Isopods in the apartment

Woodlice and cockroaches are in many eyes a sign of poor hygiene. But not only in a dirty apartment, but also in very clean and hygienic houses, isopods can nest and make the homeowner uncomfortable.

How to get rid of isopods in the house and apartment

The isopod, also known as the woodlouse, lives where it is warm and humid. For this reason, it is also primarily found in the bathroom or in the kitchen, but less so in the living room or in the bedroom. Food lying around or poorly stored can also be a reason for the woodlice to settle in your own home. Where the woodlouse finds warmth and moisture, but no moisture and sufficient food, it will stay and multiply very quickly.

How does the isopod get into the apartment?

Every homeowner who sees a woodlouse while cleaning, clearing out the closet or just casually looking asks himself this question. The armor made of chitin alone causes goosebumps all over the body and immediately calls all hygienic aspects into question. But this is a mistake. Just because woodlice are in the house does not mean you have to live in the dirt and consider poor hygiene as the reason for settling. Rather, this spontaneously and traditionally handed down thought precludes finding out about the real cause and getting to the bottom of it. Damp walls can be a cause. Food, such as dog or cat food in the bowl, which is preferably placed in the kitchen, is also magically attracted to the isopod. Since isopods are group animals, an animal will rarely be found alone. If you discover an isopod, you can assume an infestation and be prepared for the fact that the pests have arrived in large numbers.

Prevention - this is how you make the apartment unattractive for isopods

Avoiding moisture is one of the most important criteria in prevention. The animal will not stay in a dry room, since it does not find the conditions it needs to live here. Regular airing is also one of the measures that prevent woodlice from entering the house. Fresh air and a lack of moisture already take away two important things that make up the isopod's life and that they need to survive. In the cool season, it is advisable to ventilate the room, since the permanent opening of the windows can cause damp rooms and thus negate the actually well-intentioned improvement of the room climate. Good insulation of the house is an important part of preventing the colonization of woodlice. Since the causes can be found not only in the house, but also in the basement, on the balcony or the terrace, care should be taken here as well.

• Never place flower pots directly on the ground, as moisture forms underneath.
• Avoid cracks in wooden floors that attract moisture.
• Caulk pipes leading to the basement and avoid having gaps in the masonry around the pipe.

In the house itself, these tips are helpful:

• Ventilate after showering or bathing.
• Never put bath mats and wet towels on the floor.
• Ventilate in winter.
• Do not dry laundry in closed basements.

The natural control of woodlice

Even if the disgust of a isopod is very high, one should not consider the chemical mace. With helpful natural resources and the right use, it is possible to spoil the living space for the woodlice and remove them from the house without chemicals. First of all, it is important that all preventive measures are taken immediately, thus ensuring the destruction of the pests' cozy habitat. Since the isopods have already moved in, the following measures help to combat them:

• attach a strip of tape to places where the isopods are more likely to be seen (isopod sticks)
• Place the alcohol in a small bowl or on a flat plate so that the isopod finds its preferred food there and can be taken outside without any problems
• Build food traps: place potatoes, overripe fruit or vegetables in a shallow bowl.

In order to lure woodlice into a feeding trap, all food in the house and apartment must be taken out of the reach of the annoying little creatures. Because the feeding trap attracts them, but only if they cannot find food anywhere else more easily and can therefore walk around the provided feeding trap generously. The feeding trap is very effective in combination with adhesive strips. Should some woodlice move away from the plate, they will stick to the adhesive strip and have no chance of escaping.

Pest infestation or sign with a warning effect

The isopod is not a welcome guest in any house. But those who overcome their disgust and see the arrival of woodlice as a warning signal will in most cases benefit from it positively. Where there are woodlice, it must be damp. Furthermore, the animals are increasingly settling in rooms in which moisture causes the formation of mould. In general, the isopod in the house is a sign that you should check the insulation, look for holes in the masonry and reconsider airing. It is not uncommon for one to come across a cause that one would probably have overlooked for a longer period of time if the isopods had not appeared.

Even if the animal has shown the homeowner the way to a source of damage, the isopod does not have to be granted asylum and can be banished from the house using the methods listed above. Surely you will fight the small animals much more carefully if you have discovered grievances in the house through them and without the woodlice would have run the risk of damp walls or basements, as well as other causes of woodlice colonization overlook.

If you discover an isopod in the house, you should immediately start looking for a cause. In the same breath, you can show the animal the way out in a natural and harmless way and ban it from your home using the methods listed above.

Worth knowing about isopods shortly

External features and special features

• Fully grown isopods are up to 15 mm in size and are light gray to dark gray in color, almost black. The body is flattened.
• Woodlice are afraid of light, nocturnal. In addition, they need moisture on their underside, so they seek out moist spots, especially during the day.
• Otherwise they are not able to breathe at all, because their gills are on their underside.
• Although the isopods left the water as land isopods, they also have lungs, but they cover only five percent of their respiration.
• The female isopod lays her eggs directly in her breast pocket, there can be up to a hundred animals in a year, and that is where her offspring develop.
• The young hatch from the eggs and only leave their mother when they can lead an independent life.
• Isopods are among the animals that count as useful humus producers. However, only small populations are welcome in the garden.
• And in the basement they are not appreciated at all. They seek protection especially behind shelves, under flower pots, stones and between potatoes.
• They generally like to be near moist stored plants and materials.

causes

If not enough food is available, woodlice can cause damage. Because they feed on plants, they will sometimes (particularly when larger populations of isopods are present) eat off young plants in addition to leaves, fungi, and dead plant debris. This is particularly popular in greenhouses. In cellars they also eat fruit, potatoes, bulbs, tomatoes, lettuce and any other vegetable. Especially when the shell is injured or other animals - mice and snails, for example - have already caused damage by eating.

control and prevention

• The natural enemy of the isopod is the toad. However, since not everyone has a toad in their basement or garden, or wants to have one, there are various other ways to combat woodlice. In general, damp spots should be avoided. However, this is not entirely feasible if one pot plants on the terrace has. However, it is possible to lay the terrace slabs on split or the potted plants on special pot feet placed so that air can circulate underneath and the irrigation water can drain and evaporate unhindered can.
• are also recommended fall, which you can set up to get the woodlice under control quickly. hollowed out potatoes or banana peels and orange peels are excellent. The isopods like to gather there and can then be removed in whole groups. Clay pots filled with damp wood shavings act as traps. It is also conceivable to fill a fruit brandy into a flat bowl and set it up. Placing a damp sack is also a tried and tested method. The whole brood is then disposed of together with the sack.

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