How to control slaters

Slaters are also called woodlice, armadilo, pillbugs and many others and they live in gardens.   They are among the more beneficial insects and they help with recycling the dead plants and animals. They are not able to harm any person, but there are times that they may find themselves inside the home.  In case you get worried because they are in your house, you should learn tips for reducing their presence. If you find them in the home but you are not looking to pick them up to throw them out, you can try out different products that can help you out.

Even if slaters may be found in different species and they can vary in size and color, they all have a similar appearance, which is a small armored bug.  The young ones are the same as their parents from the day that they get hatched from the eggs. They have 6 body segments and 6 pairs of legs.

The following are some signs of infestation:

The presence of slaters in your home can be the first sign to know that you have some problems. There are 4 reasons why the slaters may decide to come into a house.

• You have a flower bed outside of the home and they may come in just by accident.
• You have provided a good habitat for the slaters under or outside your home. The slaters like a damp and dark area where there is enough food.
• When there is a drought, they may try to come inside the home to get the moisture.
• In colder weather, they may come inside of the home looking for warmth.

There is no season in which you should expect to see more slaters, but you have to know that they may be more abundant outside when it is the warmer season.

The facts about slaters

• They are not considered insects but instead are crustaceans in the family of lobsters, crabs and prawns.
• They want to find a place with moisture where they can be able to breathe using their structures that look like gills.
• They like the area which is dark and moist with the high decaying plant matter. You can find them under rocks, under logs, under compost heaps or under mulch.

The prevention tips

• Since slaters like to eat on the decaying vegetation and mulch, you should make sure that your garden is clear.
• In case you have a garden bed near your home, you should use the non-plant based mulch like pebbles and then minimize the watering since they like the moisture.
• Ensure that all the crevices and the cracks found on the edge of the house have been sealed in order to prevent the entry of the slaters.