# Uh oh! I seem to have wood lice! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016 "2004-09-03T20:41:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016/1 "2004-09-03T20:41:06Z")
Well, not _me_ , but where I work. I was cleaning up our lumber room and I noticed several woodlice on our stacks of basswood and masonite. Should I be worried about them ruining product? I have no idea what kind of damage they can (if they can) cause. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016/2 "2004-09-03T21:10:05Z")
Well, they don’t actually eat wood, so that shouldn’t be a problem. They eat mostly decaying leaves or the bacteria and fungi that grow on them. But if the woodpile is moist enough for woodlice to like living in it, or to support the growth of fungi for them to live on, then conditions are probably poor for the wood. In case you have enough of them, here are some tasty [Woodlouse Recipes](http://www.geocities.com/~gregmck/woodlice/recipes.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016/3 "2004-09-04T00:26:22Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Well, they don’t actually eat wood, so that shouldn’t be a problem. They eat mostly decaying leaves or the bacteria and fungi that grow on them. But if the woodpile is moist enough for woodlice to like living in it, or to support the growth of fungi for them to live on, then conditions are probably poor for the wood. > > In case you have enough of them, here are some tasty [Woodlouse Recipes](http://www.geocities.com/~gregmck/woodlice/recipes.htm). Ahh. That makes sense. We just got the wood I mentioned on Tuesday, and our supplier puts the cut wood in their lumberyard before shipment. Muddy, wet lumberyard. The wood doesn’t feel damp to the touch, so it must still be a bit moist on the inside. I guess once it dries out, the woodlice will die out too? Unfortunately, I only saw about 10 or so of the critters - not enough for your generously supplied recipes. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016/4 "2004-09-04T00:28:37Z")
On a side note, my armpits were moist enough today to support the growth of fungi… :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016/5 "2004-09-04T00:30:47Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > I guess once it dries out, the woodlice will die out too? Woodlice are actually a kind of land-dwelling crustacean, and breathe with gills. They need quite damp conditions in order to survive, so once the wood dries out, they will either leave or die. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uh-oh-i-seem-to-have-wood-lice/263016/6 "2004-09-04T01:24:03Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > On a side note, my armpits were moist enough today to support the growth of fungi… :eek: 😃 Well, you should try to ensure the woodlice don’t attempt to take refuge there, then.