In our houses and apartments, you can often see uninvited guests: ants, midges, cockroaches, spiders and wood lice. The list goes on, because illegal tenants infiltrate our homes without permission and confuse the owners. Frequent uninvited guests in the bathroom, toilet and kitchen are wood lice.
Woodlice are small insects that appear in places of high humidity. In nature, they live in wood and in places where it is always humid. These are reservoirs, swamps, stones in the water. If woodlice has appeared in a residential area, this is not a very pleasant neighborhood, often people are worried about the appearance of "guests" and want to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Where are wood lice in the bathroom?
Woodlice - belong to the class of crustaceans, the order isopods. It turns out that the small inhabitants of the bathroom are relatives of crabs and crayfish. They are small, have a scaly body of a convex shape, on the sides of which the eyes are located. The outer antennae of the insect are the same length as the body.
There are many types of wood lice: in the premises you can see white, gray and brown insects. On the back of some, you can see patterns similar to hieroglyphs. Each segment of the shell has legs. Woodlice are at first glance harmless creatures, but insidious. As soon as they sense the slightest danger, they curl up into a ball, pretending to be dead.
They cannot exist without water, because they have gills. The female lays up to 70 eggs, bears babies in numerous folds of the abdomen for 25 days. As soon as the time comes, live individuals hatch from the eggs, which are immediately able to move and explore the surroundings.
The average life span of insects is within a year. They perfectly adapt to different living conditions, choose wet and poorly ventilated areas. In nature, woodlice live in humid places, hide during daylight hours, and go in search of food when it gets dark. In nature, there are about 4500 species of woodlice and they are all able to adapt to different living conditions.
If woodlice appear in the apartment, this suggests that the house has damp basements and attics, since these crustaceans can easily move along the ventilation duct in search of damp corners where they will be comfortable. In the high-risk zone there are apartments located on the first and last floors. If you see an insect in the bathroom, you live on the first floor, then this means that the basement is damp in the house. If they settled on the top floor in the bathroom, the roof is leaking in the house. Therefore, first of all, if wood lice appear in the bathroom, it is necessary to examine the technical rooms.
Favorable conditions for breeding:
- Damp cellars.
- Wet attics if the roof is leaking.
- The owners of apartments and houses can themselves bring unwanted guests into the house along with houseplants and vegetables. If in the summer, pots with plants were exhibited outside or taken to a summer cottage, it is likely that woodlice have settled in the ground.
- Insects love to settle in sewer tunnels, as well as in places where it is humid and damp.
- Insects choose moist and warm rooms, therefore they often settle in bathrooms and toilets. In addition, they can exist in flowerpot trays, in baseboards and wall joints.
Woodlice in the bathroom. Photo
Brief definition
Woodlouse is a small crustacean, whose dimensions are on average 10-12 millimeters., however, in some cases, individuals are found larger, up to 18 millimeters. The body is gray, in some cases dark, almost black, although there are also practically white specimens, the carapace is 7-segment, slightly plastic, rounded. Each segment has its own pair of legs (7 pairs of legs in total).
On the small head of the crustacean, there are two pairs of antennae (one pair is long, noticeable, and the second is underdeveloped), the eyes are placed on the sides. At the end of the body there are tactile organs, similar to 2 small ponytails-appendages.
Wood lice got in the bathroom - is it dangerous?
In addition to the unpleasant fact that woodlice are crawling in the bathroom and toilet room, for people and pets, they do not pose any threat. Some people believe that crustaceans are capable of transmitting infection on thin legs, but this fact has not been proven by scientists.
Woodlice are very dangerous for indoor plants, as they destroy the root system of house flowers. Insects are especially dangerous for orchids, in 2 weeks they are able to eat the roots, thereby destroying the plant!
It is simply necessary to destroy woodlice in residential premises, even though they do not bite. But, according to some scientists, crustaceans, moving through sewers and apartments, can carry fungus and lichen. But these diseases pose a great danger to pets and people. In addition, the very appearance of insects causes hostility and disgust. And if every time, as soon as the light is turned on, a person encounters wood lice, which become active from the bright light and try to hide in a secluded corner, a person may even get a nervous breakdown! Therefore, wood lice in the bathroom and toilet should be disposed of as soon as possible.
Homemade recipes
A simple remedy for killing wood lice is table salt. The containers are placed around the perimeter of the bathroom, the contents are periodically changed.
