Have you found an inconspicuous insect in your bathroom that frightens you with its terrifying appearance and unexpectedly fast movements? This is unpleasant, but you must understand that you are actually dealing with evolving crayfish that long ago changed their permanent habitat (water) to land. These are woodlice (Oniscidea). Despite the evolutionary transformation, the organism of these “natural objects” cannot completely abandon moisture. Therefore, if you want to see such interesting creatures that resemble armadillos, look under a stone, a fallen tree, in your cellar or under your bathtub. Most likely you will find them there. Naturally, in connection with the emergence of such a neighborhood, many are interested in the question: why do wood lice appear in the apartment - why are they harmful?

Woodlice model - this is what it really looks like

The life of woodlice - it's useful to know

Types of woodlice can be divided into running, crawling, clinging, and curling forms. To understand behavior and lifestyle, you need to figure out what class the woodlice belongs to. This is one of rare species crustaceans measuring 10-18 mm, which in the process of its evolution managed to adapt to life on land. In the classification they are listed as an order of isopods, a family of crustaceans. Therefore, it is a mistake to say that woodlice is an insect.

The habitat of isopods is mainly sea coasts and freshwater bodies of water, although many members of the family have long adapted to life on land. There are about 250 species of such arthropods. This explains what woodlice looks like.

Distinctive features

• Although she is “related” to cancer, she does not have such huge claws.
• The upper jaws have no tentacles at all.
• On the sides of the small head are visible large eyes and two pairs of antennae.
• Seven pairs of limbs run equally fast.
• Protection from external enemies and natural factors provides fairly dense flat chitinous scutes. There are seven of them. Thanks to them, woodlice have adapted to live in crevices, under stones and tree bark.
• The body is slightly convex, segmented. Each section (segment) is equipped with a pair of legs.
• On the abdomen in the rear part, 6 articulated segments are clearly visible. Here, on the abdomen, there are gills - the respiratory organs of land crustaceans.

The chitinous shell protects arthropods from many enemies

Interesting. The shields are superimposed one on top of the other tiled roof. Thanks to the flexible body, in case of danger, these plates fold up, forming a lump protected on all sides, inside of which there are paws, a tender abdomen, and a head.

Habitats

It is found in all landscape areas. Adaptability to a particular area of ​​residence explains the difference in body colors. It varies from gray, steel, to light and dark shades of brown. Lifestyle is nocturnal. The rest of the time, the woodlice hides from light, dry air in dark and damp places. Crayfish live for about two years. Their largest populations are observed in the steppes. There, the land crayfish feeds at night on plants or their decaying remains. In them he also draws the moisture necessary for breathing.

What does it feed on

In the limited volumes of an apartment there is not such a variety of “pickle pickles” as in open nature. However, for an unpretentious crustacean, a person’s home has what woodlice eat:

• leftover food in the trash can;
• dust and mucus in the corners of the bathroom and toilet;
• young shoots and leaves ornamental plants in flower pots.

Precisely low-calorie plant food, its dying and rotting parts form the basis of the diet. It is easy to process and assimilate even the coarsest shoots; the roots are helped by special bacteria in the esophagus of crustaceans.

How do woodlice get into an apartment?

In nature, land crustaceans actively live and reproduce in basements, manure and garbage heaps, under fallen and rotting leaves, in tree hollows, and under large stones. In a private yard, their habitat is a greenhouse, a greenhouse, a greenhouse. But where do woodlice come from in an apartment?

Yes, from the same basements, seeping through cracks in the floor. From trash cans. They are introduced with soil mixture for flowers and on root crops purchased in a store or market. And there is also ventilation shafts, cracks, sewer pipes, risers with condensate-covered pipes through which crustaceans migrate from apartment to apartment in search of food, moisture, and warmth. Exactly comfortable temperature(19°C-24°C) apartments is the second reason for moving from cool basements and attics to houses. This is how animals occupy the bathroom, toilet, and the space under the kitchen sink.

The growth in the number of arthropods is also influenced by how many times the woodlice bears fruit in its life. This can happen in two ways. Young larvae can develop from unfertilized eggs (parthenogenesis). Or reproduction occurs sexually. The female carries eggs on her chest, hidden in a pouch, holding it with her numerous legs. Over time, the eggs hatch into offspring that are in no hurry to leave the sac until they grow up. Females can also lay eggs in loose, moist soil, for example, in greenhouses.

