Woodlice

[bramble]

Wonder if anyone has a remedy to get rid of woodlice. I am still picking plenty of tomatoes outdoor but in the last week or so i have noticed woodlice are eating holes in them. When i went out to pick them today i noticed quite a lot of them underneath the plants on the ground. Any advice greatfully received.

[nick the grief]

Boiling water

[bramble]

Can i take it then from the lack of replies (other than Nicks) that either i am the only troubled by woodlice or there is no cure.

[Snadger]

Hugh Fearnley Whatsisname eats them...says they taste like shrimps.....

[bramble]

Is that before or after i pour the boiling water over them Snadger.

[Snadger]

Is that before or after i pour the boiling water over them Snadger.

Sushi woodlice? Now theres a thought!! Certainly make meal time interesting...chasing them round the plate an all!

[nick the grief]

Hugh Fearnley Whatsisname eats them...says they taste like shrimps.....

My dog licks her bottom, but I wouldn't recommend that either

[bramble]

Just want to say "thanks to all foe being so helpful"

[eddie]

woodlice nice nutty taste ,or so i,m told ,yuk tidy up all dead timber ,best way to stop e,m give the buggers nowt to eat

[pickledtink]

I hate woodlice. They burrow away at everything and have destroyed whole crops for me in the past.If something is struggling a bit and you are nurturing those little nasties will be on it like a shot. The recent cooler damp conditions have brought them out and they are causing me lots of grief. Never really found an answer so not much help but By God I sympathise.
Read somewhere that beer traps help. Dunno. Can't see it personally when you've got an absolute infestation. One thing I do know from experience is anything you can move will survive if you make sure to shake em all out and put it in bright sun.

[heebiejeebie]

I've tried raising things off the ground with straw. Don't know if it's helping or not though!

[Alice]

Sorry Bramble. I've never had a problem with wood lice. I believe they are very primitive creatures and difficult to deal with. To avoid them leave them no place to hide. Clear away anything they can hide under - leaves, debris, plant pots etc. Sorry that doesn't help much but short of strict garden maintenance I don't know any other way. Hope you get rid of the blighters.

[Snadger]

This is what the RHS advise:-

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0202/woodlice.asp

[Palustris]

Woodlice are not the primary causers of damage to your plants. they lack the strength of mouth parts to bite into the skins of most fruits, like tomatoes. They primarily live on dead and decaying soft plant material. As such they are extemely useful in the compost heap, where they help break down the stuff into good compost.
In a greenhouse where there is little food for them they do sometimes attack seedlings where the leaf material is soft.
Other plants are attacked usually by molluscs, birds etc. leaving a hole which the woodlice like, because the inside is damp and dark.
Do not blame these useful and generally harmless creatures for damage done by other things.

[SueA]

I'm with Palustris in that I think the woodlice are more opportunist than actual attackers of crops. Whenever I 've seen them on fruit or veg. there always seems to be a slug or snail nearby which has nibbled it first. I often find woodlice underneath pots when I move them & they just scatter if you uncover them so I think that just moving things around & tidying up is the best thing to do if you don't like them.