Topic: Woodlice

[lgxkls]

How do I get rid of the wood lice in my greenhouse.
Last year they had a feast on my tomatoes and cucumbers and this year have allready started on the radishes I had growing for an early start!
Thanks
Karon

[Ceratonia]

Are you sure it was them?

They prefer to eat rotting vegetation, rather than live plants, which they can't digest so well. They will eat seedlings in the absence of anything else (and they do seem to like strawberries), but they seem to co-exist with tomatoes and cucumbers in my greenhouse happily enough.

You can various pesticides to kill them, but these contain bendiocarb and need to be kept away from the plants themselves. In your greenhouse, you can often control them by removing all dead vegation, tidying up damp corners etc.

[Palustris]

They dislike talcum powder or powdered chalk. The need damp conditions as Ceratonia says. When you find them in the damged fruit, it is more likely they are after the moisture than the tissue. I would have a good look for slugs if I were you.

[grawrc]

Never had any problems with them (famous last words no doubt  :( :()

[lgxkls]

Thanks for the replies -i think you were right and the problem was caused by slugs.
the peabugs were just taking advantage!
Regards
Karon

[Taraven]

If you have a large infestation of them the powdered ant killer is good.  It comes in a 'puffer' container if I remember correctly.  We had a huge infestation of these things many years ago in old walls around the garden.  They got into the (newly erected) greenhouses and often would eat the seedlings.  In the end we had to take drastic measures to get rid of millions of them. After trying several things we found the ant killer which did work.

Taraven

[jennym]

Again though, as Ceratonia has said previously, the powder products also should not be used on food crops. Some contain Bendiocarb. Nippon ant powder for example contains Permethrin. None of these are permitted for use on food crops.

[Taraven]

Aaaaargh, sorry, I stepped in there and put my great, big, clumsy foot right in it (as usual).  That'll teach me to read the thread more carefully.  The infestation we had were not bothering our food crops but were in the garden walls...wellaway from any edible crops.  I wouldn't use anything like this around my edibles or where birds/animals/children have easy access.
Sorry about that  :-X

Taraven

[carloso]

You know im sure when i have been watching Gradens world with Geoff Hamilton mentioned them, and mentioned that they where more of a plus than a minus to the garden !!

ok not constructive but a little informational lol  maybe a pond would help out read below forg etc love em i think that balance of life comes into it again, If your allotments are anything like the ones near me it seems that all concentrate on growing the crops than anything else meaning dig in the manure and no other considerations taken into account !

shame but there ya go

Carl

Information :-

Predators
Woodlice have many natural predators, forming a large part of the diet to some creatures and an occasional snack to others. Common shrews are know to consume vast numbers of woodlice. Other animals also eat them (along with snails, slugs and worms) these include hedgehogs, toads, frogs, newts and lizards. Little owls and foxes are also known to include them in their diets. Other creatures that share the woodlouse's habitat will also prey on them, none more so than Dysdera crocata, the main woodlouse eating spider (another spider in this genus also exists and also eats woodlice). This spider is quite common in the south of England, seizing woodlice in it's pincer-like jaws and injecting them with a poison that kills the woodlouse in a few seconds. Less of a threat, but still woodlice predators, are centipedes, harvestmen and some beetles. The woodlice is even in danger of attack by its own kind, occasionally during the moulting period. During this moult the woodlice's body is very soft and vulnerable and, especially in cultures, other woodlice will eat them.

Taken from:- http://pages.britishlibrary.net/woodlice/

[the_snail]

I got loads of woodlice in my greenhouse and they never bother the plants. I quite like the woodlice. I personally do not see them as a big pest. Unlike slugs and dare I say snails  :o

The_Snail