How to Get Rid of Silverfish
Stop the Infestation
Damage Caused by Silverfish
Silverfish may look harmless, and they don't bite or sting, but silverfish will eat anything high in starch such as paste, glue, wallpaper, book bindings, and some textiles. Silverfish will also get into flour, sugar, cereal, and other foods. These pests aren't harmless because they can cause a great deal of damage and contaminate food if you don't get rid of them and take steps to prevent further infestation.
Places Silverfish Thrive
Silverfish thrive in damp, cool locations. These destructive insects love homes with moist crawlspaces and basements, and well-shaded homes are their preference. These insects can be found under carpets, in closets, under dark, damp sinks, and in clothing.
I previously lived in a home with a damp crawlspace, and I was occasionally surprised by silverfish. A lot adjacent to mine frequently flooded, and my home was surrounded by large shade trees. In addition, sweaty water softener pipes caused the floor of a closet to become quite damp. Homes with dark, damp conditions such as this are havens for silverfish.
If silverfish have invaded your home, you won't have to look long to find them. Check dark closets, damp corners, and around books and fabrics. Although these insects thrive in these types of locations, they sometimes end up outside their comfort zone. I frequently found silverfish in the bathroom sink and along baseboards, but I never noticed more than one at a time. These insects are elusive, and if you've noticed one, there are probably more silverfish in your home than you realize.
Identifying Silverfish
As the name suggests, silverfish are silver in color, and they look somewhat shiny. They appear to be covered with powder similar to the powder found on the wings of a moth, however, these insects don't have wings. They are about one-fourth of an inch long. Silverfish are wider near the head, and their bodies taper to a point. Silver fish have slender antennae, and they have what appears to be three antennae-like tails.
How to Get Rid of Silverfish
If you have discovered silverfish in your home, don't panic. You can get rid of silverfish before they cause serious damage to wallpaper, fabrics, carpeting, and your food supply. Since silverfish like damp places, the most obvious solution to get rid of or prevent silverfish is drying damp areas. Consider running a dehumidifier in an effort to reduce dampness.
If you don't have kids or pets, you can dust areas of infestation with 2 percent diazinon powder. Simply sprinkle diazinon powder in cracks along baseboards, behind book shelves, and anywhere else silverfish might be hiding.
Insecticide spray containing 2 percent malathion or 1 percent methoxychlor can be applied in cracks along baseboards, closets, windows, and doors. Also pay careful attention to areas where books or clothes are stored. Don't allow pets or children into areas where insecticide spray is wet, and never use insecticide in areas where food is stored.
Vacuuming often is also a helpful way to get rid of silverfish. Silverfish are soft-bodied insects, and vacuuming often, especially around cracks in baseboards, is an effective way to get rid of them. In addition to vacuuming frequently, clean storage locations, especially areas where books and fabrics are kept.
Published by Crystal Ray - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Crystal Ray is an award-winning freelance writer and artist from the Chicago area. Her passion is interior design, but she also loves entertaining and crafting. She is continually developing unique and creat... View profile
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- Silverfish may look harmless, but they can be very destructive.
- Silverfish are silver, they are wingless, and they have 2 antennae and 3 antannae-like tails.
- Vacuuming, cleaning, and applying insecticide are effective ways to get rid of silverfish.
19 Comments
Post a Commentwhat a crock of shit!!!
Thank you so much for your imput I am going to purchase next month and place them thoughout my home and leave for the weekend...come back and replace with the lavender mothballs when I return...something is better than what I am dealing with...never seen anything like this besides roaches they had to have existed with the dinosaurs. Thanks again!
Stupid.
I do not know, but I am told I have one living in my shirt at this moment. I am not wearing any wool clothing, but I hope it does not find my silk shorts as they were very expensive. Later, after work, I will seal myself in the bathroom and set off an insect fogger...that'll show'em.
I have a quetion. Does silverfish eat wool. because all my wool pants have been eaten leaving holes in them.
I HATE SILVERFISH they are taking over my life.... Thats it Im bleaching the entire house!
I see these things every day now. I am sure our house fits the definition of "infestation". A few times I have been woken up by a ticklish feeling on my arm, to find a silverfish crawling on me!!
I am interested in that diazinon powder or diatomaceous earth. I hear they are both really fine powder, so when the silverfish crawl thru it, it's like they are crawling thru knives, and they die. But I also heard that stuff can mess up your lungs if you breathe it, so I am scared to use it.
It is me again.
Well, it is now June 25 and I have been trying to control the small silverfish infestation in my clothes closet with vacuuming, many many (10+) silverfish paks and glue traps. I am giving up and the exterminator is coming tomorrow. In total I have seen about 12, but that is 12 more than I ever want to see. I went one month without any (thought I was home free), and the next morning a "child" was on the glue trap. I discovered my silverfisk paks were giving them a nice home. I did replace the paks yesterday (one month of use), but it freaked me out that little silverfish could emerge live from the traps while I was cleaning and moving them around. Not my idea of control. They may be out of sight if I don't move the pak but they are there. My closet is emptied. Actually two closets are emptied because I was afraid that if I treated one closet they would move into the other. Will let you know how it goes. We are doing the best we can, but will be using a
I used silverpaks (boric acid packs) and lots of glue traps. The only time I "catch" a silverfish is when I remove all the traps and paks to clean. then the bugs crawl out of the paks and get stuck on the trap. Gross. I am not sure I am "done" with this problem, but I have closed holes I can't see (as well as those I can), wash floor with Kleen Free three times a week, vacuum, replace silverpaks and glue traps. In my study, I sealed all the spaces under baseboards and between floor boards and used roach spray (minimal amount). And finally sealed a hole that was behind the bookcase with foam. Recommend table salt before sealing cracks between floor boards, especially if you are using glue (the easiest way) to seal spaces. Not sure is all this works without piosins but will let you know. Biggest issue, I think, is to seal entry points.
Well...depends on where the silverfish are. No matter where, caulk or silicone any places where they might come in. The "infants" are smaller than the width of a thread. So if you have any pipes in the area, just put a coat of silicone around the entry points (valves) even if the spaces look like paint spaces. Do not, I repeat, do not ignore places were electrical cables enter that seem harmless. I can't say for sure this matters but these bugs are so small...no point in leaving any hole uncovered. If you can, put table salt in the space between tiles and floor tiles before sealing, especially if you are using glue. I don't know for sure if this helps, but the silverfish supposedly dehydrate with salt or boric acid. If the place where your problem is is not a kitchen or closet, try some poisin --like roach spray. with the "dreaded" "thin"ending. So long as your exposure is minimal, no big deal. If in kitchen or with clothing, avoid the poisins. Continued below.