Is it possible to get rid of silverfish

Check bookcases, clothing and paper piles. Also, if you've left anything wrapped in paper in storage, they may be present there too.

Not Helpful 71 Helpful Vacuum more frequently and remove cereals from their boxes. Dust books regularly and remove moisture whenever it appears anywhere. Not Helpful 68 Helpful How can I prevent taking silverfish with me when I move into another apartment? Do diatomaceous earth treatment at the new house, and seal baseboards and cracks and holes as well.

In the old house, wash and dry all clothing and bedding and place in vacuum-sealed plastic bags or plastic storage totes with lids. Vacuum and wash carpets. Shred and or burn any paperwork, documents, bills, etc. Throw away everything that is starch or textile based that is not used or wanted.

Set traps every night, as many as possible prior to moving day. Not Helpful 40 Helpful Not Helpful 69 Helpful Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. Keep your plumbing in good order so as not to create a damp environment.

Helpful Not Helpful Silverfish like places where they can live in safety. This means that they will hide in places that are damp, messy, have several good hiding places, and have a lot of paper.

Keeping your house tidy will leave them vulnerable to the vacuum. Move your things around often, as this will disturb them frequently. Check your basement and attic first. Paper-backed or cellulose insulation in these areas is a great source of food for silverfish. Leave a lot of open space.

Silverfish might try to come out and run to eat something. You can try leaving bait such as a nice tasty book on the floor. Kill any that emerge in your presence. Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Be careful using chemicals; some may harm your family and pets if they ingest or inhale them.

Be sure to check safety precautions and warnings labels before using and follow the directions for use. Helpful 13 Not Helpful 7. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Co-authors: Updated: July 30, Categories: Featured Articles Pest Control. Article Summary X To get rid of silverfish, vacuum your home thoroughly to remove eggs that might be hiding in carpets, floorboards, and hard-to-reach corners and crevices.

Italiano: Liberarsi dei Pesciolini d'Argento. Nederlands: Van zilvervisjes afkomen. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 3,, times. Diatomaceous earth is available at most garden centers. These are all safe tips for use around children and pets as well. I was surprised to learn that some of my slack housekeeping habits encouraged silverfish to favor my home! I got the message and am now much better at eliminating paper piles and keeping up with laundry.

More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Their bodies are long — typically 12—19 millimeters — and fish-like, and they have six legs and two antennae. Silverfish are also called bristletails because they have three long bristles on the end of their body. People most often find them in moist or humid places, such as bathrooms, basements, laundry rooms, or attics, but they can be present anywhere in the home.

They are nocturnal, which means that they are most active at night. Silverfish feed on the sugar and starch in a range of household items, such as books, photographs, documents, and wallpaper. Soap, hair, dandruff , and dust can also be food sources for silverfish, along with glue, clothing, silk, cotton, and linen.

These insects can also eat dried beef products and even other silverfish. Other food products that they can eat include:. Silverfish are shy insects and will hide from humans. They cannot fly or bite, but they can run very quickly. According to The Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom, people may see silverfish in the home all year round. A study into different types of indoor allergens noted that a person who has an allergy to silverfish might experience respiratory symptoms.

The scales that silverfish shed contain a protein called tropomyosin, which can combine with other allergens and sometimes cause allergic reactions.

A person may also be allergic to silverfish droppings. People can use various techniques to tackle a silverfish infestation, including both chemical and natural methods. Silverfish can be picky when it comes to eating bait, and commercial baits often do not work against silverfish. Additionally, silverfish can survive for a very long time without eating or drinking, which means that they will not resort to eating bait because of hunger.

People should only use insecticides for large infestations, and they will not work while suitable habitats remain available to the silverfish. Even if people remove these habitats, insecticides can take a few weeks to work. Experts note that sprays that include the following ingredients can be effective against silverfish:. Available food sources play a key role in attracting silverfish. However, the bugs will go hunting a considerable distance from their den while looking for potential food sources.

They can scavenge dust, paper, crumbs, and other relatively imperceptible sources of sustenance from around your entire home. Since their diets are so flexible, food is not quite the key factor when it comes to attracting a silverfish infestation. Rather, the main factor that will attract them is the presence of a dark, warm, moist area to reside.

This species survived for million years by being too fast for other insects to eat it, and by being too lowkey and irrelevant for larger species to notice it. One typical place where silverfish live is in the bathroom, which is sure to fulfill their requirements for moisture. The drawback for them here is that the bathroom is frequently used and typically well-lit, so an infestation is sure to be hiding beneath your nose.

Consider looking beneath and behind appliances, underneath the bathtub, and in cabinets. Another issue to consider is that some people are prone to leaving magazines, newspapers, or trash in their bathroom. This is a poor choice because it provides them secluded spaces to hide during the day. On the other hand, attics, basements, and kitchen cupboards automatically provide their desire for seclusion. Basements tend to collect moisture by nature of their location, but other low-use parts of the home can easily become excessively damp.

