Insects in the house are always a problem that you want to get rid of immediately. Moreover, regardless of the type of uninvited guests. Woodlice are not insects. These are crustaceans that have inhabited the planet since ancient times. Although they do not harm people and do not bite, their very appearance causes a shudder and a desire to immediately exterminate the entire colony of new residents of their home.
But what attracts them to human habitation, how to get rid of crustaceans, what to do so that in the future not a single individual of this tribe tries to get into the house - more on this later.
Ideal living conditions for woodlice
Everything that exists on earth strives to live in the best living conditions. Woodlice are no exception, and they will certainly appear where there is moisture, heat, food, and lack of light and ventilation. The most important of them is moisture. This could be either water leaking from a cracked pipe or condensation. If there are wood lice in the bathroom, it means there are such conditions there.
If other insects, such as cockroaches, are attracted to unsanitary conditions, woodlice can be found even in apartments that are kept perfectly clean. Where do woodlice come from if the house is constantly being cleaned? It's very simple: pests can enter from the attic, basement, neighbors, or through pipes. They have such a body structure that they can easily penetrate the narrowest crevices.
In the bathroom
On a note! If the apartment is dry, crustaceans are unlikely to stay there, but if there is dampness somewhere in the bathroom, then they will definitely appear here.
Where do wood lice live in the bathroom?
Although the bathroom usually has a small area, there are many places where white or brown woodlice can settle:
- Sewer pipes. Pipe joints and the space around them are an excellent environment for the life of this type of crustacean. If the sewage system does not work and there is no constant drainage of water, wood lice can even live inside the pipes.
- Skirting boards. Places where the baseboard does not fit tightly to the wall or floor are ideal for woodlice to live - here they can quickly hide and then easily come back out.
- Plumbing. If wood lice appear in the bathtub, you need to check the space behind the toilet, under the washbasin - there they can easily hide from the light.
- Bath. Usually the bathtub body is hidden behind the finishing, thereby creating ideal conditions for the life of woodlice. Especially if water pipes run under the bathtub - condensation from them guarantees the presence of constant moisture, so important for the existence of crustaceans.
- Ventilation. Ventilation shafts can be not only a place for a pest to enter an apartment, but also a refuge for it, migration routes to or from neighboring apartments.
- Wet mats. Rugs lying on the floor in the bathroom are saturated with moisture from the damp air, creating the conditions necessary for the life of woodlice.
- Cabinets. Stale wet laundry in a locker is an excellent refuge for crustaceans.
- Constantly full trash can . In an apartment where the trash is rarely taken out, the chance of seeing woodlice is much higher than in those houses where the trash can is regularly emptied and washed.
The main reasons for the appearance
The main causes of woodlice include:
Increased humidity that occurs in the bathroom as a result of poor ventilation and lack of heating. In addition, drying clothes in the bathroom contributes to the appearance of a large amount of moisture in the air, which does not have time to dry.
Poor floor insulation in old houses and apartments on the first floors located in close proximity to groundwater. To solve the problem, it is necessary to redo the foundation or lay an additional layer of waterproof materials on the floor.
Hidden leaks that appear in hard-to-reach places. Most often, the appearance of woodlice in the bathroom is a signal for residents that first of all they need to check the pipes and plumbing for water leaks.
For prevention, it is recommended to comply with sanitary standards when visiting the bathroom, including regular and thorough cleaning, especially under the washing machine, sink and toilet.
If there is high humidity due to poor ventilation, try installing a heated towel rail and regularly ventilating the bathroom.
How to get rid of it?
Fighting woodlice, as well as other types of pests, is quite difficult, especially if there are a lot of them in the bathroom and toilet. It is impossible to do without the use of insecticides. How and what method to use to get rid of woodlice in the bathroom depends on the circumstances. For example, if there are children and animals in the house, you must use sticky traps and insecticides very carefully.
Aerosols and sprays
Such preparations are available in spray cans. The main advantage of sprays and aerosols is the ease of use and effectiveness of the drugs. They can be used both in places where woodlice have accumulated and where they may appear. The treatment should be repeated several times.
On a note! Before getting rid of woodlice in the bathroom, you need to study the instructions in order to know how to use the product correctly, how long you need to leave it on the surfaces of the room, and after what time you can wash the room.
The most effective aerosols :
- Mukhoyar.
- Insecta.
- Raptor.
- Dichlorvos and others.
Dichlorvos
Popular sprays :
- Cucaracha.
- Tetrix.
- Delta Zone.
- Raid Max and others.
Powders and crayons
These are the simplest means by which you can get rid of wood lice in the toilet and bathroom. The selected preparation must be scattered in those places where pests have been noticed or accumulate.
