How to get rid of wood lice. White insect in the bathroom

Unpleasant-looking, causing a feeling of disgust, woodlice, oddly enough, belong to the family of crustaceans, the order of isopods. Despite this, their appearance in the house causes not very pleasant feelings, respectively, the question: how to get rid of them, how to fight ?! We'll talk about all the existing ways to get rid of these insects later, but now we'll figure it out: what are they, why do woodlice appear in the apartment?

Nature has decreed that the main habitat of these "wonderful" insects is land, but those areas where sufficient moisture accumulates and no light comes in (places under stones, fallen trees, in basements, crevices, in the bathroom, etc.). In the daytime, woodlice are not shown, and in search of food they creep out when it is dark. The main components of their food are plants (including harmful ones), decaying and living microorganisms. If you notice small holes on the vernal part of the leaves of your indoor flowers, it is possible that the problem of the appearance of wood lice has overtaken you - you need to think about how to get rid of them!

This insect has an oval body shape, it is convex from above and is divided into segments, the connection of which occurs with the help of armor-like plates. Each segment comes with a pair of legs. On average, they reach a size of 20 mm. They have two pairs of antennae, one is underdeveloped, the other is very developed. A pair of eyes and 7 pairs of legs. When a threat arises, they collapse, simulating death.

What is the danger of woodlice?

The appearance of wood lice in an apartment, first of all, should excite fans of indoor flowers, because if you do not take measures in time and do not remove them, then you can soon organize a farewell to the plants. Where do they come from? As a rule, they multiply in the bathroom, in pots, barrels, where there is nutritious soil with fallen leaves, dust and moss. First of all, these insects harm moisture-loving tropical plants that have a thin and delicate root system (orchid, fern, cactus), affecting it - if you are the owner of such plants, you should fight more actively.

Also, soil compaction is detrimental to flowers, which is a consequence of the presence of wood lice. Oxygen starvation occurs in the soil and the flower suffocates.

In addition, there is always a risk of various infections in the apartment through their transfer by wood lice. So you need to get rid of them!

Ways to deal with woodlice

How to get rid of wood lice? This question is often asked by people living in an apartment. And in order to start fighting, you need to identify them. Pay special attention to wall cracks, areas under baseboards, flowerpot trays, dark spots in the bathroom.

If you find them, we act:

1. First, take measures for maximum drying and ventilation of the room where woodlice have appeared (this can be done with a fan, air conditioner).
2. In order to remove wood lice, you can use:

a solution of dry kvass and boiling water (in a 2: 1 ratio). It needs to be sprayed into places where wood lice accumulate and in the bathroom;
solution: 1 liter of water + red pepper, tobacco and soda ash 3 g each. everyone. Spray it in corners throughout the apartment. After 8 hours, treat the bathroom with chlorine water;
solution: 1 liter of water + 40 gr. chlorine. Treat them with woodlice habitats, observing safety rules, protecting animals (if any);
scatter trusted salt in the bathroom in the corners;
spray boric acid solution in places where woodlice accumulate;
use specialized products of the chemical industry;
in the apartment, place birch brooms in the corners (at night); woodlice will definitely get there, and in the morning you can get rid of them;

3. If you notice that the plant has suffered, transplant it into a new soil, thoroughly rinsing the root system under running warm water so that wood lice no longer divorce.

Remember! When fighting insects, try to eliminate the cause of their appearance: sources of moisture (possibly outdated plumbing, if wood lice appeared in the bathroom), stale garbage in a bucket, and others.

Means for combating wood lice of chemical origin

In rare cases, improvised, folk methods of getting rid of wood lice do not work, then it becomes necessary to turn to chemical preparations.

These include:

The gel-bait of the German manufacturer "Schabengel", it is universal;
"Tarax" universal agent for combating household insect pests;
"Varan" - universal dichlorvos, also effective for the destruction of moths;
Gett;
"Tetrix";
"Mole".

Perhaps the store will offer you some more novelties, but we mentioned the most common and proven tools that have appeared a long time ago.

For soil:

"Thunder-2",
Aktara;
"Thunder";
"Ideal".

Remember!

When using any product, follow the instructions in the dosage instructions, otherwise you can harm the environment and plants.

While fighting woodlice, be especially careful if there are children and animals in the apartment!

If the number of individuals in the apartment is large, then when they are destroyed, you will have to face a not very pleasant view - their movement around the rooms.

So, we figured out the main question: how to get rid of wood lice? Let's now talk about methods of preventing their occurrence.

Where and why woodlice appear, we have already found out, therefore you know the approximate preventive measures, but we will clarify:

In order to prevent woodlice from appearing in the apartment, first of all, you need to observe basic hygiene standards;
Do not allow excessive accumulation of moisture in the premises, eliminate the cause of its appearance;
To relieve yourself of worries about moisture and its indicators, you can resort to dehumidifiers (but be careful not to allow the air to dry out, especially if there are children in the apartment);
If there are indoor plants, make sure that moisture and soil particles do not accumulate in the pallets - wipe them more often;
Don't leave dirty kitchen items on tables and sinks;
The trash bin must be taken out as it is full;
Monitor the health of the plumbing, you need to get rid of the cause of moisture leakage;
If possible, dry the linen on the balcony / street;
Do not allow cracks in the walls;
It is important that the floors are always kept clean, especially in areas that are difficult to reach.

If all of the above measures of prevention and control of wood lice did not work, and you do not know how to get rid of wood lice, you can always contact the special service for the fight against insects and pests or SES - they will find a remedy that will help get rid of them!

Happy life without wood lice!

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, the order of isopods. That is, she is the closest relative of crayfish and crabs. Woodlice should not be confused with insects.

