How to deal with woodlice in a private home: what to do if insects appear

Causes

Despite the ability to live on land, woodlice prefers places with high humidity and settles where there is dampness. She can live:

in cellars and basements;
under boulders and fallen trees;
In bathroom;
in the toilet;
in cracks in masonry.

Note! Of the variety of woodlice recorded by scientists, only a few species survive without a source of constant dampness. The rest quickly die or look for another place to live.

How to get rid of wood lice in the bathroom and toilet?

When wood lice appear in the bathroom, it is better to remove them using chemical methods. They will quickly remove insects and prevent further spread.

In the bathroom, woodlice feed on soggy paper, microscopic fungi, and limescale. They settle under plumbing fixtures, baseboards, and leaking pipes. Sometimes crustaceans are found under plastic panels and rugs. To remove them permanently, you need to:

close/seal the ventilation holes;
eliminate leaks;
remove wet rugs and rags;
pour table salt in the corners and near the risers;
spray an aerosol or diluted concentrate on the walls.

The bathroom is a wet room, so it needs regular cleaning and ventilation. By maintaining cleanliness, the risk of wood lice appearing is reduced to zero.

Main habitats in the house and apartment

The appearance of woodlice in the house is always a big surprise, but if you wish, you can predict their appearance, because the number of their habitats is very limited. Woodlice live in residential areas:

In bathroom;
in the toilet;
in ventilation shafts;
near or inside sewer pipes;
under the window sills;
near trash cans;
under the baseboards.

By keeping these areas relatively clean and dry, woodlice infestations can be easily avoided.

Under the bath

The bathroom is one of the main sources of dampness. The air humidity in this room is several times higher than in other rooms, which attracts woodlice there like a magnet. In addition, wet towels and other things are usually stored in the bathroom. All these factors together create comfortable conditions for the life and reproduction of insects.

Behind the toilet in the toilet

The toilet is another place where wood lice are most comfortable to exist. The problem is complicated by the fact that there is a sewer pipe in the toilet, which creates additional humidity. The appearance of woodlice in the toilet is common.

Behind the sewer pipes

As mentioned above, sewer pipes are a favorite habitat for woodlice. It is always humid next to them, there is something to eat, and the owners practically do not look under them, allowing the insects to feel safe.

In the ventilation ducts

Ventilation ducts in apartments and houses are rarely cleaned and are not checked for the presence of woodlice. But darkness always reigns in them, which, combined with humid air from the kitchen and bathroom, creates “resort conditions” for insect pests.

Under the windowsill

The space under the window sill, at the junction with the wall, is another potential refuge for woodlice. There are always small gaps through which woodlice get out in the dark, crawling around the apartment in search of food.

Inside sewer pipes

A problematic place that is difficult to check for pests. There is always something to eat there, and the air is damp and musty. Woodlice can move through pipes from one apartment to another without being noticed.

Near the trash can

Garbage bins constantly attract many insects and animals, as a lot of organic matter accumulates in them. And if animals do not have access to household garbage cans, then it is difficult to stop woodlice. In addition, most housewives install a trash can under the sink, where the humidity is always higher than normal.

Under the baseboards

The space under the baseboard is the favorite place of all insects, and wood lice are no exception. Once a small gap appears in the joints, woodlice will happily sneak into such a secluded place. If there is an insect infestation in your apartment, do not be lazy to check the baseboards.

Ways to combat woodlice

When choosing the most optimal method for expelling and destroying woodlice, each housewife takes into account a number of points: the size of a particular apartment, the number of woodlice and the reasons for their appearance, habitat, etc. Also, each of them understands that it is unlikely that it will be possible to get rid of woodlice easily and quickly. Here you need to be patient and act comprehensively , gradually moving towards the complete extermination of pests:

Create conditions that are completely unsuitable for the existence of crustaceans.
Block all possible paths and loopholes that could lead woodlice into the house.
Get rid of all the creatures that have occupied the apartment in the most effective ways (you can use several - active and preventive or enhancing, as well as prolonging the effect of the first).
Be sure to try to destroy pests in the very heart of their colony, their breeding places (usually in the basement or attic).

How to fight

To combat woodlice at home, many methods have been developed, among which the most effective are:

general cleaning of the premises;
eliminating leaks in the house;
monitoring the condition of flower pots;
ventilation check;
getting rid of cracks in the building.

spring-cleaning

The best way to get rid of insects and restore order in the house is general cleaning. It makes it possible to eliminate pockets of dampness in the room and limit access to nutrients, which include various biological debris that accumulates in the room. During cleaning, it is a good idea to ventilate the apartment, which will help get rid of excess humidity.

Repair of all devices from which water leaks

A faucet in the kitchen that is constantly dripping, a leaking pipe, a faulty drain tank - all these are sources of additional dampness in the house. When they are eliminated, the air becomes much drier, and woodlice are no longer so comfortable living in the apartment.

