The world of insects is diverse. Some of them often become our companions. Imagine this: after a tiring day at work, you finally settle down in front of the TV to watch your favorite show. A minute or two passes—and suddenly your attention shifts from the bright screen to a dark speck slowly crawling up the wallpaper. A woodlouse?!
Content
Where do woodlice come from in the house and do they bite?
Woodlice do not pose any health threat.Its only drawback is its unpleasant appearance, caused by the presence of numerous moving legs.
These tiny insects, reaching about a centimeter in length, belong to the order Crustacea. They adapted to life on land long ago. Woodlice have seven pairs of legs, gills, and a shell that prevents rapid evaporation of water from their bodies. However, sooner or later, it evaporates, so the insects go in search of it. They prefer to do this at night, spending the rest of the day hiding in the soil, under rocks, in burrows, and crevices. Their favorite habitats are old trees, under whose bark they hide, as well as greenhouses and hotbeds, basements, bathrooms, and showers.
There are more than 200 species of woodlice in nature.
Woodlice feed mainly on organic remains. Living outdoors, they prefer decaying grass to healthy plants. Therefore, woodlice that inhabit compost heaps or fallen leaves are indispensable. They will digest the plant matter, which will speed up its decomposition and improve soil fertility. If these insects are in your home, they will be tempted by any food scraps, so it's important to keep it clean.
Woodlice are synonymous with dampness and high humidity. If you spotted the insect by accident and haven't seen similar insects since, there's nothing to worry about. If woodlice are constantly appearing here and there, and if a whole cluster of them is found somewhere in the corner of the bathroom, then it’s time to take action.First of all, this is necessary to eliminate sources of high humidity in the home.
Eliminate excess moisture before starting pest control
Before taking measures directly aimed at combating woodlice, you need to perform a number of actions:
- Reduce humidity in bathrooms, showers, and toilets. Check and, if necessary, adjust ventilation shafts, and use a fan for drying. Ventilate the rooms regularly, open doors and windows.
It is worth installing an extractor fan in the bathroom.
- Fix all leaks in the bathroom and kitchen. Adjust or replace faucets, mixer taps, water heater, and cistern.
- Inspect the walls for cracks and seal any gaps around water supply and sewer pipes to prevent woodlice from entering the room. You can use foam sealant for this purpose.
- Don't dry laundry in the bathroom. Use open, ventilated areas for drying.
Set up a place to dry clothes not in the bathroom, but on the balcony
- Remove items from shelves and drawers, wipe them and their contents (pay special attention to books), and leave them empty for a while to dry and air out.
- Make sure that the stands of indoor plants are always dry, do not overwater the flowers.
- To reduce humidity in the basement, place quicklime in containers, which will draw out excess water.
- Do not leave empty boxes, spoiled potatoes, cabbage, beets, etc. indoors.
It is best to store vegetables in a special thermos box on the balcony.
- Tidy up your garden. Remove old leaves, tree branches and twigs, pieces of plastic, and other debris.
- Try to dry out the soil and do not over-water in greenhouses and hotbeds.
Additionally, measures should be taken to maintain order and cleanliness. Don't leave food scraps in the kitchen, empty the trash regularly, and don't leave dirty dishes in the sink for long periods of time.
Folk remedies for getting rid of woodlice
There are the following folk remedies for combating woodlice:
- Traps. Since these insects are attracted to moisture, you can leave a damp birch broom, damp moss, or a wet rag in areas where they are likely to congregate. The trapped woodlice should then be simply shaken out into a container.
- Boric acid. Add 10 g of the substance to 0.5 liters of water to prepare a solution. This solution is applied to the surfaces of the premises.
Today, boric acid is used against insects much less frequently than in previous decades, although this remedy is quite effective and time-tested.
- A mixture of red pepper, baking soda, and tobacco. Take equal amounts of each (one teaspoon each), mix, and add to one liter of water. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it onto all areas where woodlice have been spotted.
- Salt. Spread the solution in corners and along baseboards: it will absorb moisture and force insects to leave the room.
Salt should be generously sprinkled on the dampest places where woodlice are found to be congregating, and the perimeter of the room should also be treated.
- Dry kvass. Dilute 100 g of the mixture in 0.5 liters of hot water and apply the resulting mixture to woodlouse infestations.
- Chlorine. Dilute about 40 grams of the product in a liter of water. Use this concentrated solution to clean the floors and walls, wearing rubber gloves.
Chemical insecticides
If folk remedies do not produce the desired results, use effective chemical preparations.
Tarax
Tarax is one of the most widely used remedies for controlling woodlice and other insects. It comes in powder sachets. It is safe for people and pets and has no odor.
Dissolve a packet of powder in 200 ml of water. The area to be treated can be sprayed with a spray bottle or wiped with a damp sponge or cloth. Woodlice, running their paws over the treated surface, will spread the "infection" to others in their nest.
Price: 80 rubles.
Tarax powder is non-addictive to insects and is completely harmless to pets.
Scabengel and other insecticidal gels
Scabengel is a gel bait. It comes in a syringe filled with a ready-to-use solution. The gel's unique feature is its attractive scent to woodlice, yet it is harmless to humans and animals.
Price: 40–45 rubles.
Any insecticidal gel can be used against woodlice.
Varan (spray with cypermethrin)
Varan is a modern dichlorvos used to kill various insects (including woodlice). This product is attractive because it is odorless and safe for humans and animals.
Price: 115 RUR
Varan is a new generation dichlorvos, a universal preparation for insect control.
Get
Get is a liquid microencapsulated concentrate. Before use, 50 ml of the product should be diluted with a liter of room-temperature water. Wear gloves when performing this procedure.
The product will disappear from the apartment within 6–8 hours. If you do not wash it off the walls, the product will continue to act on insects for another six months. Apply the product only to areas where insects typically roam (don't forget hidden areas behind cabinets, etc.). Once dry, the product leaves no stains or streaks on walls. It's safe for use around people and pets.
Price: 700 RUR
Get it is necessary to dilute according to the instructions and treat the room
Delicia
Delicia is a professional spray against mosquitoes, cockroaches, bedbugs, woodlice, and other insects. It doesn't need to be applied to the entire apartment, but only to the insects' habitats.
Price: 579 RUR
Delicia is a universal insect repellent spray for the home.
Tetrix
Tetrix is a very powerful and effective pest control product for a variety of household insects. It is a professional product often used by sanitary services. If you decide to use it yourself, carefully read the instructions and strictly follow the rules specified in them. The product is sold in the form of an emulsion in bottles and canisters.
Price for 250 ml - about 2000 rub.
Tetrix is a powerful chemical product designed for professional treatment of premises.
Reviews
We bought a universal dichlorvos solution called "Varan" (it's odorless). We went around spraying it, along the entire baseboard, and throughout the entire apartment. The next day, we were collecting piles of woodlice along the baseboards, and for two weeks, they kept crawling out, and we collected them. We tried it again, and almost no more woodlice emerged. And now, for six months, we haven't seen any. There are also long-lasting gels. We sprayed them behind the cabinets. If they appear, we'll do it again!
For crawling insects, you usually need to buy a gel in a plastic syringe for cockroaches. I think it would also work for woodlice. I got rid of the insects on my fifth floor this way. Before me, they'd been trying everything for years, but only the gel bait worked.
Try Varan dichlorvos. It helped me. Good luck in the fight!
A clean apartment, good ventilation, and moderate humidity are all factors that can create an unwelcome environment for woodlice. If these measures alone aren't enough, don't despair. There's a wide range of home remedies and chemicals that are sure to help you get rid of these pesky insects.