The body of the wood lice is convex, consisting of small segments, the eyes are located on the side, the outer antennae are almost equal to the length of the body. Some species have patterns on their backs similar to oriental hieroglyphs. The carapace is divided into segments, each of which has legs. In case of danger, they pretend to be dead, curling up into a ball.

In the folds of her abdomen, she bears offspring, after the eggs turn into living individuals, they crawl out. The lifespan of woodlice is from 9 to 12 months.

There are 4,500 species of these isopods that have adapted to survive in a variety of conditions. Wood lice are found in all climatic zones of the planet.

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

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

Why are wood lice in an apartment dangerous?

The destruction of wood lice in an apartment is an important event. They do not bite animals and people, but if they are not taken out, the consequences can be extremely dire.

It has been proven that woodlice in the house are carriers of various diseases, they spread lichen and fungus throughout the premises, thereby causing tremendous 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 wood lice appear in the bathroom every time you turn on the light, can cause stress and a nervous breakdown.

Where do woodlice come from

Many have encountered wood lice. Someone meets with them, raking out stale debris from the site, and someone can see crayfish going down into the cellar. They live under fallen leaves, in humus. They need moisture, woodlice in an apartment settle in places where dampness accumulates - a bathroom, a toilet, a kitchen, a basement and an attic. Excess moisture can accumulate in potted plants, which means that the answer to the question of where wood lice appear in an apartment is obvious. In private homes, 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 the places where water accumulates, basements, baseboards in the kitchen, under the rug in the bathroom, under pipes, in cabinets with stale linen, on damp books, under the sink. Is the plumbing leaking, is there debris lying in a secluded place for a long time. They are often attracted to the damp earth in flower pots.

Before you destroy woodlice in an apartment, you need to find out where they came from in order to block the path of further spread.

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

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

In a private house, close attention should be paid to greenhouses and hotbeds, they get there with humus. In the cellar, rotten vegetables can cause them to appear. In the garden, there are broken bricks, cuttings of branches, stones, decaying foliage. And in each case, the recipe for how to deal with woodlice is individual.

How to get rid of wood lice: preventive measures

Woodlice appeared in the apartment? Excess moisture is to blame. The fight against wood lice in an apartment begins with the removal of moisture, because crustaceans breathe with gills and they need moist air. In addition, it is necessary to restrict 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 accelerated by using fans and heaters. Before removing wood lice from the apartment, you need to put in order the plumbing, water supply and sewer pipes. Do not leave dishes and rubbish in the bucket in the sink overnight.

Indoor flowers affected by wood lice need to be transplanted. Rinse the roots of the plant and treat with a solution of potassium permanganate. Old pots, even after processing, are not recommended to be reused.

Those who live outside the city often ask themselves the question of wood lice in the house - how to get rid of them in the cellar and basement? Good ventilation is also effective in this case. The moisture will be reduced by quicklime placed in special containers or simply sprinkled on the floor. When indoors, it is good to sprinkle salt in the corners or make a saturated saline solution and spray it. Empty containers, rotten fruits and vegetables should not be left in the cellar, this will attract even more wood lice.

How to get rid of wood lice 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, scraps of trees and branches, pieces of plastic and other debris.

In hotbeds and greenhouses, it is advisable to dry the soil and conduct moderate watering.

Folk remedies for wood lice in the apartment and in the garden

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

1. A time-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. Means for spraying - a simple solution of half a liter of boiling water and one hundred grams of dry kvass. In the bathroom, bathroom or kitchen, the solution is sprayed on the baseboards, in various cracks, in the corners of the floor. In the bathroom, it is better to process the ceilings. The room is closed for 8-10 hours, after which it is washed with plain water.

5. The following trap is effective for killing wood lice in flower pots and cellars. It is necessary to cut out the middle from carrots or potatoes, they will certainly climb there, and in the morning they are destroyed along with the bait.

Chemical remedies for wood lice in the apartment

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

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

Powder "Tarax" is highly effective. The tool destroys almost all types of insects. One package is enough for processing sixty square meters of surface. The powder is dissolved in 250 ml of water, pipes, baseboards, ventilation shafts, and other places where wood lice accumulate must be treated with the solution. The product is applied with a syringe or brush.
The composition acts on the principle of the formation of a microfilm on the surface, which is 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 means with maximum effect - "Schabengel" bait - gel, spray "Varan", "Tetrix".

Tilling the soil in autumn and spring with insecticides "Thunder", "Aktara", "Ideal" will help to get rid of wood lice in the garden. The soil should be constantly loosened, providing oxygen access to the plant roots. In order not to spoil the crop, it is better to spray the bushes with a soapy solution prepared in the ratio of 100 grams of laundry soap (finely grated) to 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.

Why are woodlice in the apartment not displayed?

Entomologists have discovered that woodlice are highly resistant to insecticides. In addition, a humid environment is ideal for them, which means that emulsions, liquid concentrates, wet treatments will not be effective. They eat organic waste, that is, they can eat bait gels. The food method of destruction in this case is the most relevant. The gel is applied using a tube or syringe dispenser. But with a large number of pests, this method should be combined with insecticide treatment of their main routes of movement.

In general, resistance, that is, the resistance of organisms to biological and chemical agents, is inherent in many insects. Females of wood lice are resistant to drugs, as they are larger than males. Many insects become insensitive as a result of too frequent treatments. Thus, the number of individuals decreases, but quickly recovers. Females survived, and therefore their offspring are already resistant to one or another type of insecticide.

The appearance of wood lice will prevent cleanliness in the apartment, good ventilation and moderate humidity. But, depending on the circumstances, even compliance with all the recommendations and rules, as well as the use of high-quality products, will not help get rid of pests. Then the help of professionals will come in handy, because simultaneously with the destruction of woodlice, it is necessary to carry out the elimination of their larvae.

