Everyone who has a garden or beautifies their balcony with flower pots knows them, woodlice. They are harmless little animals that like to stay in warm, damp places, for example in cavities in or under flower pots.
Woodlice do not harm humans, but can nibble on plants if they appear in large numbers
Worth knowing about woodlice
These are grey-brown crustaceans that can grow up to 2 cm long. They love high humidity and prefer dark, musty places.
Short profile
- they belong to the land isopods
- they are crustaceans
- there are 50 species in Germany
- they are nocturnal
- their species is millions of years old
- the isopod lives two years
- they are harmless to humans
fight woodlice
Woodlice are useful in the garden because they eat dead plant remains and thus contribute to the formation of humus. However, if they appear en masse in flower boxes, (16.99€) tubs or pots, they can cause damage. Since they cannot find enough dead material to feed on, they also eat seedlings and young plants.
ways to combat
Since these are useful animals, one should not reach for the chemical club. It is best to set up empty pots upside down, fill them with shavings, excelsior or leaves and add bait (any vegetable). The isopods gather in the pot overnight and can be transported outdoors in the morning.
Another way to scare away woodlice is to sprinkle lava rock flour.(14.13€) Flower pots treated in this way are not visited. You can also put the pots on feet. This way there is no damp cavity and the isopods stay away.
Natural predators
Woodlice have enemies in the garden that decimate the population. These include toads, frogs, hedgehogs and various birds. If the infested flower pots are in the garden, the enemies can intervene, but it becomes difficult on a high balcony. Other means must be used here.
Home remedies for woodlice
Certainly there are poisons on the market to combat isopods. However, you should only resort to it in extreme emergencies, since chemicals only damage the natural cycle and are not useful.
Better to use home remedies. First of all, you should make sure that the places where the flower pots are set up are dry. Woodlice don't like drought. Give the isopods other places to stay. Sprinkle lava rock flour on the ground, ground cinnamon is also said to drive away isopods.