Woodlice

[Minniemousejammies]

We’ve lived in our ex LA house for two years and there’s always been a problem with woodlice. It tends to get worse in the warmer months. Not just the odd few, loads and last year I remember looking at my window surround and there must have been 30 matching along it.

Just gone out tonight and three separate areas of the house were crawling with them. The lower foot of the house. I feel sick. I read it’s because of dampness but I don’t know what to look for to try and find the issue. We did have some sort of dampness treated when we moved in - stuff seemed to be injected into the skirting boards and only at the front of the house.

It’s the back and side of the house that we’re covered tonight so what could be the issue?

Any advice massively appreciated because I’m demented with them already and it’s only May.

Woodlice thrive on damp. They eat damp, rotting wood and have to lay their eggs in damp conditions.

So you have a damp problem which is affecting the wood in your house. Insecticides will not cure the damp. Nor will chemical injections.

It might be from rain getting in through a leaky roof, or defective window frames; it might be bad paving or flowerbeds heaped against the walls. But very likely it is a plumbing leak. Consider how close the woodlice are to your kitchen or bathroom, or to the incoming watermain or drains, or to radiator pipes.

Have you got a water meter?

Has your boiler got a pressure gauge?

How old is your house?

Is the ground floor concrete or wooden?

They were right behind the kitchen.

No water meter.

I think the boiler has a pressure gauge? Is that the little clock type thing on the front?

1930s.

I’m really not sure about the floor. Wooden I think!!

Who would we get to come out and have a look at the house to see what the problem is?

Thanks!

start with a plumber. Ask around for personmal recommendations. a wrinkly old one will be suitable as no heavy work or gas registration required.

beforehand, empty out the cupboards under and around the sink. Have a good sniff and feel for damp.

use a flat-ended screwdriver to poke wood looking for soft patches. Not a pointed tool as the marks will make people think you have woodworm.

Pull out the plinth and look underneath with a torch.

You can hoover up woodlice. You will find most dead ones near where they are most active.

The damp might be under the floor.

Thanks. I’ll have a look tonight. Annoying sliding doors under the sink won’t make it easy though.

Hoping we aren’t about to discover something that’s going to cost a fortune.

If there’s damp under the floor what would we do?

Thanks again

DM had damp in the floorboards in the sitting room. From what I remember, all the floorboards/skirting had to come up and then a concrete floor was put in with a damp membrane, and new skirting boards.
It was my DF's pal who did it, he was a builder. No problems since.
That was about 25 years ago, maybe things have changed now.

If you do have damp, get an independent damp survey (about £200-300) rather than a free survey from a damp treatment firm, as they may recommend costly, sometimes unnecessary work.

If you have wooden floors, go round the house and check the airbricks aren't blocked by debris or soil. You might have to dig them out.

if you have sliding doors that run in a channel below and a channel above (not railways) then you lift them, the door comes out at the bottom and you tilt it towards you, then lower it to come out of the top channel.

the wheels on railways have to be lifted off the top.

Thanks it’s a channel! Will do this tonight.

Appreciate the help.