Important! If apartment owners are increasingly encountering land crustaceans at night, it means that the microclimate has changed and the humidity in which woodlice live (which is what causes them to start) in the room has increased.

Woodlice in the apartment: what to expect from them?

Among the many thousands of species, the house woodlice lives in the human home. Its varieties are: rough (cellar) and ordinary (armadillo). Armadillidium vulgare (common) is a rare guest in apartments. She is most attracted to cellars, basements and heating mains. Leads a measured, leisurely existence. The rough type of crustaceans, on the contrary, settles in apartments. Unlike “armadillos,” they run quickly, covering the spans between floors. If the common woodlouse curls up into a ball at a danger signal, then its rough “namesake,” in such cases, on the contrary, bends in the hope of freeing itself from its grip and running away.

Very often, woodlice penetrate into apartments on the first floors, especially if moisture collects in the foundation

Arthropods are characterized by vitality and the ability to adapt to low humidity conditions. The biggest nuisance from woodlice in apartments is eating plants. There is an opinion that they are considered carriers of the fungus. What is dangerous about woodlice even in an apartment, more precisely, on balconies and loggias where vegetables and fruits are stored in winter, is the spoilage of fruits. In search of food and moisture, they eat passages in the form of irregular shape holes. The cavities turn out to be quite deep, like those left behind by snails. Only in the case of crustaceans there is no mucus characteristic of snails.

Woodlice is a specific pest that is mistaken for an insect.

In fact, this creature has adapted over centuries of evolution to live on land, but to breathe through gills. That is why arthropods are classified as crustaceans.
He prefers to live where it is humid, warm and there is something to profit from.

The favorite places of these land crustaceans are places where it is always warm (23-25C), damp and dark: bathrooms, toilets, pantries, ironing rooms, balconies, indoor greenhouses.

Woodlice appear only where they are disturbed sanitary standards regarding air humidity. This is especially true for the first and top floors apartment buildings, since insects enter the premises through cracks from basements, attics, and adjacent buildings (for example, an extension to a balcony).

Certainly, significant harm These arthropods will not harm the health of household members, but domestic wood lice are very active creatures and, if desired, can destroy plants or spoil supplies of vegetables.

Since the appearance of the crustacean is very unpleasant, at the first meeting a reasonable question arises: “Does the woodlice bite?” Don't be afraid - these arthropods are absolutely safe for humans, but being around them is unlikely to be comfortable!

If at least one individual appears in the house, then you need to immediately check the integrity of the sewerage and water supply systems and take corrective measures high humidity in the room where woodlice live.

In general, a person’s acquaintance with miniature crustaceans can also have positive aspects, since such unexpected meeting will become an incentive to improve the family’s living conditions.

Woodlice, the main part of which live in water and only about 250 species of crustaceans were able to evolve and adapt to life on land, however, for a normal life they need a large number of moisture.

That's why Only the most unpretentious species , since this is far from the best habitat for them. Let's look at what types of woodlice can most often be found in apartments.

Photo

Below you can see a photo of a domestic woodlice close-up, where you can see what the insect that is found in the apartment and other residential premises looks like.

Common woodlouse armadillo

It is found primarily in damp basements and storage rooms.

Rough

Prefers residential and wet areas. Very fast, therefore capable of covering long distances in a short period of time, often moving from the basement to the apartment. She loves to live in the bathroom, especially in the corners where mold appears, this is her favorite treat. Periodically, it sheds its upper and lower shell, which is interesting; it also serves as food for woodlice.

White

It is small in size (about 6 mm). Prefers to live in the bathroom, in dark corners.

You can learn more about white woodlice.

Body size

The body is convex, the size varies from 1 mm in length to 10 cm, covered with hard chitinous bristles that protect against numerous predators.

Description

Considering the appearance of woodlice, we can highlight the following characteristic features of them:

• On the back of some types of crustaceans there are ornate patterns.
• The head is clearly defined, turning into the chest, on which there are two antennae and eyes.
• How many legs does an insect have? The legs are well adapted for walking - seven pairs (the last pair of abdominal limbs perform tactile, supporting or protective functions or serves to absorb water).
• At the end of the body there are tactile organs that look like two small appendage tails.
• The respiratory organs resemble gills, allowing them to survive in difficult conditions.

Attention! Small representatives of this species initially have twelve legs, not fourteen.

What are they?

Today, woodlice are divided depending on their size.

