Many of us have been there before, folding clothes within the basement laundry room or perhaps moving the clothes from the washer to the dryer, when all of a sudden something long, shiny and odd looking catches your eye. Doing a double take, you wonder what in the world is that thing? Well, it could be a silverfish. And you may possibly be dealing with a silverfish infestation. But no need to panic. Let’s investigate a little more.
What Are Silverfish? What Kinds of Problems Can They Cause?
Generally speaking, silverfish are a thin, flat, quick moving, wingless insects with a distinctive metallic shine. Mainly thought to be a nuisance pest, silverfish are not poisonous and are altogether harmless to people and pets. For the most part, they live indoors and are found throughout the world. They tend inhabit damp areas of your home such as basements, attics, sinks and bath tubs.
If you spot one in your home, chances are there are countless others living in the walls of your home. A female silverfish has the capability to lay 100 eggs in her lifetime and they tend to develop from an egg to a fully grown adult fairly quickly (roughly 3 months). For this reason, it does not take much time for a silverfish infestation to reach and uncomfortable level.
Aside from their rather creepy appearance, the main issue with a silverfish infestation is that they feed off of any material containing starch. For this reason, they can cause harm to your residence. They will chew holes in clothing, upholstery, the bindings of books, wallpaper, bathroom caulking and any kind of adhesive. The quicker you are able to take control of a silverfish infestation, the more you can reduce the destruction done to your personal belongings and your residence in a whole.
How Can You Spot a Silverfish Infestation?
Spotting a silverfish infestation can be fairly difficult due to the fact that tend to linger in areas of the home without much human contact. As mentioned previously, they tend to reside anywhere damp. Your best shot of locating a silverfish infestation is to be on the lookout for the various signs of one. These signs may include:
- Small marks in the bindings of your books.
- Damage to wallpaper.
- Fecal Matter. Silverfish droppings appear as small, black pellets and are commonly found in locations where silverfish most frequent such as kitchens, cellars, garages and storage spaces.
- Yellow spots. Similar to the silverfish droppings, another indication that you have silverfish is yellow staining.
- Shedded skin. Throughout their lifetime and especially during their adolescent stage, silverfish shed their skin. Given their limited size, however, shells of the silverfish can go unnoticed for a period of time. Most likely you will notice these shells of skin in places like the kitchen, bathroom or cellar.
How to Control a Silverfish Infestation
Below is a list of common ways to control a silverfish infestation. Please keep in mind that before turning to chemical pesticides to exterminate silverfish, there are some natural methods you can first attempt. These natural means of pest control can still be very effective while being less threatening for humans and pets. Regardless of your game plan, however, here are a few of the more common ways available.
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Cedar Shavings
Spread cedar shavings all-around any entry point to your home and nearby the presumed nest. Silverfish are deterred by the scent of cedar and will typically vacate. Cedar shavings can be a bit messy, however, and because of this you may wish to spread the shavings in the exterior of your home , as well as in cellars and garages, and really any other location where you can put up with the cedar shavings scattered throughout. Where can you find cedar shavings? Well, they can be purchased in bulk in the small animal department of most pet stores. After purchasing the cedar shavings try to develop a routine of spreading them throughout your targeted areas, vacuum them up and exchange them for fresh ones every 7 to 10 days. Here are a couple of cedar shavings available to purchase. All links to Amazon.com.
| Natural Cedar Shavings – By: Four Winds Trading | Amish Aromatic Cedar Wood Shavings – By: Woodchucks Wood |
Citrus or Lavender
Silverfish are deterred by the scents of both citrus and lavender. These scents are also completely nontoxic and can be quite appealing to humans. Simply purchase lavender oil or lemon oil from a health food store, add a few drops into a spray bottle and fill the bottle with water. Shake well to mix the solution and apply to the caulking within your bathroom, between tiles, in drawers and closets, around the bedroom, and wherever else you have previously seen silverfish. Below links to Amazon.com.
| Bug Away Wellness Kit – By: Fabulous Franny | 100% Natural Lavender Essential Oil – By: SVA ORGANICS |
| Lemon Eucalyptus Essential Oil – By: Sun Essential Oils |
Newspaper Traps
Another way to try to eliminate silverfish naturally is with newspaper. Believe it or not you can still purchase a newspaper at most convenient stores. Crazy I know. Anyway, after you finish reading on the news, roll up a few sheets of the newspaper like a stick and hold your stick together with rubber bands. Dampen with water. And, in the evening, place your homemade silverfish trap in an area of your house you suspect silverfish to frequent. When you wake up from sleep the next morning, check your traps. You may be a bit surprised to see that silverfish have ingested their way into your newspaper trap. If so, just pick up the newspaper without unrolling it, place the newspaper in a plastic bag large enough to hold your trap, tie the bag and toss it in the garbage outside. Then simply repeat the process in the evenings that follow.