And yet, you should not purchase disinfectants and insecticides in the markets, there are specialized stores for this. Many of these hand-bought drugs are unsafe and not certified.

What is an effective integrated approach that allows you to get rid of wood lice in an apartment once and for all;
How can you make your apartment unsuitable for woodlice living;
What should be paid attention to first of all, in order to reliably block the paths of wood lice penetration into the apartment from the outside;
What modern insecticidal agents make it possible to most effectively get rid of wood lice in a residential area, and do it safely for human and domestic animal health;
What are the important nuances to consider when using insecticidal preparations;
What is useful to know about folk remedies for wood lice in the house;
How can you completely destroy woodlice in the focus of their breeding - in the attic of the house or in the basement ...

Surprisingly, some people seriously expect to get rid of wood lice in their apartment forever by simply sprinkling salt in the corners of the room or setting a couple of sticky traps, usually used to catch cockroaches. And someone even just tries to collect wood lice from the walls by hand, or with a vacuum cleaner - in the hope that one day their endless stream will finally dry up. Needless to say, at best, all these half-measures will help to destroy only a very small number of pests, while this will not affect the number of the main population of woodlice (especially if they penetrate the room from the attic or from the basement of the house).

So, in order to reliably get rid of wood lice in an apartment, you need to approach the solution of the problem in a comprehensive manner:

Create living conditions unfavorable for wood lice in the apartment;
Block the ways of wood lice penetration into the room from the outside;
Destroy existing pests in the apartment (in the bathroom, toilet, kitchen, rooms);
And, finally, destroy woodlice in the focus of their breeding (usually in the attic, or in the basement of the house).

With the correct implementation of these points, it will be possible to forget about the invasion of woodlice practically forever, or, at least, for a very long time.

And the point is not even that woodlice can damage indoor plants, as well as harm the stocks of potatoes, onions and carrots. The main problem is that, as in the case of cockroaches, when wood lice appear in an apartment, the sanitary condition of the entire room suffers: imagine that not long ago pests crawled somewhere in the basement next to rat excrement (or in the attic next to heaps of pigeon droppings), and now the same woodlice have made their way into the apartment and are attacking the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. Moreover, even within the same apartment, woodlice can migrate, for example, from the toilet to the kitchen - and you must admit that such a migration does not promise anything pleasant either.

That is why you should not even try to coexist amicably with wood lice (they say, these "cute creatures" are absolutely safe) - you should get rid of these pests as soon as possible after their detection.

But before you start an all-out war with woodlice, evaluate again - are they really woodlice? Practice shows that many people for some reason call woodlice, for example, silverfish.

Below is a photo of the so-called "home" wood lice (which is most often found in human housing):

And the next photo shows a sugar silverfish:

As you can see, silverfish are very different from woodlice, and it is not entirely clear why they are so often confused.

What woodlice are afraid of: we make the apartment unsuitable for their life

Before considering the methods and means of destroying wood lice, it should perhaps be noted the most important factor that can make your apartment not only a cozy refuge for them, but also literally an incubator of new hordes of pests.

We are talking about high humidity in the apartment or in some of its rooms (usually toilet, bathroom and kitchen). And speaking figuratively, woodlice are, first of all, afraid of dry rooms.

On a note

It may seem surprising to some, but woodlice are not insects - they belong to crustaceans. Simply put, these are small land crustaceans, which, despite their terrestrial lifestyle, have preserved their gills and actively use them: oxygen is absorbed from a thin film of moisture that wets the gills.

Therefore, high humidity and access to water are generally vital for wood lice, and they simply will not survive in dry rooms.

Accordingly, leaking pipes, regularly accumulating splashes near the sink in the kitchen and in the bathroom (especially with poor ventilation), moist earth in pots with indoor plants - all this often creates excellent conditions for the existence of wood lice in an apartment.

Therefore, the begun (and before that long postponed) plumbing repair can be a good start in getting rid of wood lice in the apartment: a dry room will not only be unsuitable for the life of these pests, but also, importantly, it will attract new individuals here to a much lesser extent. from the outside - woodlice tend, first of all, to where the air is most humid.

We block the ways of penetration of wood lice into the apartment from the outside

There are situations when the apartment is seemingly dry, and all rooms, including the bathroom and toilet, have already been repeatedly treated with Dichlorvos, and wood lice still thrive indoors. At the same time, some tenants sometimes mistakenly believe that woodlice, like bugs or cockroaches, hide somewhere in an apartment in their secluded nests, lay eggs - and so, they say, therefore, their numbers are constantly replenishing.

In reality, everything is much simpler - new individuals massively enter the apartment from the outside: they can crawl from the attic, from the basement of the house or from neighbors.

An example is shown below in the photo:

So, in order to get rid of wood lice in an apartment, it is important to pay attention to the four main ways of penetration of these pests into the room:

Ventilation system of premises. It is recommended to put a fine mesh on each ventilation hole;
Cracks in the ceiling, floor and walls. This is especially true for old buildings - it is necessary to close up all the cracks through which the migration of pests from adjacent rooms is possible (when it comes to the last floor, woodlice can literally get hundreds of them into the apartment from the attic through the cracks in the ceiling);
Openings for cold and hot water pipes (water supply risers), as well as an opening for a sewer pipe. Between the pipes themselves and the floor (ceiling), there can often be gaps through which pests migrate. It is advisable to seal these gaps, for example, with alabaster or polyurethane foam;
And also through holes for sockets in the walls, when through such holes, in fact, two adjacent rooms communicate directly - then wood lice can easily penetrate into an apartment from neighbors. In this case, it is advisable to seal the space behind the outlet with the same alabaster or non-combustible polyurethane foam.

