What is a white wood lice, why does it start in an apartment and how to get rid of an insect?

A person’s home is often attacked by various insects. At the same time, they harm not only residents, but also animals and plants.

One of these unwanted guests is white wood lice. She settles in rooms with high humidity.

Only when they see them, a man becomes perplexed and begins to look for ways to get rid of her. Later in the article we will provide some effective recipes against these pests.

What kind of species is this?

Definition

White wood lice is an arthropod that belongs to the suborder of crustaceans. They consider Central and South America to be their homeland, but it is widespread throughout the world. Use as food for exotic pets and orderlies for a terrarium. It leads a nocturnal lifestyle and feeds on any plant debris (you can find out about what different types of woodlice eat here).

In nature, wood lice are found under stones, fences and stumps. And her favorite habitat is raw sheds and cellars. Therefore, the apartment takes root only where high humidity.

You will find more information about where different species of wood lice are usually found in this material, and here we talked about why insects start in apartments and houses.

Description of the appearance of the insect and its photo

White wood lice have a long body, oval in shape, covered with a hard, ribbed carapace. On the sides are 6 pairs of abdominal legs. The head consists of eyes and 2 pairs of antennae. The color is grayish, translucent or white.

The wood louse lives 10-12 months. Propagated in late spring or early summer. The female in the bag under her stomach lays eggs, wears it until the right occasion and lays them in a dark corner.

Further on the photo you can see what a white wood lice looks like:

You can find out what other types of wood lice look like and see their photos here.

Reasons for appearance in the bathroom and other places of the home

White wood lice feel good where favorable conditions are created for it. The main reasons for its appearance:

1. Airing of the room does not occur, and there is no ventilation.
2. The bathroom has been wet for a long time.
3. A huge number of plants that require increased watering.
4. In dark and humid places, timely cleaning does not occur.
5. Household waste is rarely disposed of in the trash, and the remnants of food from the tables and from the sink are not cleaned immediately.

The most comfortable places for living wood lice are the rooms that suffer from flooding, water entering through the seams of the apartment, as well as leaking roofs.

She does not come to the house for breeding, but only for checking the territory. Penetrates into the home through cracks in the ceiling, floor and wall coverings, ventilation shafts.

For what reasons in the bathroom and toilet various kinds of wood lice can appear, we tell in more detail here.

What is the danger?

For human health, white wood lice is not dangerousIt does not bite or spoil food. The only harm can cause domestic plants, it eats the upper part of the leaves and roots. On the legs can carry various fungi, viruses and even lichen, it spreads them where it lives. Spoils fruits and vegetables. And also it is unpleasant in appearance. That is why people are trying to get rid of it as soon as possible.

What threats can different species of wood lice carry to humans, pets and plants, read in a separate article.

How to get rid of an insect in an apartment?

To combat woodlice, both folk remedies and chemical preparations are used. Since aggressive substances may enter their composition, the room is left after processing. During work, it is also forbidden to be near children and animals.

You can read about where wood lice come from and what effective methods will help get rid of them in the apartment here.

Folk methods

Many people, when they discover a white wood louse, resort to the following folk methods of getting rid of it:

1. A mixture of tobacco, pepper and salt. When preparing the product, take 1 teaspoon of each ingredient, mix together and insist in 1 liter of water. Then sprayed indoors.
2. Boric acid. The habitat of woodlice is treated with a solution or sprinkled in powder form.
3. Salt. If the corners of the walls are constantly wet, then a handful of salt is poured there, it removes moisture well and will cause the wood louse to look for a new place.
4. Quicklime. Half of the lime is collected in the bowl and water is slowly poured into it, mixed well and left in the room for 2-3 days, where the wood louse lives, they are not included in the treatment.When working with lime, observe safety precautions, wear closed shoes, long clothes, a respirator and gloves.

We offer you to watch an informative video with a popular recipe for combating woodlice:

Chemicals

A large number of chemicals are sold in hardware stores that help get rid of lice. The most common are:

1. Tarax or Dichlorvos. They are effective not only against wood lice, but also other various insects. The poison acts on the white crustacean by contact, having fallen on its carapace, it destroys it and the insect dies, while it manages to infect its relatives.
2. Monitor lizard Release in the form of an aerosol. They spray the walls, ceiling and floor around the perimeter of the room. Mokritsa, poisoned, quickly disappears. The drug works for 20 days, an unpleasant pest does not get used to it.
3. Other aerosol medications for crawling insects, such as Clean House or Raptor. After they are sprayed, the room must leave for several hours.
4. If a wood louse comes through a drain hole, then a mole pipe cleaner is poured into it. It will protect you from blockages in the future, but it will also help get rid of unwanted guests.

Prevention of Reappearance

In order for the white wood lice to no longer appear, the following preventive measures are carried out:

1. The premises are regularly cleaned using cleaning products.
2. Wet clothes are hung immediately after washing.
3. Wipe the dust thoroughly even in dark and inaccessible places.
4. After eating, immediately wash the dishes and remove the remnants of food.
5. Regularly ventilate the room.
6. Plants do not need waterlogging unnecessarily.

Be sure to close all cracks and crevices on the floor, ceiling and walls, through which pests can easily enter the home.

White wood lice do not cause much harm to humans, but its appearance causes hostility. However, if you adhere to certain rules for caring for your home and avoid high humidity, it will quickly disappear and will no longer appear, as living in such conditions will be uncomfortable.

Watch the video: 7 Effective Ways to Get Rid of All Insects at Home (April 2024).