Flower pots

The abundance of flowers in the apartment, especially if they are often watered, creates a comfortable living environment for our “tenants”. To avoid such a situation, you should be careful about caring for indoor pots and the soil with which they are filled.

Ventilation

Cleaning ventilation is a problematic task, because you won’t be able to get deep into it. However, periodic cleaning of the space in front of the entrance to the ventilation shaft will significantly reduce the risk of woodlice appearing in your house or apartment.

Cracks

The walls and foundation of a building deteriorate over time and cracks form. Uninvited guests enter the room through them. To prevent this, it is enough to monitor the condition of the living space, eliminating cracks if they appear. This will not take much time, but will help avoid a lot of troubles in the future.

Note! Taken together, all of the methods listed above help maintain a favorable environment in the house, which woodlice and other pests really don’t like.

Prevention of occurrence

For baiting purposes, it is recommended to use folk and chemical methods of fighting arthropods. However, it is more correct to take measures to prevent their occurrence at home.

Recommended:

Keep residential and other buildings clean.
Repair baseboards, walls and panels so that there are no unnecessary holes left.
Control the degree of moisture in private housing, buy a climate control device.
Do not store waste, but immediately remove it beyond the boundaries of the site.
Eliminate pipe leaks, check the laying, reliability of the sewer system and water supply.
Regularly clean the ventilation in your apartment, garage, cellar, and summer kitchen.
Fertilize plants using traditional methods so that chemicals do not harm the roots.

Choose an acceptable method of your choice and get rid of wood lice forever.

Tools Overview

If conventional methods do not help, special tools come to the rescue. They are designed for pest control and help owners kill parasitic insects. The means are:

chemical;
made independently, based on folk recipes.

Chemicals

Advantages of treating premises with chemical protective agents:

high efficiency;
performance;
ease of use.

Minuses:

contain harmful substances that negatively affect not only woodlice, but also the health of others;
price.

If you are a supporter of radical measures, pay attention to the following drugs.

Insecticidal aerosols

Chemicals that are sprayed into the air using a spray can. Advantages of use:

act quickly;
work well against small clusters of insects;
effective in small spaces.

Concentrated sprays

Concentrated sprays are more effective than aerosols and can clear even large rooms of woodlice. You determine the dosage yourself, which increases the effectiveness of the product. The disadvantage is considered to be increased toxicity and the need to comply with safety regulations. It is highly undesirable to work with concentrates without chemical protective equipment.

Insecticidal powders

Insecticidal powders show good results in the fight against insects, having the following advantages:

ease of use;
acceptable price;
efficiency.

The disadvantages include:

principle of using powder. The fact is that it can only be poured around the perimeter of the room or in the place of the greatest concentration of insects, but wood lice move not only along the floor. The ceiling and walls are no less attractive for them, which leaves freedom for maneuver.

Crayons

An improved option compared to powders, allowing poison to be applied not only to the floor, but also to the walls of the building. It is enough to circle with chalk the supposed place of entry of insects, and the poison will complete the rest of the work. The chalk is easy to use and is not as harmful to others as the spray. If you don’t put it in your mouth and wash your hands after disinfection measures, you are completely safe.

Sticky insect traps

Traps cope well with small colonies that have not had time to thoroughly establish themselves in your apartment. Large colonies are less susceptible to such disinfestation methods, which makes these means not so attractive compared to others. Traps are good as an auxiliary tool, combined with a more serious option.

Fumigator

The main targets of fumigators are flying insects that disturb the owners of the apartment. However, there are some drugs that help get rid of woodlice. When using them, carefully read the instructions for use and do not engage in amateur activities. Otherwise, your health and the health of others may suffer.

Traditional methods

If chemistry is not to your liking, folk remedies come to the rescue. They are less efficient, but more environmentally friendly. The costs of creating folk remedies are significantly lower, which helps save the budget. Among the effective recipes, tested by more than one generation of citizens, are:

use of boric acid;
creation of a drug based on kvass;
use of salt;
birch leaves;
water and chlorine;
mixtures of tobacco, pepper and salt;
temperature effects on insects.

Each method has its pros and cons, which should be discussed separately.

Liquid composition of kvass

To prepare the medicine you will need:

50 grams of powdered bread kvass;
200 milliliters of liquid.

Mix the ingredients and pour them into a spray bottle. We determine the place where wood lice accumulate and spray the resulting medicine there.

Boric acid

Ingredients for the solution:

water - one liter;
boric acid (powder) – 20 grams.

We mix them and treat the resulting liquid where insects appear. If necessary, repeat the procedure again. In most cases, a one-time use of a folk remedy is enough.

A mixture of soda, tobacco and pepper

Take one teaspoon each of tobacco, pepper and soda. Place a saucepan on the fire and heat one liter of water to a boil. As soon as the water boils, add the ingredients and remove from the heat. Let it sit for a couple of hours, after which we treat the areas where wood lice accumulate. We mark several scratches, after which we wash the treated areas with water and chlorine.