After the indicated ways of penetration of wood lice into the apartment are blocked, it remains, in fact, only to get rid of the pests already in the room. But, as practice shows, they treat an apartment here, who is in what - and what they do not use: someone sprays a strong solution of salt, someone prefers soda, and some residents do not even mind breathing kerosene, abundantly smearing it on the walls ( the possibility of the ignition of kerosene is apparently not taken into account).

So, instead of dubious "grandmother's recipes", the use of modern insecticidal preparations will be much more effective, the assortment of which will be considered in more detail ...

Fixed means for the destruction of wood lice

Despite the fact that, as noted above, woodlice are not insects, their belonging to crustaceans does not prevent them from being poisoned with the same drugs that are successfully used today to get rid of various domestic insects. In some respects, woodlice are even more vulnerable than, for example, bedbugs or fleas, because they willingly eat poisoned baits and die en masse after that (and fleas and bedbugs feed only on blood, therefore only contact insecticides are effective against them).

So, you can get rid of wood lice in the house with several types of insecticidal agents:

Insecticidal aerosols sold in cans - Combat Superspray, Dichlorvos of various brands (Neo, Eco, Varan and others), Raptor from crawling insects, Clean House aerosol and some others. It is advisable to use aerosol preparations when wood lice are localized in one small room (and this happens most often - pests usually inhabit either the toilet or the bathroom). But getting rid of wood lice in an entire private house, a large basement or in a cellar with the help of aerosols alone is quite problematic, since many cans are required and, moreover, such drugs for the most part do not have a prolonged effect;
Insecticide concentrates for dilution and spraying in the form of a spray - Get, Delta Zone, Ksulat Micro, Cucaracha, Tsifox, Taran, Tetrix, etc. These preparations are not only highly effective (some of them are used by disinsection services), but also economical to use, and allow get rid of wood lice at relatively low financial costs over a large area. It is especially important that such products as Get, Xulat Micro, Delta Zone and Lambda Zone belong to the so-called microencapsulated preparations - they have increased effectiveness against crawling insects, prolonged action and are adapted for domestic use (in particular, they have practically no smell and buy they can be in small packaging);
Insecticidal powders, today, in the old fashioned way, are often called dusts (although they have nothing to do with the banned DDT). Powdered insecticides are usually scattered around the perimeter of the bathroom, toilet, kitchen. For example, powders Fenaxin, Riapan, Neopin, dust from insects Clean House, etc. are used. The problem is that not all wood lice will crawl on the floor, many of them will prefer to huddle on the walls, so the insecticide will not work on them. Therefore, the use of powdered insecticides should be considered only as an auxiliary measure - in addition to other drugs. The same applies to the powdery one - it really helps to get rid of wood lice, but not all wood lice will die if you just scatter boric acid on the floor;
Insecticidal pencils (crayons) are a very good way to deal with wood lice in living quarters. Firstly, in relation to insecticidal crayons, woodlice are much more vulnerable than cockroaches, since more poison adheres to the flat segmented bodies of moisture-loving pests. Secondly, pencils are convenient to use on vertical surfaces. Thirdly, insecticidal pencils can be used as so-called barrier means - if you draw several lines, for example, along the perimeter of the ventilation hole, then even if wood lice penetrate through this hole into the apartment, almost all of them will die when crossing the drawn "barrier".

“The best way to get wood lice out in the bathroom is. I've tried a bunch of tools already, but this is the best one. Now I only collect corpses from the floor, in recent months I have already taken out several hundred. Once a month you renew them on the walls and on the floor and that's it, then they die by themselves ... "

Oleg, St. Petersburg

Gels for cockroaches and domestic ants. Such gels are quite attractive for wood lice, therefore, they also allow you to destroy them. In terms of effectiveness, gels are comparable to insecticidal crayons, however, just like crayons, they do not allow you to quickly get rid of wood lice, and the process of destroying pests can take several weeks;
Sticky traps, usually used to fight cockroaches and ants, also work against woodlice, but in general this tool is ineffective and more suitable for prevention - that is, for catching single individuals that nevertheless managed to get into an apartment (and especially if I don’t want to use “chemistry” as a means of prevention);
Poisoned baits - this method is often used in the fight against cockroaches, but it is quite possible to get rid of wood lice in the apartment, since they also willingly eat various foods from the human table. The classic version is a mixture of boronic acid and egg yolk. However, it should be borne in mind that a mixture of egg yolk with a concentrated insecticidal preparation (Xulat Micro, Lambda Zone, Delta Zone) will be even more effective.

In addition, wood lice die almost instantly when they are treated with steam or hot air with a temperature above 70 ° C. If it is possible to use a steam cleaner or hair dryer, and the wood lice themselves are within reach, then this method can be a good alternative to the use of chemicals. But in this case, you will not have to rely on long-term preventive protection of the premises.

We poison wood lice with insecticides

Above, in general, the means by which you can get rid of wood lice in an apartment were noted. However, it is one thing to have an idea of such drugs, and quite another to use them as effectively as possible in practice.

And what do you think is most important when choosing and using insecticidal drugs? Are they effective? Or maybe an affordable price? Or ease of use?

So, the most important thing when choosing an insecticidal agent for use in a residential area is its safety for humans and pets. Today, you can easily find the most powerful pesticides on the free market, using which in an apartment, you can be sure that nothing living will remain in it after that. But the problem is that it will be problematic for a person to live in such an apartment. Moreover, there are numerous cases of poisoning by toxic insecticidal preparations of people and domestic animals, and, unfortunately, it did not always end well.

