Woodlice Find out the Facts
Woodlice are small mini-beasts you can find in your garden, in the woods and in your home. There are over 3,000 different species of woodlice around the world. They are very common bugs in the UK.

Where do Woodlice Live?

Woodlice are nocturnal. This means they are most active during the night. They’re also not fussy about where they live! You can usually find woodlice in any damp and dark places that are close to food. These include:

• Sheds.
• Houses.
• Woods.
• Gardens.
• Trees.
• Greenhouses.

What do Woodlice Look Like?

Woodlice are usually grey and flat. They have the following features:

• 14 legs.
• A large exoskeleton (protective shell) that is made up of different parts.
• Gills – even though they don’t live in water, woodlice need to live in places with a lot of moisture in the air as they breathe through gills.

What do Woodlice eat?

Woodlice mostly eat dead plants. In this way, they are useful to our world as they get rid of dead matter. However, sometimes woodlice can also eat younger plants that are still growing. This can damage the plant. Many people think woodlice are pests because of this.

The kinds of plants they might eat are:

• Plants that grow fruit e.g. strawberries.
• Seedlings.

Life Cycle

• Egg: A female woodlouse carries her eggs around with her until they are ready to hatch.
• Baby woodlouse: These are white and only have 12 legs.
• Adult woodlouse: Woodlice take up to a year to become adults. During this time, they change colour and develop another pair of legs.

Other great pages to visit in "S-Z" are:

Scorpions, Slugs, Snails, Spiders, Stick Insects, Tadpoles, Ticks, Wasps,

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