Other proven remedies will help to get rid of wood lice: alum, borax, boric acid. Dry powder is scattered near the sink, behind the toilet, under the bathroom and near the risers. With an aqueous solution of boric acid, you need to wipe the plumbing, floor, walls, repeating the procedure 1-2 times a week. Charcoal will help reduce moisture, it is poured into flat saucers and placed in different corners of the room.
Spraying with “Whiteness” gives a good effect, this agent not only destroys insects, but also whitens plumbing fixtures. It can also be used to process ventilation grilles. An alternative is a weak solution of any drug containing chlorine. There are contraindications, these drugs can provoke allergies or respiratory diseases.
Woodlice fight in the bathroom
Have wood lice in the bathroom? This means that the indoor environment is favorable for the development of these creatures. It's time to act immediately, without postponing until later, as every day they can become more and more.
How to get wood lice out of the bathroom:
- It is necessary to dry the room: put a fan in the room or a heater. Make sure that the bathroom door is not constantly closed, especially immediately after water procedures.
- Treatment of a dry room with wood lice remover in the bathroom: take 2 parts of bread kvass (dry) and 1 part of freshly boiled water.The resulting solution must be poured into a container with a spray bottle and sprayed liberally in the places where you saw wood lice most of all.
- After 8 hours have passed, the entire room must be treated with chlorine solution. To cook like this: we take 40 g of bleach, dissolve in 1 liter of water, work with gloves, do not close the door to the bathroom when you handle the room.
- In addition to the above methods, in the fight against home woodlice in the bathroom, the following remedy also helps: add 1 tablespoon of water to 1 liter of water. hot pepper, treat the bathroom with this solution.
- In the kitchen, in the toilet and bathroom, it is necessary to decompose table salt, and in places of mass concentration of crustaceans, spray boric acid dissolved in water (10 g of acid per 500 ml of water).
- Arrange a place for a mass accumulation of white wood lice in the bathroom, deliberately placing wet brooms in the corners. In the morning, all that remains is to collect the individuals, shake them off the brooms into a bucket with chlorine solution or boric acid.
- If indoor plants are affected: remove the contaminated soil, rinse the roots of the plant thoroughly under running warm water, dry.
These methods will allow you to get rid of arthropods in living quarters only if you first eliminate the source of moisture.
Preventive measures
Where woodlice appear in the bathroom and what attracts them, you already know. The disturbed microclimate of the room, lack of cleaning and light are three reasons for being close to them. Therefore, it is necessary to take up the destruction with the elimination of favorable conditions for them.
Cleaning
Throw away old sponges, napkins, rugs, rubbish. Wipe down all surfaces, including walls, under sinks, tubs, and plumbing. Better to do this with some kind of detergent. It is not necessary to repeat this cleaning every day. Enough - once a week or a little less.
Dry the bathroom and keep it that way. After using the shower or sink, wipe off drips on the floor, wall, and surrounding objects. Try to follow this rule at least once a day. Check all pipes for faults and replace leaks. The slightest leak will delay the process for a long time.
Access limitation
How to get wood lice out of the bathroom and toilet so that they do not appear again? One of the most effective means is to seal all cracks and close the ventilation with a fine mesh. Repair any leaks and inspect the floor and walls for cracks. If there are any, seal them with silicone sealant. Also close the cracks between the tub, sink and wall. Plumbing gaps can be sealed with alabaster or polyurethane foam. Perhaps the source of the invasion is not in your apartment. Examine the ventilation mesh for holes?
Creation of a favorable microclimate
Leave the bathroom door open and ventilate the apartment after every water treatment or at night. Check if the ventilation is working well. This can be done with a paper strip. Open the windows and the door, bring the sheet to the hood. If it sticks to the hole, then everything is fine. A turned on heated towel rail or heater helps a lot - the water will dry faster from their heat. If possible, avoid drying large amounts of clothing indoors.
How else can you get rid of wood lice in the bath
Traditional methods of struggle may not cope with the invasion of woodlice, therefore it is necessary to use special preparations. But first, you need to isolate children and pets for a while in order to treat the room with chemicals.
Effective drugs in the fight against woodlice - insects in the bathroom:
- gel-bait "Schabengel" - after destruction, immobilized individuals must be collected and discarded.Means of universal action, suitable for the destruction of other species of arthropods that live in residential premises;
- universal dichlorvos "Varan";
- tillage it is worth purchasing preparations "Thunder" or "Thunder-2", "Ideal".