Therefore, when getting rid of wood lice in an apartment, it is useful to take into account the following considerations:

It makes sense to use insecticides indoors only after the ways of wood lice penetration into the apartment from the outside have been blocked. Otherwise, you will have to poison the pests with "chemistry" again and again;
You should not chase the highest possible effectiveness of the drug. It would be much more correct to place an emphasis on relative safety for humans and animals, as well as the absence of an unpleasant odor;
A combination of a fast-acting drug (aerosols, sprays) and a slow-acting agent (insecticidal sticks, gels), in most cases, can give a better effect than using either one;
All drugs should be used in accordance with the instructions for use. And if it is said that you need to wear a respirator when processing, then believe me - it is better to do this, since inhaling an aerosol insecticide will definitely not add health to you.

What is useful to know about folk remedies for wood lice

Sometimes, to get rid of wood lice, it is recommended to use the following popular folk recipe: it is recommended to stir 3 grams of tobacco, red pepper and table salt in 1 liter of water, and then treat the bathroom, toilet and wet corners in the apartment with the resulting solution.

Needless to say, the method is not the most convenient (as, indeed, most other folk recipes on this topic) - not only will red pepper and tobacco stick to the surface, but also the persistent tobacco aroma will clearly not add comfort in the apartment. It should be understood that the main damage to woodlice in this case will be caused by nicotine contained in the leaves of tobacco and is a highly effective insecticide. You can just as well replace nicotine with modern, odorless insecticidal preparations (some of which were noted above).

On a note

As for table salt and alum, found in some folk recipes for getting rid of home wood lice - these substances are not insecticides and do not kill the pest. However, wood lice are avoided on surfaces irrigated with solutions of these substances.

It is especially worth noting attempts to use kerosene, gasoline and white spirit against woodlice: yes, these liquids are indeed capable of destroying woodlice, as well as various insects - in particular, by creating a thin oily film on their surface that is impermeable to atmospheric oxygen. However, first of all, it should be borne in mind that kerosene, gasoline and white spirit are very flammable substances. Moreover, a mixture of gasoline vapors and air, if accumulated in a closed room (for example, in a bathroom), can explode from the slightest spark.

As you can see, getting rid of wood lice with the help of folk remedies can potentially be far from being as safe for health as it might seem at first glance.

It is interesting

In some cases, you can gradually get rid of wood lice in the country, in a greenhouse or in an apartment using homemade traps.

The first option: in a half of a potato tuber, the middle is simply cut out and a hole is made near the cut line. Then this half is laid with a cut on the floor (or in a flower pot, if wood lice harm indoor plants) and left for a day. Woodlice will gather in such a "house" where food and water are constantly present, and once every few days the pests can be shaken out of the trap;

The second option: a wet bath broom is used as an attractive shelter for wood lice. Pests also like to gather under the leaves of such a broom, and it will only remain to periodically shake it out on the street.

But at the same time, you need to understand well that no traps will solve the problem if, for example, woodlice continue to penetrate into the dwelling in dozens from the damp attic of the house.

We get rid of wood lice in the center of their reproduction

In most cases, woodlice penetrate into apartments either from damp attic spaces, especially when the roof of the house is leaking, or from damp basements. The same goes for private houses.

Along with measures to block the pathways for pests to enter living quarters, it is also useful to try to get rid of the main breeding ground for woodlice - that is, to destroy them directly in the attic or in the basement. And here two highly effective options can be used:

You can get rid of wood lice in the classical way - by spraying an insecticidal solution. In particular, one bottle of Delta Zone or Lambda Zone preparations with a volume of 50 ml is enough to process about 100 square meters of area. One 100 ml Get bottle is also enough for 100 sq. m. One bottle of Xulat Micro with a volume of 30 ml is enough to process 40 sq. m. m. As examples, funds are indicated that practically do not have an unpleasant odor and after the use of which the treated surfaces will be unsuitable for life for a long time not only for woodlice, but also for other unwanted animals (fleas, ants, cockroaches ...);
Or you can use a simpler, but no less effective way - to treat the attic or basement of the house with the so-called insecticidal-repellent smoke bomb. Preference should be given to smoke bombs with permethrin as an active ingredient - they are very effective and, most importantly, relatively safe for humans. Examples of such bombs are smoke bombs from mosquitoes Quiet Evening, City and some others. After their use, all insects in a closed room will die, and a thin layer of permethrin will remain on the surfaces, which will provide long-term protection of the room from repeated reproduction of woodlice.

On a note

Instead of insecticidal-repellent smoke bombs, sulfur smoke bombs (Fas, Climate, etc.) can also be used to destroy woodlice, but the effect in this case will, firstly, be lower, and, secondly, there will be no long-term residual protective effect.

If you have personal experience of getting rid of wood lice in an apartment or a private house, be sure to share it by leaving your review at the bottom of this page (in the comments field).

An interesting video with an example of the invasion of wood lice on newly built houses

What kind of nasty insect with many legs is descending from the ceiling at lightning speed? This is a wood louse, which can hardly be called an insect. And how to deal with it - we will find out below.

The representative of crustaceans is not afraid of water; rather, moisture is a familiar and comfortable habitat for insects. It is useless to flush individuals into the toilet, the presence of gills allows the crustacean to breathe under water.

Before starting the fight against wood lice, it is important to carry out a number of works in the apartment aimed at worsening the living conditions of the pest.

We are not talking about changing your place of residence, but eliminating the source of moisture in your home is a completely doable task. Only after "drying" the premises can be used.

It is not necessary to start treatment with chemicals, there are more radical and safer ways - the use of folk recipes. Also, let's try to find a way to quickly deal with arthropods.

The color of pests can vary from gray-brown to whitish.

The insect has many legs, a pair for each segment, in total - 14 legs. It is the presence of a large number of limbs that allows the crustacean to move quickly.

On the back of the body there are two tail-like appendages. This is the organ of touch. Sensing the approach of danger, woodlice pretends to be dead, curling up into a ball.

