More bugs

[LadyArowana]

I have been finding woodlice? wandering about in the house. I know they are common in gardens and that's where I relocate them, but am I right to assume that they are not doing any harm? At first I thought they came in from outside, but now I am not so sure. I was reading the thread about the woodworm larvae and it made me wonder if there was anything sinister in the "wood" prefix in their name!

 

[Moo]

I stand ready and willing to be corrected*, but I believe they're quite harmless. Don't they feed on decaying wood in the garden, or something?




* My default position

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Ooh, Cheesey Pigs!

or cheese hogs, or any one of about a million variations on the same theme in Devon and Cornwall (but not, I think, elsewhere in the country, where they're just woodlice). No idea why - perhaps they taste of cheese and bacon?

 

[MdB]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse

"Woodlice need moisture because they breathe through gills, called pseudotrachea, and so are usually found in damp, dark places, such as under rocks and logs. They are usually nocturnal and are detritivores, feeding mostly on dead plant matter, although they have been known to feed on cultivated plants, such as ripening strawberries and tender seedlings. Woodlice then recycle the nutrients back into the soil. In artificial environments such as greenhouses where it can be very moist, woodlice may become abundant and damage young plants."


"armadillo bug",[5] "carpenter" (Newfoundland),[6] "cheeselog" (Reading, Berkshire),[7] "cheesy bug" (North-West Kent),[8] "doodlebug" (also used for the larva of an antlion),[9] "pill bug" (usually applied only to the genus Armadillidium),[5] "potato bug",[10] "roly-poly",[10] "sow bug",[3] "roll up bug",[11] "chuggypig" or "chucky pig",[12] "slater",[13] "gramersow" (Cornwall),[14] "butcher boy" or "butchy boy" (Australia),[15] and "wood bug" (British Columbia, Canada).[16]

 

[JoceAndChris]

Ooh, Cheesey Pigs!

or cheese hogs, or any one of about a million variations on the same theme in Devon and Cornwall (but not, I think, elsewhere in the country, where they're just woodlice). No idea why - perhaps they taste of cheese and bacon?

:lol: I'm reliably informed by my cat that they don't taste anywhere near as nice as cheese or bacon.

I'll bring you some huge spiders on Friday LadyA, spiders love woodlice. (there's no need to worry about this insect in the house though, they don't seem to do very much except creep about in the night)

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Don't believe any of them, MiLady.

It's a baby armadillo - and no mistaking that!

 

[philpjuk100]

Do you burn wood?we do and bring them in with the logs,the wife then "rescues"them and pops them out of the window.

 

[LadyArowana]

Ooh, Cheesey Pigs!

or cheese hogs, or any one of about a million variations on the same theme in Devon and Cornwall (but not, I think, elsewhere in the country, where they're just woodlice). No idea why - perhaps they taste of cheese and bacon?

:lol: I'm reliably informed by my cat that they don't taste anywhere near as nice as cheese or bacon.

I'll bring you some huge spiders on Friday LadyA, spiders love woodlice. (there's no need to worry about this insect in the house though, they don't seem to do very much except creep about in the night)

Thanks for the kind offer of the spiders :lol: but we have some of those already. There is a huge one lurking in the bedroom somewhere. I saw it take a little abseil down from the pelmet, perhaps it didn't find any tasty cheesy pigs because it climbed back up again and I havn't seen it since.

Do you burn wood?we do and bring them in with the logs,the wife then "rescues"them and pops them out of the window.

No, no wood burning going on and nothing being brought in from the garden. That was why I was surprised to find them. I'm glad that they are nothing to worry about and just put them out where they belong. Thanks everyone.

 

[Penners]

Piggies (as they mostly appear to be known in Suffolk) are pretty harmless. They generally just plod about, mumbling to themselves about how life used to be better in the old days.

 

[MdB]

When I lifted the floor boards in the bedroom above the kitchen (1970's construction) I found a very large graveyard of woodlice. I have no idea what they were eating as there was no obvious food source and no sign of any damage.

 

[LadyArowana]

Piggies (as they mostly appear to be known in Suffolk) are pretty harmless. They generally just plod about, mumbling to themselves about how life used to be better in the old days.

Perhaps I upset mine when I de-Georgian'd* ( sorry Mr P, I know that isn't a word ) the place.

*Only in terms of colour scheme before anyone gets upset. The previous owners had a dark green dining room and deep yellow drawing room.

 

[Penners]

I found a very large graveyard of woodlice. I have no idea what they were eating as there was no obvious food source

Perhaps you've just explained why it was a graveyard. You should have been feeding the poor little beggars on your best strawberries.