To treat the room and soil from wood lice, you must carefully follow the recommendations specified in the instructions, do not exceed the dosage, ventilate the room, use protective equipment (mask, gloves).
Where do they breed?
Quite often, the owner of the dwelling does not even assume about the presence of uninvited visitors. Woodlice prefer moist air and hide well... They lead an intensive lifestyle only at night. Most often they can be found in places where damp rags are stored, in black corners, under tiles or baseboards. If water regularly drips from the sewer pipes or you are flooded by neighbors, wood lice will soon appear.
For the life of these insects, special conditions are necessary, contained in a significant humidity of the air, the absence of light. Under such conditions, they reproduce quickly and live well. After they can form a feeling of insect invasion, but this does not last long.
An integrated approach from wood lice in the bathroom
If, after several treatments, wood lice do not become smaller, it is necessary to approach the solution of the problem in a comprehensive manner:
- Get rid of completely moisture in the bathroom and toilet. Throw away the trash that has accumulated under the bathroom.
- Repair the ventilation hole: clean and install a new grille, seal the seams.
- If there is weak ventilation in the bathroom, install a forced one - put a fan and turn it on after water procedures in order to dry the room faster.
- Check the pipes, if they are leaking, replace these sections. It is advisable to replace metal pipes with plastic ones, since condensation does not accumulate on them.
- Replace faulty plumbing.
- All cracks in the kitchen, corridor and in the bathroom must be sealed, through which small insects can climb into the home.
There is no 100% guarantee that even while maintaining ideal cleanliness and ventilation of the room, wood lice will not appear. Since in an apartment building it is difficult to fight them alone. Therefore, at the first detection of uninvited guests, it is necessary to connect neighbors so that measures are taken in each apartment. And in order to clear the basement and attic of arthropods, you will have to seek help from special organizations.
Prevention of the appearance of wood lice in the bathroom
We already know why and where insects come to our homes, we know how to deal with them. Information will not be superfluous for those who have already gone all the way and got rid of insects. Now it is important to prevent them from reoccurring.
What you need to know:
- we maintain cleanliness in the bathroom / toilet room, as soon as moisture appears - we eliminate it by any means: turn on forced ventilation, open the doors, turn on air dehumidifiers or a heater;
- when growing indoor plants, we make sure that water does not stagnate in the pan;
- dirty dishes need to be washed on time, and garbage should be taken out as often as possible;
- wash linen and wet towels immediately to the balcony, do not dry in the bathroom;
- The bathroom floor should always be dry, pay attention to hard-to-reach places, clean the baseboards so that dust does not accumulate in a humid environment, creating a breeding ground for intruders.
Remember that it is easier not to fight with wood lice in residential premises, but to prevent their appearance.
How to make baits and traps yourself
Making traps with your own hands will help eliminate parasites and keep your home clean.
Woodlice prefer to feast on garden plants, so they often inhabit flower pots. To make a trap, take raw roots, cut out the core and place it near the plant.In the morning, the bait is thrown away along with the arthropods.
Moss will help trap insects at night. It is soaked and placed over the entire area of the pest's habitat overnight. In the morning, the moss is burned or shaken out, depending on the need for subsequent use.
In order to prevent the re-spread of insects, follow the recommendations:
Pay special attention to the state of ventilation, monitor ventilation. When cleaning the bathroom, they thoroughly wipe hard-to-reach places: areas under the bathroom, toilet bowl and sink. Moisture and dampness are what attracts insects. They take care of houseplants, avoiding excess accumulation of liquid on the trays. Plumbing repairs are carried out in a timely manner.
Maintaining the hygiene of the bathroom and toilet will eliminate the likelihood that wood lice will settle in the home.
To understand how to get rid of wood lice in the bathroom, you need to know what they are. This will help you distinguish them from other animals. You will know the living conditions, the characteristics of the organism and prevent their reappearance in your home. These are small, 10-18 mm, brisk representatives of crustaceans. They have dark gray, brown, sometimes white oval bodies, antennae and seven pairs of legs, due to which they move quickly.
In nature, these animals love very humid places with a minimum of sunlight and feed on organic matter. You can meet them under stones, logs, overturned boats. What do they find in human habitation?