Reasons for the appearance

More often the woodlice insect settles. The high level of moisture, especially in spring, allows the insect to develop vigorous activity and breed offspring.

In the apartment, the crustacean is located behind the pipes, in the place of accumulation of condensate.

You can find the pest in damp places:

Dampness, darkness and dirt are what you need for the fruitful life of the insects. Woodlice is resistant to temperature extremes, but does not tolerate dryness.

The house needs to be regularly ventilated, to prevent an increase in the level of moisture, then you will not have to study who woodlice are and how to deal with them.

Where do they get into the apartment

Have wood lice got in the apartment? Most likely they came from the basement or the attic. People do not pay attention to the bugs until there are too many of them.

The number of individuals will increase rapidly as fertility of pests is high. First, you should eliminate all possible routes of entry of crustaceans. Individuals enter the house:

On ventilation ducts;
Through holes in the wall, cracks in the floor and ceiling;
Through the free space between the sewer pipes and the floor;
From neighbors, bypassing sockets and balcony ceilings.

Before fighting insects, eliminate access to the apartment by sealing openings and crevices.

Why are they dangerous?

The neighborhood with woodlice can lead to a deterioration in the sanitary condition of housing. Crawling through basements and attics, the insect "clings" to the paws of the waste products of mice and rats, cockroaches and spiders.

It has not been scientifically proven that the pest is a carrier of dangerous pathologies, but it is not pleasant to realize that the excrement of rodents or arthropods can be present on the insect's legs.

Crustaceans do not bite humans and do not attack. Fearful creatures harm plants by eating leaves from indoor flowers.

The pest is not averse to feasting on seedlings, which are in the house before planting in the ground.

The crustacean loves to spoil vegetables stored underground.

Woodlice causes aesthetic discomfort in humans. The legs, with which the insect mince, are trembling, trying to hide from human eyes.

How to fight

The fight against wood lice in the apartment, on the 1st floor, in the spring period begins with the blocking of possible ways of entering the apartment, as well as the creation of all conditions so that the individuals cannot exist normally.

Eliminate pipe leaks;
Seal gaps in the floor and holes in the walls;
Repair plumbing equipment;
Carry out preventive work to eliminate condensate, if possible, replace metal pipes with plastic;
Dry clothes outdoors, not in the bathroom;
Ventilate the apartment, clean the ventilation holes;
Open vents in the house and dry the underground.

After carrying out the above activities, proceed directly to the persecution of insects both in the apartment and in the attic and basements.

If wood lice start up, where to go for help? Special disinfection services will come to the rescue, dealing with the effective destruction of pests at facilities.

If in an apartment you can really cope with the problem on your own, then in order to process basements and attics, attract special stations. Contact the SES or the prosecutor's office with a complaint. With a positive consideration of the application, the attic and basement will be processed at the expense of the housing office.

Folk recipes

Chlorine solution helps in the destruction of wood lice.

Dry chlorine powder - 40 g is poured into 1 liter of water.
Places where pests are more common than usual should be treated: a bathroom, a trash can, sewer pipes.

Insects react violently to lime.

To scare off crustaceans, place a bucket of quicklime in the bathroom.
Pests do not tolerate the fumes from lime, after three days they will leave your home.

If you spot a crustacean in a seedling or flower pot, transplant the plant into new soil. Rinse the root system of the flower. The contaminated soil is thrown away.

Boric acid and privately owned. White powder is sold in every pharmacy.

It costs a penny, and the effectiveness is no less than that of expensive insecticides. The powdery product is scattered around the perimeter of the bathroom and in places where "moisture lovers" are often found.

For the purpose of prevention and directly for destruction, you can add acid to something edible and make a "tasty" poison.

Combine acid with semolina, sugar or egg, knead the dough, add flour and form into balls.

Spread the resulting poison around the apartment.

By the way, boron balls also save from cockroaches and ants.

An easy and quick way to drive out pests is to clean the house with boric acid.

Add 10 g of powder to a bucket of water.
Clean the floors, sink, baseboards, and the outside of the toilet with this solution.

Chemical control agents

If traditional methods are powerless, use special insecticides. In pest control they use:

Gels and aerosols;
Crayons and powders;
Sprays and concentrates.

Chemical insecticides act instantly, but are not safe for humans and pets.

Aerosols

Chemical insecticides sold in spray cans are highly effective when insect populations are sporadic. The effect occurs in a matter of minutes, it is enough to spray the agent into the places of accumulation of insects and after 5 - 10 minutes to collect the dead individuals.

Remember to protect your respiratory system when handling aerosol chemicals.

Raptor;
Combat;
Clean house;
Varan;
Mole.

If the area of the house exceeds 35 m2, one cylinder will not be enough. Processing will cost a pretty penny. It is more advisable to use insecticides that are more economical in consumption.

Powders

Powders are used as an additional means of controlling crustaceans. A toxic substance is sprinkled on the living space around the perimeter and baseboards. Be sure to apply the product under the sink and on the sewer pipes.

The disadvantage of powder insecticides is the inability to treat the walls. There is a solution: dissolve the powder in water and wipe the vertical surfaces in the bathroom and kitchen.

The most popular among consumers are:

Clean house;
Riapan;
Phenaxine.

To carry out pest control in an apartment, purchase several packages to additionally process the basement and attic.

Gels

Gel-like insecticides are easy to use, the consumption is minimal, and the efficiency is several times higher than that of aerosols, crayons and powders.

Drops of the drug are applied around the perimeter of the apartment, on the walls (the product is thick and does not drain from a vertical surface).

The only caveat: to achieve the maximum result, you have to wait time. The toxic effect occurs 7-10 days after application of the drug.

Effective in the fight against crustaceans: Fas, Brownie, Absolute, Arsenal, etc.

