In some cases, during the period of taking a shower, it is possible to find an unpleasant gift under your feet - a small unpleasant appearance in appearance, similar to a mustache.
Often, because of ignorance of these creatures, they are mistaken for beetles, millipedes, even silverfish (although there are no similarities with the latter in appearance). But this is just an ordinary wood lice (battleship), absolutely harmless, but this is no less unpleasant creation.
In the article we will look at where they come from and where they live, what are the reasons for their appearance, and also why they are often turned up in the bathroom of a house or apartment, and how to get rid of them.
Brief Definition
Mokritsa - a small crustacean, whose size is on average 10-12 millimeters, however, in some cases, larger individuals, up to 18 millimeters, are caught. The body is gray, in some cases dark is almost black, although there are also almost white specimens, the shell is 7-segment, slightly ductile, rounded. Each segment has its own pair of legs (a total of 7 pairs of legs).
On the small head of the crustacean there are two pairs of antennae (one pair is long, noticeable, and the second is underdeveloped), eyes are placed on the sides. At the end of the body - tactile organs, similar to 2 small tails appendage.
Habitat
In nature
The habitual sphere for this crustacean is wildlife, and often it can be found in the following places:
- under the fences, stones, foliage, stumps;
- on the roadside;
- at the bases of the walls overgrown with grass;
- in landfills;
- in greenhouses;
- in loose soil.
Wood lice feeds on plants, both decaying and active, for this reason, to some extent, it can be a pest of civilized plantations. Although not disdain crustacean and untreated plants than can serve many gardeners.
In a residential area
Why do they appear in residential buildings? Since moisture for woodlouse is the main thing that is necessary for a comfortable existence, it can also live in damp rooms: barns, basements, and warehouses. Once in the apartment, she will certainly prefer those areas where there is more humidity:
- pantry;
- bathroom;
- restroom.
As already mentioned, human housing is not considered to be a favorite area for living in wood lice, for this reason they have unique “guests” in the apartment.
Causes
In the apartment
The appearance of woodlice is, as a rule, the result, the reason being the suitable conditions created in the apartment for their life. Darkness, humidity and heat are the 3 main conditions that make these insects appear in the room. What else attracts lice in a person's housing:
- accumulated in the bathroom wet clothes;
- the presence in the home of plants that require abundant watering;
- musty garbage and food residue;
- old paper, as well as books that have not been opened for many years;
- rotting plants;
- dirt in the hidden corners of the apartment.
In a private house
Lacks in the home arise in search of comfort. What attracts crustaceans in a human dwelling:
Constant humidity. If a pipe passes through the room or there is permanent condensate in the batteries, the woodlice will choose a domestic existence.- Food source. Food remains and rotten remains - a feast for crustacean pests.
- Wet land. Greenhouses and greenhouses - the perfect habitat and breeding of wood lice and other parasites.
- The garages often have mold and fungus that attracts millipedes.
- Own well or a column with water attracts crustaceans if previous pipes flow. In the puddles of water moldyness is bred, and the place forever becomes an oasis for wood lice.
- In the downpour season, the cellar and the cellar are flooded with water without proper treatment. Humidity settles on the walls of the building, and crustaceans instantly wind up.
- The presence of small defects in the roof leads to the fact that water flows to the attic during the rainy period and will be the perfect place for the life of woodlice in the house.
- In the autumn, under the fallen leaves, covered with branches and decorative stones, a wood louse appears on the site.
Constant humidity. If a pipe passes through the room or there is permanent condensate in the batteries, the woodlice will choose a domestic existence.Where do they breed?
Quite often, the owner of the dwelling doesn’t assume about the presence of uninvited visitors. Lackes prefer moist air and hide well.. Intensive lifestyle they lead only at night. Most often, they can be found in the storage of wet rags, black corners, under tile or baseboards. If water is regularly dripping from the sewer pipes or your neighbors are flooded, the woodlice will soon appear.
For the life of these insects require special conditions contained in a significant humidity, the absence of light. Under similar conditions, they quickly multiply and live well. After they can form a feeling of insect invasion, but this does not last long.
What are the first appearance signals?
At home woodlice are often found in pots of domestic plants, eventually destroying them. In particular, they are not indifferent to hot types. Recognizing the presence of this insect in the soil of a houseplant is not at all difficult. In the course of life, the wood louse significantly condenses the soil in the pot.
If you see such a manifestation, immediately loosen the soil, otherwise the roots of the plant can die from oxygen starvation.
The appearance on the surface of snow-white larvae indicates the presence of the parasite.
How to get rid of them?
Having found wood lice in my apartment:
- The first thing to do is to detect the zones of their penetration. These can be various gaps in the floor and in the walls or the soil in the pots of domestic plants.
- all gaps must be closed using hermetic means;
- it is more correct to dig up houseplants and transplant in another soil;
- The old soil must be put in a plastic bag, fasten it tightly and carry it to the garbage.
- The next step to take:
- thoroughly control the water supply;
- eliminate all problems;
- clean out clogged and repair leaking pipes.
Already in the house lice can be eliminated by some methods.
The most popular and effective is the use of chemicals. There are a variety of substances, gel-like consistency. They cultivate all corners, crevices, areas near baseboards and hard-to-reach areas. The result is achieved in about 2 days. In addition, in order to eliminate woodlice, salt and a solution of boric acid are used. They act very swiftly and efficiently, and, in contrast to chemical-based products, their use provides absolute security for human well-being.
After the elimination of all woodlice in the apartment, it is time to move on to the next step. This step is the implementation of general cleaning. Preventing dirt as a root cause will significantly reduce the possibility of secondary invasion of wood lice. Thus, in a few steps, it is possible to simply eliminate all woodlice in the house. But it must be remembered that getting rid of is constantly much more difficult than to prevent the occurrence.
Prevention of appearance
In order to bait it is recommended to use folk and chemical methods of combating arthropods. However, it is better to implement measures to prevent their occurrence at home.
Recommended:
- Keep residential and other buildings clean.
- Repair the baseboards, walls and panels so that there are no extra holes left.
- To control the degree of moisture in private housing, to buy a climate control device.
- Do not store garbage, and instantly make out of the boundaries of the site.
- Eliminate leakage of pipes, control gaskets, the reliability of the sewer system and water supply.
- Regularly clean the ventilation in the apartment, garage, cellar, summer kitchen.
- Fertilize plants by folk methods in order to chemistry does not harm the roots.
Choose an acceptable method of your choice and get rid of wood lice forever.
Conclusion
The common woodlouse is an absolutely harmless creature. She does not bite, does not ruin food. However, with a large number of their homes, all houseplants are under threat, and it does not matter what room they are in. In the suburban area woodlice can cause damage to agricultural plantations, eating the roots, leaves. For this reason, a person does not tolerate a neighborhood with a woodlouse and resorts to measures to eliminate it.
