A woodlouse was sheltering on our wall by the door this morning; it was too good a chance to miss. They are really quite interesting little creatures.
The woodlouse it is not an insect but a crustacean. It has
14 parts to its body. There are thought to be over 3,000 different species of
woodlouse around the world. They are found in nearly every environment in the
world including the Polar Regions and the desert.
Woodlice feed on decaying leaf and plant matter on the
forest floor, playing a vital role in the natural carbon dioxide cycle. It is
about 1 cm long but many species in the tropics are three times that size, some
even bigger. They have an average lifespan of about 2 years but some are known
to live to 4 years old. Toads, centipedes, spiders, millipedes and the
sometimes wasps are the main predators of the woodlouse.
Woodlice have a shell-like exoskeleton which they shed as
they grow. They moult in two stages; the back half comes off first, followed
two or three days later by the front. Despite being crustaceans like lobsters
or crabs, woodlice are said to have an unpleasant taste similar to "strong
urine". Who the hell decided to eat one is beyond me. UGH!
Like earthworms, they're generally considered beneficial
in gardens as they play a part in producing compost and turning over the soil.
However, they sometimes feed on plants such as ripening strawberries and
seedlings.
Woodlice can also invade homes in large numbers seeking
moisture. Their presence can indicate dampness problems. Generally they are not
seen as a serious household pest as they don't spread disease or damage sound
wood or structures.
The woodlouse is known by many common names throughout
the English-speaking world, here are a few of them, but there are many
more; "Peter bug, armadillo bug,
(Newfoundland) cheesy bug, (Parts of Kent) chiggy pig, (Devon) gramersow
(Cornwall) slater (Scotland, N. Ireland). I think chiggy pig is a wonderful
name for them.
A lot of people don't like them, hopefully, this article may help to change a few minds.
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Painted Woodlouse - Porcellio spinicornis
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