Crayons

Chalk is more effective against crustaceans than against cockroaches or ants. The high lethality is associated with the presence of many legs, which the pest will get dirty in the chalk preparation. Cleansing the limbs from the poison, the crustacean is poisoned.

Special concentrates for the preparation of sprays and working solutions are economical and effective. With the help of concentrate, it is possible to process large areas, spending a minimum of money.

Dilute the concentrated preparation according to the attached instructions and treat the baseboards and walls.

Effective pest control agents:

Cucaracha;
Tsifox;
Tetrix.

Carrying out double processing increases the likelihood of getting rid of the bugs forever.

Bait

The baits are prepared by mixing egg yolk with poisonous drugs:

Lambda Zone;
Delta Zone;
Xulat Micro.

Place ready-made baits in crustacean habitats. Even if you accidentally bring an insect with vegetables or a new flower into the house, a single individual will have no chance of survival.

Traps

For the purpose of catching single individuals, use traps. Safety and ease of use are the main advantages of adhesive substrates.

Consumer confidence has earned:

Global;
Raptor;
Argus.

Place traps in the bathroom and under the sink. 1 glue bait is enough for 4 m2.

DIY traps

Do you think that spending money on repelling insects is pointless? Then make the trap yourself.

In order to catch wood lice you need moss. Moisten it and place it in the pest habitat. Set a trap for the night. In the morning, the moss is shaken out or burned.

Observance of simple rules will help to protect housing from penetration of pests:

Add boric acid every time you wash your floors;
Timely eliminate breakdowns of plumbing equipment;
Clean the ventilation hole regularly, change the mesh to a finer one;
Open windows for ventilation;
Dry pillows, blankets, and outerwear on sunny days;
Fill up visible holes in the walls and floor;
Empty the trash can in a timely manner;
Dry your laundry outdoors;
Empty trays in flower pots.

Having once made repairs, many residents of multi-storey buildings believe that they are protected from living together with various spiders, beetles, etc. But in the presence of favorable living conditions, besides cockroaches, woodlice also become frequent uninvited guests of apartments. The appearance of unpleasant-looking creatures in the house is disgusting for many. Therefore, the question of how to get rid of wood lice in an apartment arises for everyone who is faced with such a problem.

Peculiarities

It is easy to recognize what woodlice look like. It is impossible to say that woodlice is an insect. It is a shallow breathing through the gills with an oval body slightly convex at the top. The size of an adult can reach a length of up to 2 cm.

Woodlice have a strong shell, divided into pronounced segments of a light gray or brown hue. Among the large number of species of these animals, white woodlice are also found. Each segment corresponds to a pair of legs (14 legs in total). The crustacean has two tactile organs resembling tails-appendages, which are located in the back of the body. When in danger, woodlice curl up into a ball, pretending to be dead. Below is the view of woodlice in the photo.

What woodlice can appear from

Why woodlice appear in the apartment, many residents of high-rise buildings want to know, who met such unpleasant creatures in the kitchen or in their bathroom.

They live mainly in damp places, since moisture is the only condition for pests to live. Therefore, a kitchen with abundantly condensed water pipes or damp damp rugs are places where woodlice live in an apartment. Besides, rotten vegetables and fruits, which can be found in an irregularly removed bin, are what crustaceans eat.

Pests can live not only under the bathroom or in the kitchen. They can also be found in the bedroom, in the corners of which there is a fungus. Animals can also live in flower pots, where there is a lot of moisture. Pot trays and topsoil are their favorite spots. Damaged plant stems and their organic remains serve as a crustacean food source.

Penetration routes

Having found wood lice in an apartment, many people do not attach much importance to this. The alarm starts beating when there are a lot of animals in the room. Knowing where woodlice come from in an apartment, you can prevent their spread, since arthropods reproduce quickly enough. Crustaceans can enter a home from a damp attic or basement:

Measures to get rid of wood lice

The destruction of wood lice provides not only the creation of unfavorable conditions for their existence, but also the closure of possible ways of their penetration into the apartment from the outside.

It is necessary to eliminate leaks in pipes.
Fill all cracks in the floors, walls and ceiling.
Control the operation of all plumbing and household appliances.
Condensation can be reduced by replacing metal pipes with plastic ones.
Do not use the bathroom to dry your laundry.
Regular airing of the apartment, the use of a hood, air conditioner or fan will help rid the room of excess moisture.

Having implemented these points, you can proceed to the destruction of the existing woodlice in the house, as well as to eliminate the focus of their reproduction in the attic or in the basement.

On a note
The first thing that provides for the fight against wood lice is the lack of moisture in the room, that from which wood lice appear in the apartment. In other words, it is necessary to create conditions unfavorable for the life of pests: lack of moisture and access to water. In dry rooms, animals will not start, they simply will not survive there.

Why woodlice are dangerous

Whether woodlice are dangerous for humans and whether these creatures bite or not - such questions arise from those who find these small crustaceans in their kitchen or bathroom. Woodlice do not attack humans, their bite can only be dangerous to indoor plants. For human health, arthropods are safe, to a greater extent they cause unpleasant aesthetic sensations.

Although if you look at it differently, then the appearance of any pest in the apartment worsens its sanitary condition. After all, woodlice, like cockroaches or ants, climbing the basement or attic, can come into contact with rat, mouse or pigeon excrement. And after moving into an apartment, migrate from one room to another. Although the tolerance of diseases by these creatures has not been proven today, it is clear that the appearance of such a "lodger" in the house does not promise anything good.

The harm caused by this crustacean lies in the deterioration of vegetable stocks, which are stored in the cellar, as well as damage to indoor plants. Arthropods are especially partial to young shoots of seedlings.

Folk methods of struggle

Not everyone knows how to deal with woodlice in an apartment. Folk remedies are the safest way to get rid of pests for human health. In addition, folk remedies for wood lice are effective and do not require high costs.

