Woodlice and Spiders
In Pests
Woodlice and Spiders:
It is not only rats, mice and squirrels that invade domestic premises in search of warmth and shelter. Some insect pests do this as well. A common call in our catchment area: (Berkshire (Berks), North Hampshire (Hants), South Buckinghamshire (Bucks), South Oxfordshire (Oxon), NE Surrey & West Middlesex) are spiders. These creatures have had a good Summer with a plentiful food so due to the ideal conditions the population peaks in the Autumn and with the cold weather they venture inside. This is when people then call us.
The spider problem can be dealt with by applying a residual insecticide outside around the entry points (window and doors) and inside on wall floor/ceiling junctions, window sills as well as walls and ceilings. This will not solve the problem completely as the spiders have to crawl across the treated surfaces to absorb enough insecticide to kill them. When temperatures are low this process is slowed down as the metabolism of the spiders is slow. Reducing vegetation on walls helps reduce spiders getting into a house.
Another Autumn insect ‘pest’ are Woodlice. They are actually members of the crab family and need high levels of humidity to survive. They may be an indication of damp but not necessarily so. The most common place in a building for them to be is in the cavity wall or under floorboards. The cavity walls are a humid environment so ideal for them. They feed on the microscopic moulds that grow on wood and stone as well as any organic material. If they stay in the cavity wall or under the floorboards then they are not a problem. The Woodlice will venture out either to look for a food supply or new places to live as the population expands. If they venture into a living space of a building they dehydrate and die. Applying insecticide into the cavity walls will reduce the problem as will removing logs, plants and clutter away from the external walls of the building.
For advice or a pest control treatment please phone PEST UK on 0330 100 2811. Alec Minter
