If there are wood lice in your house or apartment, then you should not endure such a neighborhood for long, because it cannot be called pleasant.
To know how to get rid of woodlice in an apartment, you first need to decide what type of creatures you encountered in the bathroom or just in the house.
Many people confuse 2 species of small arthropods that successfully coexist with humans, and call both of them the same.
How to identify a pest
Woodlice and silverfish are equally unpleasant to look at and equally not parasites of humans. They can be pests, nothing more.
This type of symbiosis between humans and small arthropods is called commensalism, its essence is that a person receives neither harm nor benefit from them, but the “settlers” will always find food next to a person.
Woodlice are small crustaceans, and silverfish are from the class of insects.
Woodlice have an oval and convex body 10-15 mm long; its shell and long mustache are clearly visible.
Their usual habitat is wildlife; in an apartment they have to live in the toilet and bathroom - where there is the most moisture. They mostly feed on plants and decaying organic matter.
Silverfish have an elongated, elongated body. As well as long antennae and several curved tails at the back of the body. Color silver, black, greenish, colorless.
Individuals can grow in size from a few millimeters to 1.3 cm. They feed on organic debris and love cellulose (they can be found on books and near paper wallpaper). They readily eat any fabric and can damage clothing.
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Both of them make you want to get rid of them, no matter how harmless they may seem. And the methods of fighting against both species will be similar.
What is it and a brief botanical description
Woodlice or chickweed (Stellaria media) belongs to the class of dicotyledonous herbaceous plants of the Clove family. It is annual. The plant is also popularly called canary grass, wood lice, heart grass, midge grass or hernia grass.
This herb received the name “woodlouse” for its stem covered with thin hairs and cilia located on the edges of the leaves, which, when touched, leave moisture on the palms.
The plant likes to be located in dark places near houses, in vegetable gardens, feels good in wet fields and forest areas, and can also be found in ditches and ravines. Prefers loose and moist soils. Blooms from May to September.
During the season, one plant leaves up to 15 thousand seeds in the soil. Seeds can remain viable for up to 5 years. Reproduction occurs vegetatively by rooting stems.
You can predict the weather by using woodlice : if its flowers do not open at sunrise and remain closed all day, it is likely to rain.
Contains a lot of carotene and ascorbic acid. In cooking, woodlice is added raw to salads, and when boiled, it is added to borscht and main courses.
Due to its long flowering period, woodlice is considered a good honey plant. As a medicinal plant, woodlice is used in folk medicine and homeopathy (you can learn about contraindications and beneficial properties of woodlice here).
Animals happily consume it. It is recommended to add this herb, most valuable in its biological properties, to the feed of pigs, chickens and pigs daily.
How to get rid of woodlice in the house
To quickly get rid of woodlice, you must first create uncomfortable living conditions for them:
- ensure regular cleaning so that dust and organic residues do not accumulate in corners, or in hard-to-reach places;
- establish good ventilation of the rooms (so that they are dry);
- discard waste and spoiled food in a timely manner;
- make the area in which pets live as clean as possible - cages with rodents or birds, dog beds, cat houses;
- take care of indoor plants: do not allow water to stagnate in pots, remove spoiled leaves in a timely manner, and prevent infections.
Danger to humans
Midling midge bites Midling midges carry infectious diseases dangerous to humans, from anthrax to human filariasis.
In the southern regions, these insects carry Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Bloodsuckers are also dangerous for livestock, being carriers of diseases specific to animals. They often cause viral hemorrhagic disease in rabbits. The bite of a biting midge is very painful and can cause an allergic reaction or ceratopogonidosis in humans. When bloodsuckers bite, they spray poisonous saliva, causing local inflammation, burning and prolonged itching. Even in the absence of allergies, after an insect bite, the puncture site often becomes contaminated and ulcers appear. In people sensitive to bites, the itching continues for 10 days.
Important!
The favorite places to bite midges are the neck and face. This factor must be taken into account when planning a trip to the taiga, since in ordinary life people do not pay attention to the fact that their faces and necks are open.
How to get rid of wood lice in the bathroom
The very name of these creatures suggests that most of all they like to live in places where it is wet.
These measures will help reduce the risk of uninvited guests in the bathroom:
- eliminate excess moisture (after taking water procedures, open the doors to ventilate the room; wipe the taps, sink and edges of the bathroom with a dry cloth, removing excess moisture);
- ensure timely drying of mats;
- eliminate minor problems and water leaks in the plumbing area;
- get rid of cracks in the floor and walls, these could even be small gaps and cracks between the tiles and the door frame, under the pipes;
- add to preventive measures and methods of destruction with insecticides.
