Silverfish might look small, but their appetite and appearance will make your skin crawl. These pests are very common in the United States and cause the most disturbance after cockroaches and bed bugs.
But, many people wonder what is the best way to get rid of silverfish and if this infestation is manageable without professional help.
If you want to find out everything about pesky silverfish and the best methods to completely eliminate them from your home, keep on reading. We have only the best and tested tools, tips, and tricks that will help you have that bug-free home in no time.
What Is the Silverfish Bug?
A silverfish is a wingless, silvery, and carrot-shaped small bug you might notice in your home. They look a lot like scaly fishes and have antennae on their back side making them unpleasant to see.
Silverfish are nocturnal, so they will do most of their feeding and procreating during the night, and hide in tight and humid places during the day. They love to hang out in rooms that have high humidity such as bathrooms, basements, and laundry rooms.
Silverfish might be small, but they are fast and very persistent. They don’t feed on human blood like bed bugs, but they will eat anything with starch and protein, including books, clothes, furniture, and more.
So, looking for the right tools to fight infestation and reacting fast is essential.
Signs of a Silverfish Infestation
As mentioned before the silverfish pests are active during the night, so many people don’t even notice adult or young specimens crawling around but rather the damage they do.
Silverfish infestations are noticed most of the time in the bathroom or other high-humidity rooms in the home. You might notice a few silverfish crawling around the sink or see pellet-like feces in places they hide.
In addition, one of the most common ways you can notice a silverfish infestation is through the damage done on books, carpets, wallpapers, and other property. And while we will mention some effective ways to get rid of silverfish you might consider contacting professionals to prevent severe infestation.
Are Silverfish Dangerous?
Silverfish bugs don’t bite or sting humans, and they are not known as pathogen carriers so they are not considered dangerous to your health. But, that doesn’t mean you are completely safe.
Silverfish might not need your blood to survive but they need a lot of starchy foods that include paper and glues found around your home. The food resources are limitless and silverfish are known to cause substantial damage to books, furniture, carpets, and clothes.
While it’s easier to deal with silverfish than bed bugs, both pests are very persistent and easily grow in numbers. This is one of the reasons why you should deal with any bugs in your home as soon as you notice any signs of infestation.
How to Get Rid of Silverfish?
Now that you are familiar with silverfish habits and general info you might be wondering what is the best way to deal with a silverfish infestation. Luckily, even though they are small and hide during the day there are some amazing traps and methods you can use to kill all of the silverfish and end the infestation.
Here are a couple of suggestions to try:
Use a Dehumidifier
It’s a well-known fact that silverfish thrive in humidity and need moisture to procreate and live. This is both bad and good information, depending on how you look at it. You can use it to your advantage because by simply repairing leaks and adding a high-quality dehumidifier you can dry out the air in every room.
Once the air is dryer and you follow the next steps we mention, the silverfish will leave your home in pursuit of better living conditions. Dry air is simply inhospitable for silverfish and you might even get rid of some other bugs that love humidity like cockroaches.
Set up Traps
One of the best ways to manage and completely eliminate silverfish from your home or apartment is to use durable glue traps.
With eco-friendly and easy-to-use silverfish traps you can be sure the pests will be lured to a certain demise. The strong and high-quality adhesive in glue traps will hold on to all insects walking over it.
It’s a good idea to set up multiple traps all around your home, especially in high-humidity areas. This way you will be able to confirm the infestation and capture a lot of silverfish bugs hiding in different places.
Silverfish glue traps are also a great tool to use to assess the effectiveness of other methods you might be using, as you should notice fewer bugs each time you set up a new trap.
Dust Diatomaceous Earth Powder
Diatomaceous Earth (DE) powder is an amazing and natural remedy for all kinds of pests including roaches, bed bugs, and silverfish. This powder dries out the exoskeleton of bugs and dehydrates them to death.
The most efficient way to use Diatomaceous Earth powder is a direct application to hiding places, in cracks and holes in the walls and floors.
Because the DE powder is fine and easily makes a mess you should use specialized applicators with long nozzles. This way you can be sure that all the cracks and holes are filled out with DE powder and all the bugs that come in contact with it will soon be dead.
One of the best things about the DE powder is its efficiency on all kinds of insects and the fact that it’s completely natural and without any pesticides. You can be sure your family and pets are safe while all the bugs are gone.
Declutter
All kinds of bugs love clutter and silverfish are not an exception to this rule. Too much stuff in your home, basement, and attic will make the perfect hiding places and silverfish will find a hole to hide and something to eat
So, if you want to ensure fewer bugs find your home attractive you need to declutter everything, keep food in tight containers and even pay some attention to your garden. When there are fewer places to hide and no food supplies the bugs will soon leave.
Hire Professionals
If you believe you are not able to handle the infestation or simply want to rely on professionals there are many teams in your area you can contact. With specialized tools, methods, and years of experience professional exterminators will deal with the silverfish in house quickly.
FAQs
Should I be worried if I have silverfish?
Silverfish are more annoying and unpleasant to see that they are harmful. Considering they will not bite you and they don’t carry diseases, the only thing you need to worry about is your precious belongings.
However, even if they are not particularly dangerous for humans or animals you shouldn’t take any pest infestation lightly. Insects will attract other pests, and you will soon have to deal with other bugs such as roaches and bed bugs, so act immediately and follow our detailed guide.
Why do you get silverfish?
Silverfish are attracted to high humidity and food sources, so you probably have both in your home if you notice a few silverfish crawling around.
But, this doesn’t mean your home is dirty or you need to overreact, simply protect your property that silverfishes might eat such as books, clothes, and food residues. Also, add a few glue traps to confirm the infestation and manage the number of bugs you have.
Can silverfish enter the human body?
Although it’s rare the silverfish can enter the human body, especially ear canals, and stay there for a while. While this is considered a myth by many physicians there have been a few harmless cases.
But, this is not likely to happen because, unlike bed bugs, silverfish don’t bite and rarely enter bedrooms in the first place.
Conclusion
Silverfish are annoying and very unpleasant to see.
They move fast and have a fish-like shape and silvery color making them one of the most disturbing pests to notice around your house. But, luckily you now know that they are not dangerous to humans and pets.
On the other hand, the silverfish has an enormous appetite for such a small creature, and they will not shy away from your precious property, books, carpets, clothes, wallpapers, and furniture. Anything with starch is good enough to eat for silverfish.
This is why you need to take every bug in your home seriously and deal with the infestation before it gets too severe. With our detailed guide and high-quality glue traps for silverfish, you will be one step closer to a perfectly clean and bug-free home.
Keep in mind that it’s always a good idea to call professionals if you notice the infestation is getting out of your control. They can help you get all the bugs out of your home safely and efficiently.
