Although woodlice are not insects, they share many behaviors with them. This also means that woodlice are increasingly to be found in the house, under the flower pot and in all sorts of other cracks and corners in autumn and winter. The question now rightly arises as to whether Porcellio Scaber, as it is called scientifically, is harmful, or whether it is a matter of annoying but ultimately harmless visitors.
Woodlice in the house & flower pot
A closer look at who is actually crawling there helps to decide whether the unwanted visitors are just annoying or really harmful:
Unexpectedly for many people, woodlice, like woodlice in general, are a crustacean. As such, they have very specific requirements for their ideal living environment:
- humidity
- food
- Darkness
humidity
Woodlice cannot survive without moisture. Water is essential for the animals, both for their own organism and for the rearing of the offspring. The gill-like respiratory system has to be kept constantly moist with a film of water, so that the animals can only survive for a limited time in a very dry environment.
notice: The need for moisture is particularly evident in the way the offspring are reared. Eggs and later juveniles are transported by the female animals in a fluid-filled pouch on the abdomen. In a dry environment, the woodlice cannot multiply and therefore seek out damp or even wet environments, such as those found in flower pots or saucers, as well as in the house.
food
Woodlice particularly like to feed on rotting plant parts. As humus producers, they make a valuable contribution to nature's nutrient cycle. On the other hand, they are not good at using fresh food, such as fruit, vegetables or even processed products. Therefore, the animals can be found in large numbers outdoors, especially in the compost heap. On the other hand, if they get into the house, they prefer organic waste or the proximity of houseplants to human food. In the end, one or the other can always be found in rotting b
notice: If the isopods are in the kitchen, they are usually there because of the high humidity and far more rarely just because of the food supply. The classification as a food pest is usually made on the unfounded basis of disgust in connection with the physical proximity to a good that is particularly worthy of protection - the food.
Darkness
As nocturnal animals, woodlice love the dark. During the day they often hide in dark cracks and crevices, or under leaves and other shielding objects. Only at night do they leave their hiding places in search of food. In the house, the woodlice pick up on these habits and look for similar locations in a targeted manner. That is why they are often found under loose baseboards, in cracks in the floor and wall, or on the dark underside of the flower pot.
Harmful or not?
If you summarize the peculiarities of woodlice, it is easy to understand that they can also find areas in the house that appeal to them. On the other hand, it is also clear that they do not specifically visit the house to infest the food there. Instead, they only look for places within the building that correspond as closely as possible to their natural habitats. Above all, the falling temperatures in autumn and winter drive them into the houses. Similar to many other animals, they seek as few hostile places as possible over the winter.
It can thus be clearly stated that the woodlice may be annoying, but are clearly classified as not harmful. Only in very large numbers it may happen that they attack unrotted food in the absence of other food. However, since the transmission of diseases by woodlice has not been proven to date, it is unlikely that there will be any real harmful effects.
