Woodlouse insect: description, means to get rid of woodlice in the apartment

Mokritsa is not the most pleasant resident of your apartment. Insects settle in places with high humidity and stagnation of air. You can get rid of uninvited guests with chemicals and folk remedies.

Woodlice: a description of what an insect looks like

Woodlice is an insect of the Isosopods order.

• An oval elongated body protrudes on the back. The leathery shell is divided into ring-shaped formations, painted in brown, gray or yellowish.
• The insect has 2 pairs of antennae, one of which is underdeveloped. The eyes of a wood lice are located on the side of the head. There are no tentacles on the developed upper jaw.
• Respiratory organs are located at the hind legs of the insect; they help the wood lice to tolerate drought.
• The chest legs of the insect are adapted for movement.

If a wood louse is scared by noise or the movement of a shadow, then it bends the joints and freezes, pretending to be dead.

In case of danger, the insect tries to hide in the crevices of the floor, walls or furniture.

Longevity life expectancy is 9 to 12 months. Females throw fertilized eggs into special bags in which the larvae develop within 35 to 40 days. Young individuals often molt, dropping the skin and villi.

The danger of woodlice to humans

Woodlouse is unpleasant in appearance. Insects gather in colonies of several tens and hundreds of individuals, crawl along the ceiling, floor, walls.They do not bite, but their appearance causes disgust, which in impressionable people turns into a nervous breakdown, depression or prolonged stress.

Larvae on the legs can carry pathogens of dangerous diseases, spores of fungi, bacteria and viral microorganisms.

The insect absorbs rotten plants that may be infected by mold.

Woodlice do not spoil food, do not infect drinking water, do not settle in things. Having settled in the bathroom, they can lead to leaks in the water supply and sewage systems. The real threat of parasites is indoor plants, eating foliage, stems, buds. Penetrating into the ground, insects change the structure of the soil, undermine the roots, and worsen the air exchange of the earth.

Where do the parasites come from in the apartment

Woodlice breed in warm and damp rooms: cellars, cellars, bathrooms and showers, kitchens, attics. The optimum temperature for the existence of insects is 21 - 24 ° C. Humid, stale air, lack of ventilation and drafts are ideal conditions for an insect colony.

Food for parasites can be a thin layer of dust on the tiles, organic mucus, leaves of plants, the remains of the grass. Without food, insects can spend several weeks. Under unfavorable conditions, wood lice can migrate to more suitable habitats. Through the ventilation system, from engineering networks, parasites penetrate the room, settling in damp, dark places.

Insects can be brought in from cellars and cellars, woodcutters, where they hide in nets with vegetables, boxes with banks, rotten logs.

Woodlice can live in raw shoes that are unusable.

We create unfavorable conditions for wood lice in the apartment

Woodlice can not tolerate dry rooms, airing and drafts. Sunlight and artificial lighting also adversely affect the life of insects.

So that woodlice do not settle in your apartment, follow the simple rules:

• Do not allow moisture to accumulate on tiles, window frames, and false ceilings. Dry or remove condensed water with a dry cloth.
• Ventilate the premises daily, leave the doors to the bathroom and toilet rooms, cellars, basements open.
• Clean the ventilation holes in a timely manner from dust and dirt.
• Seal all cracks so that the insect cannot penetrate the house.

In sunny weather, open attic windows and doors. Insects do not like light, preferring the dark and moist corners of the house.

Woodlouse in the bathroom, in the apartment - how to get rid?

If you find pests in the room, then immediately do a spring cleaning. Wipe off dust in hard-to-reach places, remove wet items, ventilate the apartment. Inspect indoor plants, transplanted flowers into new soil.

Folk remedies

Many housewives are wondering how to get rid of wood lice in an apartment using natural, natural means.

The radical method is quicklime attack.

1. Pour 5 liters of lime into a bucket, pour 7 to 8 liters of boiling water.
2. Stir the resulting mixture.
3. Put the bucket in the bathroom, close the door tightly and do not go in for 2 to 3 days. All crustaceans will die.

Folk remedies against wood lice:

• Mix 100 g of ground red pepper, 80 g of crushed tobacco leaves, 50 g of soda. Dissolve the composition in 1 liter of cold water. Spray the corners of the bathroom, wipe the tiles, plumbing. 8 hours after treatment, wash the room with bleach and ventilate.
• Dissolve a tablespoon of boric acid in 0.5 l of cold water. Use a spray bottle to spray your favorite woodworm places.
• Pour sea salt into the seams and crevices for 2 to 3 days. Then wipe these places with a solution of 9% vinegar.
• Dilute 80 g of dry kvass powder with 0.5 l of hot water. Spray on the tile, into the ventilation holes and crevices in the floor and walls.

Folk remedies are harmless to humans. They are non-toxic, do not spoil the tiles, economical to use.

The most effective chemicals

The question of how to deal with wood lice in an apartment using chemicals, also worries many homeowners. Insect colonies settle in inaccessible places, and sometimes they can be expelled from there only with the help of potent toxic agents.

Chemical preparations for the elimination of woodlice:

• Shabengel Series gels kill adults and crustacean larvae. The drugs effectively fight cockroaches, midges, bedbugs and mealybugs. To rid the room of woodlice, gel all the cracks in the walls and floor.
• "Tarax" is a chemical drug that kills indoor parasites and pests. Dilute the product in water, clearly following the instructions for use. Spray all surfaces indoors.
• “Varan” is an insecticidal drug that acts on the nervous system of insects, paralyzing it. The product begins to act 5 to 8 hours after treatment.

If wood lice are infected with earth in pots of indoor plants, then purchase the preparations “Thunder” or “Aktara”.

When processing, observe safety precautions. Avoid contact with exposed skin and mucous tissue.

A way to permanently remove wood lice: professional pest control

The numerous insect colonies inhabiting inaccessible places can be eliminated with the help of professional pest control. It is sometimes impossible to cope with wood lice living behind wall-paper, under a tile, under a parquet independently.

Experts use modern insecticidal agents for wood lice, which kill adults and larvae at all stages of development. High-tech equipment allows processing in all hard-to-reach places, leaving the insects no chance to survive.

Destruction of wood lice is carried out by steam, gas, fog, temperature exposure, spraying of chemical toxic preparations. During the processing period, it is necessary to leave the premises for a period of 3 hours to 2 days. Disinfection is detrimental to animals and plants, so they also need to be removed from the premises before the procedure.

Prevention of insects in the apartment

Identify problem areas in the room where insects can settle.

It can be:

• vents;
• sewage system;
• spillway system;
• basements;
• loggias;
• the cellar.

Carefully clean these areas using soda, bleach, or potassium permanganate. Avoid dust and dirt.

• Dry the walls and floor in the bathroom with a heater or heat gun.
• Do not allow the formation of mold and fungus on tiles, flooring, plumbing equipment.
• Make sure that fresh air enters the room.
• Every day, in any weather, open the window for 5 - 10 minutes.
• Make the room bright. Use bright fluorescent lights. Turn on bactericidal devices 2 to 4 times a week.

Woodlice live in damp, humid and dusty rooms with stale air. You can get rid of insects with chemicals and folk remedies. So that wood lice do not wound up in your apartment, follow the recommendations for prevention.