator that shows the condition of the apartment. Their presence indicates a low level of cleanliness and hygiene in the premises.

Folk remedies for woodlice in the apartment and in the garden

Any folk remedy for wood lice in the apartment is absolutely harmless to humans and pets. There are several recipes:

1. A time-tested and practice-tested remedy - boric acid. It has a destructive effect on the chitinous cover of crustaceans, thereby killing them. The solution should be sprayed in places where insects accumulate.

2. In one liter of water you need to dissolve three grams of soda ash, tobacco powder and red pepper. The mixture is sprayed where pests have accumulated.

3. Spraying agent - a simple solution of half a liter of boiling water and one hundred grams of dry kvass. In the bath, toilet or kitchen, the solution is sprayed along the baseboards, into various cracks, and in the corners of the floor. In the bathroom it is better to treat the ceilings as well. The room is closed for 8-10 hours, after which it is washed with plain water.

4. The destruction of woodlice in an apartment or in an open area is carried out using traps. To do this, you need to take a damp birch broom, wet moss or a rag, and place the objects near the parasites’ habitat. At dawn they will definitely crawl there, after which the bait must be shaken over the container. Chickens love to eat insects, and you can pour boiling water over them or burn them at the stake.

5.The following trap is effective for killing woodlice in flower pots and cellars. You need to cut out the middle of a carrot or potato, they will certainly get in there, and in the morning they are destroyed along with the bait.

Features of the internal and external structure

On the head of the woodlice there are 2 antennas and eyes, which are located at the edges of the head. The exoskeleton is formed from the segments. He saves this creature from the adverse effects of the environment. No waxy cuticle. The respiratory organs are located under the paired plates.

They are internal plates - a respiratory organ or a type of gill, which is completely permeated with blood vessels. It is located under the abdominal legs, the plates hold moisture around the gills. The woodlice has seven pairs of legs, unlike its “relatives.”

Chemical repellents for woodlice in the apartment

If safe folk remedies do not help, you will have to use chemicals.

Leading scientists in our country have developed means that massively destroy insects, including wood lice. There are means and baits “Mole” and “Gett”. The composition should be applied to the floor of the bathroom or toilet, then left to dry for 48 hours. After 5 days, the treatment must be repeated, this guarantees the complete disappearance of unpleasant neighbors.

Tarax powder is highly effective. The product destroys almost all types of insects. One package is enough to treat sixty square meters of surface. The powder is dissolved in 250 ml of water; the solution must be treated with pipes, baseboards, ventilation shafts, and other places where woodlice accumulate. The product is applied using a syringe or brush. The composition operates on the principle of forming a microfilm on the surface, which represents the active substance. When interacting with this substance, woodlice will die. The drug is effective due to the fact that insects also poison their relatives.

Universal products with maximum effect - “Schabengel” bait – gel, “Varan” spray, “Tetrix”.

Treating the soil in autumn and spring with insecticides “Grom”, “Aktara”, and “Ideal” will help get rid of woodlice in the garden. The soil should be constantly loosened, providing oxygen access to the roots of the plants. To avoid spoiling the harvest, it is better to spray the bushes with a soap solution prepared in a ratio of 100 grams of laundry soap (finely grated) per ten liters of water.

When using pesticides, you must follow the rules for their use. Protective equipment is required - rubber gloves and a respirator. After treatment, hands and face should be washed with soap.

No. 26. Help from professionals

When all means have been tried, but there is no desired result, there is always a backup option - the help of specialized specialists. Today, many companies and SES provide services for the destruction of indoor pests. What are the advantages of such cooperation?

• The correct medications will be selected (effective against wood lice and safe for people).
• The professionals will accurately calculate the required amount and concentration of funds.
• When working, special equipment is used that allows you to process the most inaccessible places.
• A guarantee is provided against the return of arthropods within a certain period of time.