Where do wood lice come from in the apartment where they live, in what environment, from what they start in the house, what are their favorite places, why do they appear in the bathroom, how to get rid of them?

Woodlice are arthropods, subtypes are crustaceans, and class are higher cancers. Natural habitats are wet land areas, the usual diet is parts of living and decaying plants.

But sometimes you can notice unattractive woodlice in houses and apartments. Why do these crustaceans appear in a person’s home? And also you can find out by what signs it is possible to understand that these small arthropods are wound up in your house.

Where do they live?

A typical habitat for wood lice is wildlife and places as close as possible to the food supply. But some subspecies can settle in private homes and in urban apartments.

In nature

Under natural conditions, woodlice live wherever conditions permit. These crustaceans are unpretentious, they have enough high humidity and food reserves nearby.

The diet of individuals is diverse:

semi-decomposed plants;
root vegetables and vegetables;
healthy and fresh leaves;
spoiled cereals;
rotten vegetables.

About what woodlice eat and whether it is possible to poison them, we tell in more detail here.

Habitat habitats in nature:

loose, moist soil;
natural cavities under stones, stumps and foliage, where moisture is retained;
land areas near ponds, wells;
wetland;
terrain near rain gutters, sewage pits;
roadsides;
landfill sites.

You can find more detailed information about different species of wood lice and their habitats in a special article, and here we told interesting facts about the lifestyle of these insects.

In the apartment

Human housing is an unloved and atypical habitat for wood lice, so in apartments these are rare “guests”. In residential premises, individuals appear only under conditions of excessive humidity. Choose small crustacean moist places:

toilet and bathroom;
in the kitchen under the sink;
air ducts and ventilation passages;
pantries;
sheds;
basements.

Why wind up in a living room and how to eliminate the causes of their appearance?

The following is an overview of the most typical circumstances in which wood lice can live in a human home.

We also talk about what are the causes of the appearance of wood lice in houses and apartments here.

Where does the apartment come from?

Consider where these crustaceans come from in the apartment and how to get rid of them. The main conditions for the appearance are darkness, high humidity, heat. The following circumstances lure into the apartment of wood lice:

in the bathroom wet or wet laundry is stored for a long time;
abundant watering of indoor plants and stagnation of water;
rotting food debris in the bin;
old books that do not open for years;
dirty hidden corners of the apartment;
still water in buckets.

Arthropods can also get into the apartment from neighbors through holes in the walls, ceiling, baseboards, window sills, or through ventilation ducts. Woodlifters, in search of new housing, are crawling into other rooms.

Elimination of causes - keeping the apartment clean and tidy. It is necessary to take out the trash in a timely manner, hang wet things to dry, eliminate all openings on the skirting boards and panels. To control the moisture level in the room, it is recommended to purchase special climate devices. More recommendations on how to get rid of the presence of wood lice in an apartment can be found here.

The reasons for the presence of small crustaceans in a private house

Why do woodworms, which are mistakenly called insects, can appear in a private house? The reasons are identical to those that cause the appearance of wood lice in apartments. But in private homes a few more potential factors are added.

Garage, basement, barn. In these places there is constant dampness, fungus and mold may appear, which attract crustaceans.
Leaking attic where rainwater collects.
Presence of own well, column. In the remaining puddles, wood lice are planted, later crawling into the house.
Rotting wooden structure of a private house.
Greenhouses, greenhouses. Moist soil in these places is an ideal place for reproduction and habitat of wood lice.

Mokrits can be brought into the house along with the harvest from your own garden or on work clothes. But if there are no favorable living conditions for these crustaceans in the room, they will not take root (they will leave or die).

So, if it is dry in a private house, wood lice are not terrible. But for prevention, you can use special chemicals. It is necessary to process cracks, corners, hard-to-reach spots, areas at baseboards with gel-like means (Schabengel, Cucaracha gel, Fas, Klinbait). Drugs will create a protective barrier against small crustaceans.

Why settle in the bathroom?

In this room, the most optimal conditions for the life of woodlice are created.. Minor pipe leaks, the accumulation of condensate on the tiles, and a violation of ventilation are the main reasons that small crustaceans chose the bathroom.

Elimination of the cause - repair of faulty plumbing, improvement of the ventilation system. If the bathroom is dry, wood lice will not be able to live in it, much less reproduce. Therefore, when their favorite dampness is eliminated, then wood lice will leave the premises.

The reasons for the appearance and methods of combating woodlice in the toilet and bathroom are described in more detail in this material.

How to determine the source where arthropods breed?

Often the owners are unaware that the room has got unattractive neighbors in a shell. This is due to the fact that wood lice are well camouflaged (live in the dark, hide during the day, and are active at night). Potential breeding sources for these crustaceans are places with maximum humidity. The habitats of individuals must be sought here:

wet rags and bedding;
damp corners;
area under the tile, under the baseboard;
water and sewer pipes;
in private homes, you still need to check the closets, picking up all the containers with vegetables.

Important! The appearance of wood lice in public places is an alarming signal. These individuals can carry infectious agents (lichen). Also, the presence of small crustaceans indicates a high level of moisture in the room, which in the future can cause the appearance of mold and fungus dangerous to humans.

The first signals that arthropods appear in housing

Possible signal	Explanation
Earth in flower pots.	When infected with wood lice, the soil becomes dense, on its surface there are small white dots.
Dying indoor plants.	This is an indirect symptom. If a wood louse lives in the soil, it feeds on roots or leaves, parts of the plant die off.
We examine the areas near the bin and the kitchen sink.	Woodlice should leave traces of their bowel movements here.

The action that will allow you to accurately determine if there are wood lice in the room or not is to examine the bathroom, damp corners, cracks and cracks in the walls at night with a flashlight.

Woodlice - unpleasant small creatures covered with scaly shell. They live in dark, warm and damp rooms. Usually live in nature, but can also appear in residential premises. Favorite places of small crustaceans are bathrooms, leaking pipes, wet items, damp corners. You can eliminate crustaceans by carrying out a general cleaning and eliminating all leaks. For accurate results, it is recommended to use poisonous anti-woodlice chemicals.