How to get rid of wood lice in an apartment: proven ways

Woodlice are very unpleasant-looking, but, in principle, harmless creatures. They practically do no harm, but the very fact that you have to share an apartment with such animals is disgusting. Therefore, everyone who encounters a problem wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. But how? How to expel wood lice from the apartment forever? We will talk about this today.

Introducing wood lice: who they are

With wood lice, one way or another, almost everyone met. These are small creatures elongated in a regular oval, covered with wide, flexible scales. Outwardly, their body resembles a shield, from which a neat antennae and pairs of paws stick out.

Mokrits are usually mistakenly considered insects, but in fact they are close relatives of crayfish and crabs. Their family is called "crustaceans." Detachment "isopods". So to call these "lovely" human neighbors insects is not at all correct.

Woodlice adore dark, warm, moist nooks and crannies. That is why in the apartment they can be found most often in the bath or in the kitchen. Crustaceans are rarely visited in rooms, and usually by mistake. They also feel great in gardens, under bushes of trees and in dark lowlands. During the day, wood lice do not appear, the time of their activity is evening and night. Creatures cannot do much harm. They feed mainly on plants and organic debris, including dead microorganisms. Dead plant parts, humus, compost are also of interest to these creatures. Also, they do not disdain to feast on living plants. In this case, neatly gnawed, small holes appear on the leaves of indoor flowers and garden crops. This is the trace of the feast of woodlice. But, as a rule, they do not lead to the death of the plant, unless there are a lot of animals divorced.

And yet, despite minor harm (even in agriculture, wood lice are not considered the main pests), the fact of their living nearby, especially in a person’s home, is not pleasant. The main problem of animals is their extremely unsightly appearance. In addition, they are quite large in size, move quickly and simply cause disgust. Although, in a sense, they are beneficial: they destroy dead organic matter. And yet, nobody will like this neighborhood. Therefore, let's get rid of wood lice in the apartment.

Reasons for the appearance of wood lice in the house

Woodlice usually live on the street. And for the house they are much rarer tenants than, for example, cockroaches. If you have such "neighbors", then you have created conditions suitable for them. What are they?

1. Your housing is very wet. Woodlice do not like dryness, this is clear even from their name. They live only in damp rooms, in which there are many dark corners. Usually, misfortune comes from bathrooms, pots and barrels with a wet substrate. It is there that not only hiding, but also these extremely unpleasant animals breed.
2. In your apartment there are a lot of plants requiring high humidity. As a rule, wood lice are found in the soil of tropical flowers, which require a constantly warm climate and wet soil on top. They are especially dangerous for palm trees with a thin root system. Settling in their pots, woodlice eat not only plant waste, but also the roots themselves along with foliage. Because of this, the plants begin to hurt, and sometimes even die.

Like any other pests, these crustaceans are not only dangerous in terms of damage.They are carriers of infectious diseases. This is another reason pests should be disposed of.

Detect wood lice in the house

Woodlice are quite secretive creatures that are not so easy to detect. Often you realize that sharing your apartment with such unexpected guests only when you personally see them. However, by that time there could already be quite a lot of animals in the house. Therefore, it is best to find them in advance. Especially if you began to notice holes on the lower leaves of hygrophilous domestic plants. Where do wood lice live?

• Wall cracks, especially below;
• Skirting boards, cracks in and under them;
• Dark nooks, especially in the bathroom and in the kitchen;
• Pallets of pots, top, moist soil.

All these places are the most popular among wood lice. They should be carefully examined, and if uninvited guests really wound up in the apartment, you will certainly see them. Now that the enemy’s code has been discovered, we can systematically proceed to its extermination.

Ways to deal with wood lice

You can deal with woodlice with the help of preparations prepared independently, as well as using special chemicals sold in hardware or gardening stores. However, remember that the use of the latter requires caution and full compliance with security measures. Especially if children and pets live in the apartment.

We prepare solutions ourselves
Now we will talk about recipes that have long been used by home owners to remove wood lice. They are less dangerous than chemicals, but the effect is slightly lower. As a rule, for the complete destruction of wood lice it is necessary to carry out procedures at least 2 times.

1. Kvass. Mix 2 parts of ordinary dry kvass and 1 part of freshly boiled boiling water. We spray the mixture into the places of the enemy’s accumulation.
2. Salt, pepper and tobacco. We mix the calcined salt, burning pepper powder and tobacco (each substance is 3 g.), Pour 1 liter of water. We spray where the woodlice live. After 8 hours, be sure to wash the surface with chlorine.
3. Chlorine We take 40 gr. ordinary bleach ("White" is suitable), mix with a liter of water. Gently spray on wood lice, while observing safety measures. No animals or children should be allowed into these places for several hours until the chlorine disappears.
4. Salt or boric acid. Everything is simple here: take and sprinkle the substance in the habitat of the pest.

People still advise using birch brooms. They should be placed at night in the corners of the apartment. It is believed that animals do not tolerate birch, and they certainly will not go where this tree is. In the afternoon, brooms can be removed.

Chemical methods of combating woodlice

In stores now in a wide range you can find special tools aimed at the destruction of not only wood lice, but also other domestic pests. The most famous: "Dichlorvos", "Tetrix", "Mole" and others. In addition to those listed, gel of the German manufacturer Schabengel helps a lot. At its core, it is a poison bait for crustaceans. Universal, used for almost all parasites.

Remember that the use of such drugs is quite dangerous, so you must carefully follow the instructions and take all measures to ensure that children and animals are safe to stay indoors. Be sure to ventilate the apartment and after the specified time wash the treated surfaces.

Treatment for affected plants

As mentioned above, the main harm to woodlice is caused by hygrophilous plants, enjoying their foliage. If you did not have time to prevent the feast, and its traces are visible on your favorite indoor flower, you need to cure the plant. It is done like this.

Dig a plant, clean it from the soil, and then gently rinse the roots in warm running water.Then again plant the affected flower in a new earthen lump and carefully watch that the wood lice do not wound again.

Prevention of the appearance of wood lice in the apartment

And yet, the best way to get rid of wood lice is to prevent them from appearing in the living room at all. In fact, prevention is quite simple and comes down to the following measures:

1. It is necessary to establish where moisture comes from in the house. Perhaps somewhere in the pipes there is a leak or the ventilation in the toilet is out of order. Deficiencies need to be fixed.
2. If the house has stale debris, it can also become a source of reproduction of wood lice.
3. If the room is not ventilated, unpleasant tenants can also be found in it.
4. All pot trays must be washed regularly and wiped dry.
5. The presence of unwashed dishes in the sink also provokes an invasion of wood lice.

The disaster, although unpleasant, but quite easily removable. The thing is that wood lice do not live in dry, clean and often ventilated areas. Therefore, observing all sanitary standards and timely detecting sources of humidity in the premises, you may never encounter this problem.

Video: how to deal with wood lice in an apartment