How harmful are woodlice on board?

[zoidberg]

Seriously I don't think we have "wood lice" in Australia.

Perhaps not - but you DO have 'salties'. And these boogrs - carcharodon carcharias.....

On balance, I'll stick with our li'l exoskeletons.

 

[Stemar]

so it could be that they're busily scoffing the stiffening.

I don't pretend to any expertise, but ISTM that if the woodlice are scoffing the stiffening, it isn't stiffening very much, with or without their help

 

[Tamar]

As long as they are pulling their weight I can't see a problem

 

[Stemar]

And these boogrs - carcharodon carcharias.....

If they're chewing on your dinghy, a bit of damp is the least of your worries ?

 

[zoidberg]

If they're chewing on your dinghy, a bit of damp is the least of your worries ?

 

[Sharky34]

I've been a bit distracted for a couple of summers, and looking carefully at the Osprey's cockpit yesterday, I realised it is home to quite a few woodlice.

I had noticed them previously, but in a glassfibre boat with mainly encapsulated timber, I never thought anything about it.

But now I see countless tiny brown crumbs which must be woodlouse waste...so my cockpit must be their banqueting hall, parade ground and latrine. The boat is off the ground, so it would be tedious to crawl down the transom tubes and trailer-wheels in search of breakfast, then all the way back up later...

...they can only be eating the boat. There are odd bits of bare ply stiffening and iroko cleat backing-plates, which never get wet and so were never glassed-over or epoxied. But I thought woodlice favoured rotten wood - do I need to investigate the condition of the glassed-over wood ribs in the floor?

Has anybody had a boat damaged by woodlice before?

They eat anything wood based, so lock your paper charts away securely.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

OMG! Polyestermites? My yacht is made out of polyester: will they eat that?

Seriously I don't think we have "wood lice" in Australia. I googled and came up with

How do I get rid of Woodlice UK?
How to get rid of Woodlice. No treatment is necessary but if they persist put right any dampness, remove infested vegetation and use an insecticidal powder or long-lasting spray around door-thresholds or other points of entry. Amateur use products are available from your local garden centre or hardware store.Nov 28, 2017
Pest Advice for controlling Woodlice - BPCA

They are known as slaters in various regions such as Australia and colloquially called Butcher Boy in Melbourne according to wiki. Their marine relatives, the Sea Slater are also pretty ubiquitous.

 

[coopec]

They are known as slaters in various regions such as Australia and colloquially called Butcher Boy in Melbourne according to wiki. Their marine relatives, the Sea Slater are also pretty ubiquitous.

Yes, we have slaters and I'd expect to find them under a wet bag or mat. I wasn't aware they did damage.

Dec 5, 2009 — Slaters are a multi-legged, land-living crustacean found all over Australia. They are known as Wood Lice, Pill Bugs and Roley Poleys. They're scavengers, which mean they mainly feed on decaying organic matter and, in doing so, recycle nutrients and help build soil.
Slater Control

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Yes, we have slaters and I'd expect to find them under a wet bag or mat. I wasn't aware they did damage.

Dec 5, 2009 — Slaters are a multi-legged, land-living crustacean found all over Australia. They are known as Wood Lice, Pill Bugs and Roley Poleys. They're scavengers, which mean they mainly feed on decaying organic matter and, in doing so, recycle nutrients and help build soil.
Slater Control

The eat dead timber and such detritus. I am not sure they can cause damage. Removing rotting timber is the first task of the boat restorer and lets more drying air onto the remaining timber to prevent it rotting