Little ones

They live mainly in residential areas and damp places. plant waste, mold, moss. Small bifurcated tubes on the last pair of limbs absorb moisture. Due to the presence of pores in the shell, secretions leave the body as ammonia vapor, and not in the form of liquid urine.

Body color depends on the environment, so they can be blue, yellow, pink. The sizes of small wood lice range from 1 mm to 1 centimeter.

Large

The appearance of large woodlice is identical to the small one, but the size can reach 4 centimeters. An example of such a woodlice is the tongue one.

Gigantic

There are nine species of giant woodlice, some of them larger than a man's palm., and the largest “sea cockroach” is up to ten centimeters. In addition, a huge individual, like ordinary crayfish, lives not on land, but in the depths of water, being classified as deep-sea inhabitants. How do they look? Outwardly, they are the same as the usual woodlice, only much more bigger size.

Who can you confuse with?

Among the insects, which in their own way appearance resemble wood lice, the following are distinguished:

1. Kivsyak Crimean - centipede, which lives in southern Russia, usually disguises itself as woodlice and lives in cellars.
2. Silverfish, woodlice is often confused with it. These insects have an elongated body that tapers from head to tail. At the back you can see three tails that look like thin hairs. If you look closely, you can easily catch the resemblance to a fish fry.

   Silverfish are nocturnal and feed organic substances: mold, wet paper, food waste, synthetic fiber, and even in times of famine they do not disdain their dead brothers. They reproduce very slowly, unlike woodlice.

Attention! Woodlice process all kinds of waste as earthworms, benefiting the environment. They are also food for lizards, spiders, and toads.

Occasionally, at home, colonies of woodlice are specially grown and then used as food for exotic animals.

According to everyone known facts about wood lice, we can conclude that they are not carriers of infections, do not damage furniture, do not eat food, are completely safe, but on the contrary, they try to stay as far away as possible. Of course, living in an apartment, they do not evoke sympathy. But before you start fighting, you should think about the benefits and harms of them. Perhaps the cause of their occurrence should be eliminated rather than trying.

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ATTENTION: It turned out that these pests acquired their name due to the fact that they choose to settle in damp places. As a rule, woodlice are more nocturnal, hiding during the day in wet trays or in the corners of greenhouses, verandas, balconies, and terraces.

What are they eating?

How to get rid of them?

Modern substances effectively fight against unwanted apartment dwellers.

Thus, the following resources may well help against woodlice:

1. Schabengel. Gel bait in a convenient package that allows you to process even hard to reach places. Also suitable for eliminating cockroaches, ants, and other insects. A 30 gram package is enough to treat 3 rooms.
2. Tarax. Good remedy against woodlice, this can be used to control domestic insects. The packaging is enough to treat a room of 60 square meters. The drug will form a toxic film that poisons the crustacean, but does not destroy it instantly, but gives it the chance to infect its fellow tribesmen. The product is harmless to both people and animals.
3. Varan. Multifunctional dichlorvos, odorless. Works on both flying and crawling insects.
4. Gett. It does not have a strong odor and is almost harmless to residents of the apartment being treated. Also effective against cockroaches and bedbugs.
5. Tetrix. It is quite an expensive product (250 milliliters costs approximately 2000 rubles), however, since in its pure form the drug is in a very concentrated state, so 200 milliliters is enough to treat an apartment of 3 rooms.

IMPORTANT: Using various chemicals against woodlice, you should carefully study the instructions and do not exceed the permitted dose.

Despite the fact that numerous manufacturers assure the unconditional safety of the substance for people, it is better to send small children to their relatives for a couple of days. In addition, you need to be prepared that after treatment, woodlice will quickly crawl around the apartment.

Read more about means of combating woodlice in an apartment.

Who in the wild eats these crustaceans?

But no matter how lurking wood lice are, they are an indispensable link in food chains. And in the face of a significant threat, their chitinous shell and ability to curl up do not help them out. They will become fairly easy prey for the following predators:

Small crustaceans are considered a favorite food for residents of artificial ecosystems, for example, terrariums. They are bred as food for spiders, snakes, and lizards. They are not that nutritious, but they can make changes to the diet of domestic predators. There are no problems with direct breeding of crustaceans; they are not capricious either to food or to the microclimate.

Conclusion

If you have woodlice in your home, don’t be alarmed, because they are harmless.. However, it is quite possible to free yourself from them. To do this, use special means or traditional methods. The basic rule for preventing the occurrence of woodlice is to keep the premises in perfect cleanliness, dryness.

