Gluttonous wood lice. What do crustaceans eat and can they be poisoned?

Sometimes in our homes you can meet unpleasant guests, and wood lice are one of them. Many people very much relate fancy to the latter, whereas in reality, it belongs to a subtle type.

The question arises that they are so attracted to our homes. This nimble pest got its name for craving for places with abundant water content.

These creatures aesthetically disgust most women. Below we will consider this issue in more detail.

What do crustaceans eat?

Consider what crustaceans eat in a different environment.

1. In wild nature. Woodlice well take root in nature. After all, this is where the right environment for life is located. They feed on plant debris, moisture, moss, and even the remains of living organisms.
2. What do they eat in the bathroom? Since woodlice love humidity, of course they are quite often found in bathrooms. There they feed on soapy deposits, residual water, and dirt. They love to live in various dark corners. More information about the causes of wood lice in the bathroom and toilet, as well as how to deal with them in these places, can be found here.
3. In the kitchen. In the kitchen, woodworms usually take root next to water pipes. They often have abundant condensation, which very attracts these insects.

   Also a favorite place in the kitchen is a garbage bin located under the sink. It is there that you can find a variety of leftovers of food products that become excellent food for this type of crustacean.

4. What do they eat in the apartment? Often woodworms appear in apartments, where there is a large number of different indoor plants. These insects are very attracted to plant leaves and young shoots.

   The moistened soil in flower pots is a pleasant environment for living and nourishing woodlice. They can also find food for themselves on balconies and loggias, where last year's leaves are located. And in the pantries and food storage rooms there may be leftover products that also attract these crustaceans. The closet can also be used as a place to live for insects, in which poorly dried clothes and clothes are stored.

5. What do they eat in a private house? For them, greenhouses and greenhouses will be the perfect place. When gardeners do not cultivate the land in a timely manner, then the insects will eat young shoots and gnaw the root system of plants. Namely, this will lead to the death of cultivated crops.

   A private well attracts the attention of these crustaceans. A chic oasis for them is mold forming in puddles. Insects enjoy eating it.

6. In garages, attics, cellars. It is in these places that woodlice find food. When it rains outside, very often the cellar and the underground can flood with water. It settles on the walls and dampness appears. Woodlice are very fond of such a habitat.

   In addition, as a rule, potato, carrot, beetroot and other vegetables, which are very suitable as food, are stored in such places. In the basements of apartment buildings, where pipes can often leak, the walls are covered with moss and mold.

   Insects can enter the apartment from attics, in which there are small clicks. Through these slots, water periodically enters when it rains. During the summer period, heavy rainfall favors the development of wood lice and, accordingly, a warm and humid climate attracts wood lice.

   In garages, mold and, sometimes, fungus also often appear that interest wood lice. When the food ends, they move to another place.

Can they be poisoned?

Living in the same area with wood lice is at least very unpleasant. There are various ways to combat these crustaceans. Commonly used folk or chemical agents. If unpleasant guests appeared in the apartment, then this indicates an increased humidity in the room (for more information about why woodworms appear in apartments and how to get rid of them, we tell here).

One of the easiest ways to get rid of wood lice is to dry the whole house.get rid of moisture. But sometimes this is not enough. It is then that you will have to use proven methods that will help get rid of adversity. Woodlice do not tolerate alkali and acid, dryness and high temperatures.

Independently at home, it is recommended to use the following chemicals and agents:

• Aerosols insecticidal. Sold in spray cans (e.g. Combat, Varan, Raptor, Dichlorvos). It is best to use such products in small-sized rooms. Since the spray cans are not enough for a large space.
• Water Soluble Pesticides (Taran, Tetrix, Get, etc.). It is these funds that are used in professional pest control. They allow you to destroy pests at low cost over a vast territory.
• Powder formulations (Clean House, Riapan, Neopin, Phenaxin). They are used as follows: scattered on the floor of the place in which woodlice live and wait. However, they have a minus. It consists in the fact that against insects that crawl along the walls, they are not effective. Therefore, they can only be used in an aggregate war, together with other drugs.
• Insecticidal pencils or crayons. Pencils are convenient for use on the walls. It is very effective to use chalk as a barrier. When the wood louse crosses the line from the chalk, she will die.
• Gels (Absolute, Fasgel, Klinbeyt). Excellent preparations, in terms of effectiveness, can be compared to crayons.

There are folk ways to kill insects. Such methods are quite widely used:

1. You need to mix boric acid and water. Acids need to take 10 grams per 500 ml of water.
2. You can mix hot peppers, soda and tobacco in equal quantities (3 g of each compound ingredient is taken per liter of boiling water).
3. One hundred grams of dry kvass is diluted in 500 ml of liquid.

More information about the causes of wood lice in houses and apartments, as well as effective ways to deal with them, can be found in a separate article.

Who eats crustaceans in wildlife?

In the world around, wood lice have almost no enemies. But still, some animals feed on them. Hedgehogs, lizards and moles are happy to feed on these crustaceans. Among lizards, there is a species that feeds only on wood lice. For moles, these insects are a favorite treat.

Of course, wood lice are very unpleasant and I do not want to meet them in everyday life, much less live in the same territory. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to monitor the serviceability of pipes, sewers and hygiene in the apartment. And if nevertheless they appeared, it is worth immediately starting an active struggle.