Taste preferences
What woodlice eat is interesting not only to nature lovers. The question arises for everyone who notices an incomprehensible creature in their bathtub, sink, or toilet. What attracts the insect, how long can it live in the house.
What do woodlice eat in nature - decaying plants, mold. In damp places such food is present in great abundance. Insects live quietly on the street, in basements, without attracting attention to themselves, without causing harm.
With the onset of cold weather, the crustacean makes its way into human housing. The food for woodlice in an apartment is mold, which remains on the walls, water pipes, and pipes when sanitary and hygienic requirements are violated and there is high humidity. And also wet toilet paper, dirt in the corners, on the pipes.
Folk remedies
- Chlorine (solution of 50 ml per 1 liter of water).
- Boric acid (solution of 2 g per 0.5 liters of water).
- A mixture of dry tobacco, soda and red pepper (the ingredients are mixed in the proportion of 100 g of tobacco: 1 packet of pepper: 2 tablespoons of soda per 1 liter of water).
- Dry kvass (solution of 100 g per 1 liter of boiling water).
- Quicklime (place several containers indoors and leave for 3 days; you must leave the house during this time).
Life cycle
The life of woodlice
The peculiarities of the life of crustaceans force them to hide during the day and crawl out of shelters at night. You can notice the insect in the evening or during the day in a dark room. Woodlice reproduction in nature begins in April-May. Females mate with males, the seminal fluid enters a special segment on the body. How woodlice reproduce in the future is a rather interesting process.
The seminal fluid is consumed gradually, the female does not need to be fertilized again to reproduce, but mating a second time can occur. Larvae are formed from fertilized eggs in the female's body. They are born as a copy of the female, but differ in size and color.
What is the most effective way to get rid of woodlice?
Comprehensive measures are the key to successful pest control.
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All methods are appropriate - from the use of strong toxic substances to the creation of unsuitable living conditions.
Advice:
- follow the rules prescribed in the instructions for each drug, as well as safety precautions;
- do not reduce or increase the dosage of drugs;
- do not combine many insecticides at once (dilute them over time, if necessary).
Despite the fact that drugs are considered safe for humans, this does not mean that they are useful; they are still chemicals with a pronounced toxic effect.
Chemical composition:
At the Siberian State Medical University, research work has been completed to establish the key groups of active substances in the aerial part of chickweed, carried out by Y. V. Gorina.
The studies carried out have established the presence in the shoots and leaves of plants of an impressive list of elements that affect the human body:
- Ascorbic acid;
- Triterpene glycosides called saponins;
- Kumarinov;
- Flavonoids;
- Phenolcarboxylic acids;
- Carotenoids;
- Polysaccharides;
- Components that have a tanning effect on protein structures.
Presence of the following metal ions:
- Potassium;
- Calcium;
- Magnesium;
- Gland;
- Zinc.
Photo tips on how to get rid of woodlice
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Dosage forms produced by pharmacists
You can buy dry woodlice herb at the pharmacy to prepare medicinal drinks, decoctions and tinctures at home. The dried raw materials are placed in cardboard packages weighing 30, 50, 100 g. Other types of medicines with woodlice are also produced:
- "Shchitovit."
The drug contains, in addition to woodlice, brown algae, bloodroot, and tyrosine. Used in the treatment of thyroid pathologies as an adjuvant. - Tincture.
Alcoholic extract of chickweed is produced in dark bottles from 30 to 100 ml. Application both external and internal. - Chickweed in tablets.
The product is produced in jars with gelatin capsules that contain crushed grass. The drug is classified as a food additive. Recommended use as a prophylaxis to increase immunity during cold epidemics. - Woodlice juice.
It is packaged in containers of 50-200 ml. The juice is used for eye pathologies, as well as for compresses. - "Endocrinol"
. The drug belongs to the dietary supplements. It contains vitamin E, woodlice, and cinquefoil. Used for the treatment and prevention of endocrine diseases.
Chickweed is a weed that many summer residents and gardeners are trying with all their might to remove from the site. The main reason is the rapid spread of grass throughout the area. But herbalists and doctors classify the plant as medicinal. Infusions, teas, ointments, decoctions and oil with morushnik help protect against various diseases, eliminate the likelihood of complications in acute diseases, and reduce the risk of symptoms in chronic pathologies.
Harm from using chickweed can only occur if the dosage is not followed and the dosage is exceeded.
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Chickweed: Stellaria graminea
It grows throughout almost the entire country, except Transcaucasia.