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Many people associate the word woodlice either with a plant or with a disease. It's actually an insect. Like all insects, they play a big role in human life. Whether they bring harm or benefit is the second question, but how do living organisms participate in food chains? Let’s take a closer look at what a woodlouse looks like and what it eats.

The structure of woodlice and its behavior

Woodlice is a land relative of the sea flea. In case of danger, it curls up into a tight ball, and in front of the predator is an unappetizing lump of interlocking skeletal plates.

A simple but effective way to quickly respond to danger nervous system, running along the entire body. Nerve centers - ganglia are located in every segment of the body. The ganglia are connected to each other in pairs, forming the main organs. The brain that receives messages from the senses forms the first three pairs. Behind respiratory system, oral cavity – top part bodies - the following pairs of ganglia respond. And the rest are responsible for the work of the legs. This allows each part of the insect's body to act reflexively, semi-automatically. The behavior of woodlice, like other insects, is a reaction to the world, as well as signals coming from outside. They can thus capture temperature, mechanical vibrations, humidity, odor, even solid objects. This mechanism shows where there is favorable conditions for nutrition and life.

These insects also require darkness and moisture to reproduce. Eggs are most often laid in the soil. The lifespan of one individual reaches two years.

It's hard to believe, but woodlice belongs to the class of higher crayfish, the order of isopods. She is unknown to many, invisible due to her nocturnal lifestyle and small size- only a centimeter in length. Constantly living in darkness, these unique creations cannot focus on an object. Their vision is replaced by two pairs of antennae. Like crustaceans, this creature has an oval, convex body and seven pairs of legs. Accordingly, it’s easy to count how many legs a woodlice has – fourteen.

The woodlice's body has protection - a shell, not like that of a crayfish, but still denser than the rest of the body. Another structural feature is the presence of gills and air cavities for breathing that allow them to survive in any conditions.

Habitat of woodlice in wildlife

Many people have spotted this insect on old wet stumps, under forest snags - these are bugs that live in damp places.

This is why they got their name - they live in a wet place. Favorite places:

• pits;
• lowlands;
• swamps;
• dampness;
• old snags and stumps;
• tree hollows.

Even if it passes heavy rain, the gills will allow the woodlice to survive and also reproduce in such inhospitable conditions.

What do woodlice eat?

Like all representatives of their species, they are cleaners; they feed on organic debris, mold, rot, and can eat living plants.

This is beneficial if the plants are harmful, but when it is an indoor flowerpot or garden culture there is little benefit for humans here.

In human habitation

Woodlice at home most often appears where there is a high concentration of moisture:

1. kitchen - it can take root near sewer pipes, garbage - peeling potatoes and food products the best food for such a neighbor;
2. There is moisture in the bathroom, but there is no food waste. But this is not a hindrance, because where there is moisture, the walls, floor, especially corners, will become covered with mold, and this is a favorite delicacy;
3. indoor flowerpots, most often moisture-loving. The most favorable conditions for life and nutrition are orchids - there is a lot of moisture, wood pieces are suitable;
4. feeder and pet toilet - these places can become an excellent dining room for night residents.

The food of these scavengers is low-calorie and low-fat. Periodically, the insect molts, alternately shedding the upper and lower parts of the shell. The surprising thing is that this is also insect food - a waste-free production.

Outside human habitation

It is not difficult to determine what woodlice feeds in wildlife - nutrition creates environment– remains of plants damaged by moisture, moss, decomposed branches and tree bark, even the remains of dead living organisms, rotten twigs and leaves.

It is believed that woodlice are beneficial by recycling all kinds of waste like earthworms. Outside human habitation, they themselves provide food for frogs, birds, and spiders. Sometimes, at home, colonies of woodlice are even specially grown as live food for exotic pets.

Ways to combat woodlice

If woodlice live in wildlife, it is naturally useless and unnecessary to fight them. These are the general laws of the universe that man cannot change. And the wetland will be unfavorable for planting vegetable crops.

Such neighbors will not do much harm to the garden - as soon as the soil dries, they themselves will go to a more convenient place.

But if wood lice appear in your home, this must be eliminated urgently.

The appearance of woodlice in the house indicates a violation of the microclimate of the room.

At a minimum, this is unpleasant, at a maximum - they are carriers of diseases, fungi, even deprivation, because, living in the sewer, this insect can carry any infection on its paws.

The main rule is to constantly keep your home clean.

Everyone can decide how to deal with woodlice on their own - folk remedies or chemical.