Boric acid

Boric acid from woodlice is one of the most effective and affordable folk remedies that are used in the fight against domestic insects. It is a white powder that can be purchased at every pharmacy. The principle of application is simple: you need to scatter the product in the dark corners of the apartment, where the pest has appeared.

You can use boric acid in other ways. 10 g of the product is diluted in 10 liters of water, after which the resulting solution is used to wash the surfaces of the bathroom and kitchen. Or you can make balls from eggs, semolina and boron powder and spread them in places where pests are most concentrated.

Folk remedies for wood lice

Chlorine

You can also fight woodlice on your own with bleach. 40-50 g of the product must be diluted in 1 liter of water. Such a tool is used to treat the walls and floors of the room.

Kvass

Dry kvass is another effective remedy for wood lice in an apartment. It must be mixed with water in a 1: 5 ratio. Process the pest habitat with the resulting solution.

Potatoes and vinegar

You can also get rid of wood lice in the house with the help of raw potatoes. Several holes are cut out in it with a knife. The smell of potato juice acts as a bait for the pest, as a result of which it will try to get deep into the tuber. Having found crustaceans inside such a trap, it is enough just to get rid of it.

Vinegar is used to combat not only wood lice, but also cockroaches. It is mixed with water, and the resulting solution is used to treat the areas of the apartment chosen by wood lice. Crustaceans are afraid of the vinegar smell, and therefore will try to leave the room faster.

Red pepper, tobacco and soda

You can remove wood lice from the apartment if you use tobacco, soda and red pepper. 0.5 tsp. each component is stirred in 1 liter of water. With the help of a spray bottle, the habitats of animals are sprayed with a solution. After 8 hours, the treated surfaces are washed off with water with the addition of a chlorine-containing agent.

Salt

You can remove homemade wood lice with salt. This tool is especially relevant for families with children. It is enough to pour it in the corners of the room, in all the cracks, under the skirting boards, and you will no longer see unpleasant "neighbors".

Folk remedies for wood lice

Alum

Killing crustaceans and alum. Dissolve 100 g of the product in 0.5 l of water. The resulting solution is sprayed with pest-infected places in the apartment.

Exposure to temperature

Almost instant death awaits pests when processing an apartment with steam or hot air. Cold can also kill crustaceans. Severe frost is detrimental to animals, since warm, humid rooms are a favorable habitat for them.

Chemical control agents

If wood lice are bred in an apartment, then chemical agents can also be used to combat them. Many of them have an immediate effect, but are not safe for human health.

Aerosols

Insecticidal aerosol preparations are sold in cans. One of the popular among the people is Dichlorvos from wood lice. According to customer reviews, aerosols Raptor, Mole, Varan, Kombat are no less popular.

The use of aerosol products is advisable when wood lice are not very common and live in small rooms. To treat a private house or a large basement, one aerosol can simply not be enough.As a result, a considerable amount of money will be required to purchase a remedy for wood lice.

“I used Varan aerosol against wood lice in the country. An excellent remedy - it was possible to poison not only these bugs, but also cockroaches. In addition, the aerosol does not have a specific odor. There have been no pests in the house for 6 months already. "
Alexander, Omsk

Concentrates

There are insecticidal concentrates, the advantage of which is not only a high level of efficiency, but also significant economy in use. This makes it possible to process large premises at low financial costs. Tetrix, Get, Cucaracha, Tarax or Tsifoks - this is what you can use to remove wood lice quickly and forever.

“Mokrits was taken out under the bathroom with the help of Tarax. A very effective remedy - after a few hours not a single vile living creature was observed in the bathroom. Recomend for everybody."
Elena Nikolaevna, Vladivostok

Powders

Many who have woodlice in their apartment use powdered insecticides Riapan, Clean House, Phenaxin and others to destroy them. But such drugs are preferable to use as an adjuvant in addition to other methods of struggle.

The principle of application is quite simple: the baseboards are sprinkled with poison around the perimeter of the room, and the agent is also poured under the bath. However, not all woodlice will crawl along such floor markings, some of them can move along the walls. As a result, the insecticidal composition simply will not work on them.

Pencils

Insecticidal crayons or pencils like Mashenka, Titanic are something that poison wood lice in an apartment with quite easily and quickly. Crustaceans are much more vulnerable to this means of control than cockroaches, since a greater amount of poison adheres to their flat segmented bodies. In addition, crayons are convenient for use on vertical surfaces.

Another advantage of such a means of struggle is the possibility of using it as barrier barriers. The crossing of the drawn "barrier" by animals will lead to inevitable death.

“Chalk Mashenka helped us get rid of not only wood lice, but also cockroaches. Many dead insects were found on the floor after the first application. After 2 weeks, the treatment was repeated - for more than two months there have been no pests. "
Anna, Kiev

Gels

Insecticidal gels have a similar effect. Such means are used for baiting not only cockroaches and ants, but also wood lice. The long period of onset of action is a disadvantage of this remedy. The following brands are especially popular: Absolute, Fas, Klinbait.

Traps

Sticky traps can also be used as a preventive measure against wood lice in an apartment. They are less effective than the above drugs, therefore they are suitable only for catching individual individuals. Global, Agrus, Raptor are some of the most popular brands among buyers.

Bait

You can get rid of wood lice in an apartment with the help of poisoned baits. To prepare them, it is necessary to mix egg yolk with a concentrated insecticidal preparation such as Lambda Zone, Xulat Micro or Delta Zone in accordance with the instructions.

Knowing these nuances will help prevent the appearance of these small crustaceans in the apartment. And if several individuals get into your home with vegetables or fruits bought on the market, then the above means of control will be able to prevent the spread of animals.