The following have proven themselves better than others:
- crayons - “Titanic”, “Mashenka”;
- powders – “Clean House”, “Neopin”, “Phenaxin”, “Riapan”.
Important! Unfortunately, crayons and powders can only be used to treat horizontal surfaces, so they are used not as the only means, but as an additive to aerosol preparations or sprays.
Sticky traps
Many manufacturers produce sticky traps made of plastic, paper, and cardboard. The most effective are considered:
- Dekko,
- Argus,
- Delicia.
Everyone knows how to use them to remove woodlice: just leave the trap in the place where the crustaceans are, or have been noticed, and after a while you can remove it, completely filled with pests.
This option is effective only for small infestations; it is impossible to eliminate large-scale infestations using sticky traps.
Fumigator
You can try to destroy domestic wood lice in the bathroom using a fumigator. In addition to traditional devices, today you can purchase an aquafumigator. This is an electrical device that has a slightly different principle of action: air vapors carry the released toxic substance throughout the room, which is much more effective.
Do they pose a danger?
Woodlice remain completely harmless creatures, although their appearance seems very unpleasant.
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The squeals and screams are caused not by the creature’s aggressive behavior, but by the surprise of its appearance. And these are the most unpleasant consequences of such a meeting. In general, insects try to avoid contact with humans as much as possible. They don't even know how to sting or bite. If you touch a woodlice, it will simply curl up into a ball. And so on until the danger passes, it ceases to show any signs of life.
These animals are also not a source of microbes or dangerous diseases or bacteria. They are harmless from a sanitary and hygienic point of view. They are not even capable of damaging furnishings to a minimal extent, unless they themselves begin to rot.
Woodlice are unlikely to want to crawl out of a dark and wet bath, so you don’t even have to worry about food in the kitchen.
These insects may not be very pleasant. Especially when they are in places where people usually walk without shoes, generally barefoot. Therefore, it is better to ensure that encounters with woodlice do not become the rule.
Folk methods and home remedies
There are several ways to get rid of woodlice. The simplest of them is to use ordinary birch brooms for a bath. To do this, brooms need to be well wetted, allowed to drain and placed in those places in the bathroom where wood lice crawl. By the morning, all the crustaceans will have gathered on the brooms, and all that remains is to carefully take them out into the street.
Banya broom
You can also get rid of the pest using products that are found in every home - red pepper, tobacco, soda:
- Take 3-4 g of each component.
- Dilute the mixture in water (1 l).
- Treat the areas where pests are expected to live with the solution. Woodlice are small creatures, so be sure to treat everything, including inconspicuous crevices.
- Close the premises for the night.
- After 8 hours, rinse all treated areas with clean water.
To remove crustaceans, you can use boric acid or salt, scattering them in places where pests accumulate. After 3-4 days, the treated areas should be washed.
Use of chemicals
Chemistry is a more radical and modern method for those who do not trust traditional recipes.
Ordinary chlorine solution is the cheapest and most accessible solution. You can make do with any disinfectants if you can’t find pure bleach. Chlorine is usually also present in large quantities in their composition. It is enough to pour the product into all the corners that raise doubts. And leave them in this state overnight.
But chlorine can be dangerous to human and animal health, so all surfaces must be cleaned of it very carefully. The main thing is that the substance does not get into the respiratory tract or eyes, especially the stomach.
Quicklime also helps to organize chemical attacks on small pests. It is left in the room for at least three days, filling a small container. But it is not recommended to get carried away with such experiments if the family cannot go somewhere for at least two or three days, because during this time it is prohibited to use the premises.
Chemicals for insect control
Manufacturers produce many special compounds to combat wood lice specifically. Among the most popular are O, Schabengel, Tetriex, Get, Tarax, “Dichlorvos Varan”. Toxic substances contained in the products can be dangerous to humans, so it is important to follow the instructions exactly.
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Prevention
In order not to look for a way to get rid of woodlice, it is necessary to eliminate what attracts them to the apartment - humidity. The following tips will help solve this problem:
- Take out the trash every day.
- Monitor the condition of the sewerage and water supply systems.
- Monitor the operation of the ventilation system.
- Water indoor plants in moderation.
- Dry clothes not in the bathroom, but outside or on the balcony.
- Clean the bathroom regularly and do not use it to store unnecessary things.
- Ventilate the bathroom after showering. It is best if the bathroom door is open all the time.
Who are woodlice and how do they get into the house?
Woodlouse.
Despite popular belief, woodlice are not insects, but crustaceans. Their small oblong body is covered with a dense chitinous shell, which is most often colored white, brown or gray.
Woodlice usually make their way into human homes through ventilation shafts and sewers. Also, these unwanted guests can be brought in with soil for indoor plants.