Creeping perennial with branched, tetrahedral stems 10-40 cm tall. The leaves are opposite, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, up to 4 cm long, ciliated along the edge. The inflorescence is spreading, multi-flowered. Blooms all summer. The fruit is an oblong capsule. Poisonous.
The culture usually uses a golden form with yellow flowers. The natural form is very aggressive.
Chickweed.
Weed control
Woodlice produces up to 15 thousand seeds on each plant per season. The seeds germinate quickly and give life to new shoots. Any part of the stem remains viable for a long time. It takes root quickly in moist soil.
Due to such productivity, the grass quickly fills the entire area, preventing the growth of cultivated plants. Weeds are controlled using both environmentally friendly methods and the use of chemicals.
How to do without chemicals?
Most summer residents try to grow their crops without the use of chemicals. To combat chickweed, simple agricultural techniques are used:
- Regularly weed the beds by hand or with a hoe. They start in early spring, when the first shoots appear. The weed is taken out of the area so that it does not take root again.
- Remove the top layer of soil, about 3 cm, using a flat cutter. At the same time, the growth point is cut off and the reproduction of woodlice stops.
- At the end of the summer season, the site is dug up with a pitchfork. Stems, roots and other remnants of weeds are carefully selected from the soil and then destroyed.
- A method of soil deoxidation is used. To do this, during the digging process, dolomite flour, slaked lime or wood ash are added to the ground. The method is suitable for preventing the spread of weeds if used annually.
With the systematic use of these safe methods, the growth of not only woodlice, but also other harmful plants can be significantly reduced.
Control with herbicides
There is another way to get rid of such a harmful weed as woodlice in the garden. It involves the use of herbicides. They come in two types:
- All action. This herbicide destroys all vegetation in the treated area.
- Selective action. This herbicide does not kill all plants, but only certain species.
The former are mainly used on large industrial plots that have not yet been sown or after harvesting. They can be used to treat the garden in the fall to control perennial weeds.
The latter are successfully used by gardeners to eradicate weeds and protect crops. It is better to use chemicals in areas where woodlice has grown especially abundantly, being careful not to touch cultivated plants. You can use the spot method, in which only weeds are treated with a brush.
Important point! Any herbicide has a detrimental effect on chickweed, but it is better to choose selective agents with the least toxicity.
The herbicide “Lontrel 300” is popular among summer residents. It is quickly absorbed by the stems and leaves of the weed, then penetrates the root system. The effect of the drug begins after 2 hours.
Weeds die within two weeks. "Lontrel" is a moderately toxic chemical, which means it is relatively safe for humans and animals. Completely decomposes in soil after 4 months.
Along with this drug, Propolol, Axial, and Tornado are used. All herbicide preparations are used strictly according to the instructions using personal protective equipment. Weed control is carried out in dry, windless weather.
Prevention means
Timely weed control will help prevent it from spreading throughout the garden. It is recommended to prepare the planting area in the fall. The earth is dug up with ash added to the soil, and all weeds and their roots are selected.
In the spring, the beds are weeded at the first appearance of woodlice, before it grows. The soil is regularly loosened. These methods of agricultural technology are not difficult to apply in summer cottages, but they give good results.
Potential Difficulties
The use of chemical components may be potentially dangerous. This is why they require considerable caution. After the component used has taken effect, it should be removed from the treatment site. Children, family members with allergies, and pets should be moved to another place for the period of insect control.
The person handling synthetic products must wear a mask and gloves. Windows must be left open. It is believed that chlorine and quicklime have the greatest effect on wood lice.
Midges: where does the blood-sucking insect live?
Midlings breed and go out in search of prey at certain times of the day, and the place where the maximum number of individuals lives is characterized by special weather conditions.
Blood-sucking insects prefer to live and lay eggs in areas with high humidity. For these purposes, they choose coastal zones, shallow areas of open water bodies, forest litter, tree hollows and wetlands. Larvae form from eggs after 3-6 days, and after another 14 days they enter the pupal stage, which lasts up to one week. During the year, biting midges lay eggs up to five times; wintering takes place at the larval or egg stage. The insects do not fly long distances, and adults live close to the breeding site.
Adult biting midges prefer to establish shelter in natural biotopes: caves, burrows, and vegetation. They hide in the crown of trees, tall grass, and bushes. Insects are often found in large numbers in premises for farm animals.
High attack activity by biting midges is observed in calm weather at optimal air temperatures (+7+16°C). Humidity is not a significant factor. Bright sunlight reduces the motor activity of blood-sucking insects; they prefer to attack in very low and low light levels. Thus, the maximum number of bites is recorded in the early morning and evening. This indicator correlates with the daily rhythm of midges.