Salt

You don't always have pepper or tobacco on hand. In this case, ordinary salt, which is found in every apartment, will help you out. Just sprinkle it on areas with a lot of dampness. Salt, due to its properties, absorbs excess moisture, thereby depriving woodlice of a comfortable habitat. Treat all damp areas this way, and the woodlice will leave your house on their own.

Remember: the product is budgetary, this affects its effectiveness.

Birch brooms

Birch brooms work like sticky traps. Their scent attracts woodlice, and they try to climb onto leaves and branches. It is enough to leave a couple of brooms in places where insects appear overnight, and in the morning destroy them or take them away from the house.

Potato

Another bait that attracts woodlice from all corners of the apartment. Algorithm of actions:

peel the potato tuber;
cut it into equal halves;
Use a spoon to make indentations in the center;
put potatoes in places where wood lice appear;
At night they crawl into the recess, and you will have to throw them out into the street, away from the house.

Lime

Effective treatment:

garage;
basement;
storage rooms.

Pour quicklime into a bucket and leave it indoors for 12 hours. During this time, entry into the premises is prohibited. Keep household members and pets away.

Water and chlorine

Dilute 20 grams of bleach in 500 milliliters of water. We wipe the floor and walls of the room with the resulting solution.

Note! When processing the premises, wear personal protective equipment. Without them, working with chlorine is prohibited.

Temperature effect

When exposed to high temperatures, woodlice quickly die. It is enough to blow on them with a hairdryer at full power, and they will begin to die. The method is not the most convenient and effective, but in the absence of other alternatives, it can help cope with the invasion of the “enemy”.

Physical methods of struggle

Most often, these methods are quite enough to get rid of woodlice in the house. To create conditions in human housing that are unsuitable for these crustaceans to live in, you need to:

Improve the ventilation of the bathroom - clean the exits of the ventilation shafts into the apartment, and in case of poor draft, install an exhaust fan.
Repair leaking pipes, insulate the gap behind the bathtub so that water does not accumulate under it.
Go through the stored vegetables and throw away any spoiled ones, check the stocks of medicinal herbs, bath brooms and other dry plants.
Block off all possible ways of entering the apartment - install ventilation nets, seal cracks in the floor and ceiling, fill the risers at the points of entry into the ceilings with acrylic sealant.
Replant indoor plants in new soil, thoroughly washing the roots with it. Wash plastic pots with detergent, and boil clay pots for 30 minutes.

The above methods will help both get rid of wood lice in the bathroom and improve the sanitary condition of the house, and avoid the appearance of rot and mold in the apartment.

High humidity in an apartment can also occur due to climate conditions, building defects, or if the neighbors above have flooded. In the off-season, it is quite difficult to quickly dry a wet room, so woodlice can literally infest your home in a short time. In this case, electric heaters are used in combination with fans or special air dryers until the air humidity reaches 60%.

Rating of popular remedies

Among the popular means aimed at combating woodlice are:

Tarax;
Scabengel bait gel;
Dichlorvos Varan;
Get;
Tetrix.

Tarax

Helps remove unwanted insects that have invaded your home. Effectively destroys:

woodlice;
ants;
fleas;
cockroaches

Has good reviews from customers.

Scabengel bait gel

A German drug, one package of which is enough to treat a two-room apartment. Available in the form of a gel bait, it is placed in places where parasites accumulate. Keep the drug away from children and animals, as it is toxic.

New generation dichlorvos Varan

A universal remedy that allows you to effectively destroy small parasites in the house. Easy to use and cost a reasonable amount of money. Observe safety precautions when spraying.

Get

Destroys the following insects:

bedbugs;
woodlice;
flies;
ants;
fleas;
os.

It is sold in the form of a liquid concentrate and does not have a strong odor. The result appears within a week after application.

Tetrix

An expensive product that belongs to the professional category. Used by sanitary services during pest control operations. You can use it yourself at home, but before doing this you need to study the instructions for use in detail and strictly follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Are wood lice dangerous for humans?

Anyone who discovers beetles in a house for the first time has a question about how dangerous woodlice are to humans and what damage they can cause to a home.

There is an opinion that wood lice are absolutely safe and harmless. On the one hand, this is true, because bedbugs do not bite either humans or pets. On the other hand, it is incorrect. Woodlice, like other pests, greatly affects the sanitary condition of the apartment.

These beetles love damp places, and before entering the apartment they managed to visit damp basements, where they collected dirt and touched rat or pigeon excrement. And after that, they crawled over the places you touch while washing or cooking. Agree, it’s not pleasant. A pet can also eat bedbugs - if it is a cat or a small breed of dog that is accustomed to good food, such a meal can result in a trip to the veterinarian.

Damage more noticeable to the naked eye is damage to indoor plants and vegetable supplies stored in the kitchen or cellar. If there are seedlings, they should be urgently removed from the room; woodlice especially love young shoots and will quickly eat them.