How do I kill Woodlice in my garden?

How do I kill Woodlice in my garden?

Woodlice trap – pieces of cut potato, orange peels, strawberries and grated cheese, wrapped up in a damp newspaper. Put the bait in a damp area of your garden and leave it until woodlice come to infest it. After they do, just collect the trap and dispose of it.

Why do I have lots of woodlice in my garden?

A Woodlice tend to nibble stems, aerial roots and growing points. Woodlice are actually related to seaside crabs, and don’t move far away from damp spots. Shady damp gardens with plenty of cover under furniture, mulch, containers and plant material are ideal for woodlice.

Are Woodlice harmful in the garden?

Woodlice feed largely on damp decomposing plant material and are therefore useful recyclers in the garden. Woodlice do not usually damage healthy plants, they can however become associated with damage which has other causes such as slug damage or plants that have died and begun to rot.

What causes woodlice infestation?

Normally, damp areas attract woodlice but in most cases, these crustaceans enter your home by accident and are found just wandering around. Woodlice may be found anywhere in your home but most commonly will be found on the ground floor having entered via poor seals around doors and windows or through air vents.

Why do Woodlice come out at night?

Like their aquatic relatives they do not have a waxy body covering so they easily dry out. This is why woodlice hide away in cool, damp places during the day and come out at night.

What will kill Woodlice?

Woodlice can be killed using ant and insects powders – just sprinkle the area where they live with the powder (following the manufacturer’s instructions) and they’ll soon be dead. Powders are also advisable rather than sprays if the infestation is near electricity plugs or in kitchens.

Why do woodlice prefer damp?

Woodlice thrive in dark, damp, cooler conditions, typically under logs and concrete slabs where the sun cannot reach directly. This preference is mainly due to their inefficient water-storage system. If exposed to heat or light for too long, woodlice can die due to the dramatic loss of water.

What temperature do woodlice prefer?

They were more abundant in cooler regions of the box. Therefore they seem to prefer cooler temperatures within the range of 21 C-25 C.

Do Woodlice like heat?

When the weather gets warmer, woodlice search for damp, cooler spots to live in. You may not think your home is damp and cold, but for them, a slightly rotting window frame or skirting board can be perfect.

Do Woodlice have a preference for the dark soil or the light leaves or neither?

Woodlice usually show a preference for a damp environment. Given a choice of light or dark, they usually show a preference for dark.

What is a choice chamber?

choice chamber A device that offers small invertebrates two or more contrasting environments (e.g. differing in humidity, temperature, illumination, or pH) and allows them to move freely into the one they prefer.

How do you use a choice chamber?

The choice chamber should offer woodlice two environments: damp or dry. 2 Position a lamp so that it illuminates the choice chamber and both sides are brightly lit. 3 Place 10–20 woodlice in the choice chamber. 4 Observe their final positions.

Why do Woodlice move away from light?

To prevent this, woodlice have an in-built behaviour which drives them to move and turn more often if they detect that they are in dry conditions or exposed to light. They move more slowly, and turn less, in low light and moist areas.

What stimuli do Woodlice respond to?

Woodlice usually show a preference for a damp environment. Given a choice of light or dark, they usually show a preference for dark. It could be interesting to establish which preference is stronger – dark or damp.

How do Woodlice lose water?

INTRODUCTION Woodlice lose water rather rapidly by transpiration into unsaturated air (Edney, 1951). Partially desiccated woodlice can also be observed to take up water from droplets or from wet filter-paper by immersion of either the mouthparts or the terminal appendages (uropods).