WOODLICE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 165, 30 July 1937, Page 14

WOODLICE

> Mueh of the damage commonly atti'ibuted to slugs is really caused by that worst of all garden pests, the woodlouse (Oniscus). TheSe little/ ereatures, which, as distaut relatives of the crabs and lobsters, are not insects at all, are familiar to most people by their greyish colour and curious habit of rolling themselvbs into a ball when at all alarmed. Strictly speaking the Avoodlice b,elong to the great army of nature's scavengOrs, in that they feed on all kinds of decaying vegetable matter. Unhappily oniscus does not content itself with a diet of this kind, and is only too ready to turn its attention to almost anything that grows, especially if this happens to be something tender and juicy. Woodlice are terrible pests in greenhouse and frame, but they are often equally troubiesome m the open border. Where any plants have been mysteriously attaeked, always suspect woodlice These creatures are Iargely night feeders and, dufing tlijf day they remain in hiding. Turn over any leaves or stones that happen to be about, or search between the stems of herbaceous plants, and bere you will find the little creatures. Fortuuately, this habit of hiding on the part of woodlice makes them easy to capburo, A few pieces of slate placed on the soil and examined during the day time will yield numbers of the pests, wbich may be colJected and destroyed. A better way is to set one or more traps, arranged in this nianner. In a small flower pot put a cold boiled potato. Cover the potato lightly witb moss. Sink the pot to the rim in tlie soil and examine eacb morning. ifc will be i'ound that the woodlice gather in huiidreds in the pot, not ouly to secure the shelfcer provided by the moss, but also to feast upon tbe potato, of which they are partieularly fond. A few traps of this nat'ure will go a long way towards exterminating the oniscus or at least to reduce its numbers to reason- 1 al»le proportions