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Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is a light powder that is composed of the fossilized remains of diatoms (a type of algae). It is used as common pesticide for many insects, including ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, dust mites, fleas and, of course, silverfish. When silverfish come in contact with the substance, it damages their external waxy coating and causes them to squander moisture and expire. To use diatomaceous earth you should first block off any location from both children and pets, so that they will be unable to consume the substance. Next, simply sprinkle diatomaceous earth around any infested area of your home, around baseboards and any other places you have previously spotted silverfish. Let it remain for a day then vacuum up all powder and dead insects the next day. Below Links to Amazon.com.
| HARRIS Diatomaceous Earth Crawling Insect Killer – By Harris | Perma-Guard Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth – By: Perma-Guard Inc. |
| Diatomaceous Earth – 100% Natural Food Grade -By: EasyGoProducts | Diatomaceous Earth, Ready to Use Crawling Bug/Roach Killer – By: Bonide |
Sticky Traps
Sticky traps can be very effective and they will be reliable in catching many other crawling insects as well. Below are links to just a couple of the sticky traps used for silverfish today. Links to Amazon.com
| Spider and Silverfish Trap – By: GreenWay | BioCare Spider and Silverfish Sticky Traps – By: SpringStar |
Ultrasonic Silverfish Repellers
Ultrasonic Pest Repellers are useful to rid your home of most insect pests. Along with silverfish, repellers can be effective to push away many other kinds of pests including ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, spiders, fleas, mice and rats. Below are just a couple of Ultrasonic Silverfish repellers used for silverfish today. Links to Amazon.com.
| Ultrasonic Pest Repeller – By: Pest Defender | Ultrasonic Pest Repeller – By: Brison |
Silverfish Poison
Dekko Silverfish Paks and Boric Acid Roach and Silverfish Killer are developed to poison silverfish with boric acid as an insecticide. Simply position them in areas where silverfish reside. Places like bookshelves, desk drawers and dressers. Place them in the basement, in the attic and underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks. Boric acid can, however, be toxic if swallowed by kids or pets, so be careful when placing them throughout your home.
| Dekko Silverfish Paks – By: DEKKO | Boric Acid Roach and Silverfish Killer – By: Harris |
Professional Exterminators
If none of the above seem to be making a dent in the silverfish population in your home, you may wish to consult with a solid pest control professional service. Below are a few solid and well established services that should be available in your area.
Ways to Keep Silverfish Away
Now that you spent a good amount of effort to control a silverfish infestation, you also want to make sure your house stays relatively silverfish free. After all, prevention is your best bet when it comes down to minimizing any damage that comes with a silverfish infestation. Below are a few tips that could prevent silverfish from becoming a problem again.
- Inspect your home for sources of unwanted water, such as leaking pipes, that could lead to humidity. Make the necessary repairs.
- Clear away items such as cardboard boxes from your home. Items that have an adhesive may attract silverfish.
- Do not be afraid to use a caulking gun to conceal any cracks and small holes and prevent any silverfish from residing and laying eggs.
- Invest in a dehumidifier to reduce humidity inside your home.
- Better ventilate rooms that can become warm and moist. Open windows in your bathroom or kitchen. Turn on fans more often in these rooms to clear out moisture.
- Store any clothes you will not be wearing this season in storage containers and keep them free from silverfish.
- Store all dry food in your cabinets and pantry in closed containers to shield them from any moisture.
- Try to maintain a clear perimeter around your house. Remove any fallen leaves, piles of brush and wood that may house silverfish beneath them.
In Conclusion
If you do discover any evidence of silverfish residing in your home, you may want to take fast action in order to prevent the possibility of permanent damage to any belongings. Yes, they are relatively harmless household pests. They do not bite humans. They do not sting. They are not known to carry disease. However you do not want them to grow in number where they can become a problem and cause damage to your belongings. Try the above tips and tricks to prevent a problem.
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