Boxes and refuse will also make it much easier for a part of your home to fulfill their needs for an environment they can thrive in. Ensuring a low level of humidity and keeping your home neat and organized will deprive them of the conditions they need to survive.

There are many ways to get rid of silverfish. However, silverfish extermination in and of itself might only amount to treating the symptoms of the problem. Now that you know what attracts silverfish, you can start tackling the root of the problem by depriving them of food and shelter. Your first step should consist of depriving silverfish of food.

Additionally, put foods such as flour, sugar, and cereals in jars with sealable lids. Next, look for unconventional food sources. This includes clothes, paper, and other fabrics. Sprinkle the path towards them with your choice of repellents, such as essential oils or diatomaceous earth. Finally, perform a deep-clean of your home. You should also check unused rooms, the attic, and the basement for dust and other debris that silverfish can feed on.

Search the nooks and crannies of your bathroom and kitchen, then explore the more isolated, dark areas in your home. Examine your pipes where possible, as well. Excessive moisture and enabling factors such as poor circulation can also be harbingers of dangerous molds and other pestilences.

A plague of silverfish is often a symptom of an underlying, enduring problem with excessive dampness in parts of your home. However, these insects can be quite hardy. The ideal approach in how to eradicate silverfish is a combination of denying food and moisture while poisoning or trapping them.

Silverfish reproduce more slowly than most pest insects, so killing them outright may be a practical way to keep an infestation under control. There are several potent, silverfish-killing poisons to choose from if that suits your needs.

On the other hand, there are many reasons to avoid such solutions. If you have children, pets, or concern for your own health, you might want to consider a safer solution to your silverfish problem. In this case, you have no shortage of options. There are non-toxic, environmentally-friendly substances that kill silverfish just as effectively as poisons do. You might also destroy the areas that they use for dens and shelter, or physically block their access to the interior of your home.

Choosing the right solution will vary depending on your exact circumstances. Boric acid is one of the most widely used, versatile poisons for killing insects.

However, it is toxic if you inhale or ingest it. Then, you can put it in a spray bottle, and coat their paths with boric acid. Spraying directly into cracks, crevices, and holes that silverfish traverse or lay in can also be terrifically effective. However, this can present a health risk if you have children or pets. If you can mitigate this by making absolutely certain that your kids and animals stay away, then it can be an effective means of reversing your silverfish infestation.

On the other hand, it may not be worth the risk of using it in areas that you and your loved ones typically traverse. Another of the key weaknesses of boric acid is that it becomes useless when excessively wet. Given the nature of silverfish dens, it may not always do the job but it usually will. Consider using boric acid in remote, little-used areas and supplementing it with diatomaceous earth in more lived-in areas.

Diatomaceous earth is a peculiar, non-toxic form of silverfish control. A recurrent theme in this guide has been the importance of moisture to silverfish: they need it to live, and constantly seek out water. When they head to dry areas to seek out food, they only survive thanks to a waxy outer coating. This enables their body to hold in moisture during these journeys. Contact with diatomaceous earth immediately dissolves this coating, which causes rapid moisture loss and death.

This high rate of effectiveness combined with its non-toxicity makes for a perfect silverfish killer. Sprinkling a thin line of diatomaceous earth along bookshelves, cupboards, and wardrobes can kill silverfish before they begin eating your belongings. After a few days to a week of successful, well-placed application of this substance, you should see considerable results.

There are many all-natural, organic, and non-toxic compounds that repel silverfish. The oils and aroma of bay leaves make them a useful way to get rid of silverfish in certain areas. Crush the leaves into small pieces or a powder, then place these pieces in the paths they frequent. Essential oils work in much the same way. To match an aggressive infestation with an aggressive treatment, seek out a commercial pesticide formulated to treat silverfish.

The active ingredient in many flea-and-tick pet collars, pyrethrin can be successfully used to exterminate silverfish. Apply the chemical with caution, keeping it away from all children, pets, and food preparation areas. Pest repellents containing pyrethrin are commonly available online view on Amazon and in local home centers.

But while both kill adult silverfish on contact, neither one works to eradicate eggs. For that reason, using propoxur often requires a sustained campaign, particularly in the case of severe infestations. Indeed, the best way to live free of silverfish is to prevent them from entering your home in the first place.

Given that silverfish require and seek out a specific set of living conditions, the following guidelines can help you make your home an unwelcoming place for these hungry, humidity-craving creatures. Ultimately, what you can do may not be enough to get rid of silverfish completely. If worst comes to worst, call in a pest-control specialist and leave the job to professionals who are well trained and well equipped to handle any infestation, large or small.

Disclosure: BobVila.