We have a special place in our hearts for our possessions. As we feel pleased to have these things, we also feel pain when they are damaged. What is more heartbreaking is that we have to dish out a couple more bills just to fix them. This is especially true when we discover that pests ate our favorite dress or ruined our treasured luxury bag or damaged our best-loved book. It can be so frustrating to find these tears or injuries and not know who or what did them. Unknown to many people like you and me is the most probable culprit, the silverfish.
The silverfish are the oldest living insects. Contrary to what you are thinking about, the silverfish is a pest that is found in our homes. Yes, it is a pest and not a fish. A silverfish is a type of insect that looks and moves like a fish and is usually silver or grey, hence its name. Rarely do you see it roaming around your house because of its small size and its ability to go into small holes and cracks?
It is a nocturnal insect that likes dark, humid, and moist places. They are usually found in the kitchen, under the sink or bathtub, between the pages of an old book, the attic, and the basement. The silverfish are fast runners on horizontal surfaces which makes them hard to catch even for their insect predators. They can be scary but do not worry, this speed of theirs does not apply when climbing walls since they cannot stick to walls.
Unlike their fellow pests, the silverfish have a strong immune system that makes it difficult to kill these insects. They have a fast reproduction that makes the silverfish lay 60 eggs all at once. Thus, the growing population of the silverfish leads to a severe silverfish problem in the home.
They can survive more than a year without eating if they can drink water. The silverfish loves to eat polysaccharides such as starch, dextrin found in adhesives, sugar, and carbohydrates. They can eat clothing, leather, synthetic fabrics, tapestries, carpet, wallpaper, book bindings, paste, paper, leftover crumbs, and more. They even eat dead insects and fallen human hair and dandruff. What a ravenous appetite for such a small creature!
Signs That You Have A Silverfish Infestation
There are telltale signs that the silverfish is living with you and destroying the things that you love. The first sign is when you see small holes on dried food packages, books, clothing, and newspapers. You can also see droppings on your cabinets and compartments. Lastly, do you see that yellow stain on your clothes? That is the mark of the pesky little silverfish. Watch out for holes in your things because that sure is a sign that you have silverfish in your home.
Are Silverfish Dangerous To Humans?
When seeing a silverfish for the first time, it looks like it will sting like the scorpion because of the long antennae on its head. But contrary to its scary looks, it is not dangerous to humans. Although the silverfish causes havoc on our property, it is not harmful to people. It scurries away when a person suddenly discovers and disturbs its place. It is not a poisonous insect and it rarely bites.
Moreover, it does not carry pathogens that cause any disease to people. The silverfish, however, can cause an allergic reaction to humans because of their molting. Molting of the silverfish is the process of shedding its skin. The silverfish undergo molting many more times in their lifetime compared to other insects. The shed skin turns into scales that turn into dust. This dust triggers an allergic reaction to people.
This is the only circumstance when a silverfish is harmful to humans. Such allergies can be skin rashes, severe itchiness, couching, or sneezing and can also trigger an asthma attack. Yet, this harm caused by the molting of the silverfish rarely affects people. The primary problem with silverfish is the damage it causes to our personal belongings.
How To Help Prevent Silverfish
Getting rid of the silverfish is not easy since it is a pest that is difficult to kill. Its agility and small size make it hard to see and capture. Fear not because there are still some things, we can do to help prevent the infestation of the silverfish in our homes. These helpful tips will not entirely solve the infestation problem, but they will help in controlling these pests
Always clean your home
Maintaining a clean and neat house will also keep silverfish and other pests away. Make sure to check all the nooks and crannies as it is where the hideout. Do not be afraid of dark areas or damp areas as those places are where silverfishes thrive.
Increasing ventilation
The silverfish thrives well in humid areas. Regularly opening our windows decreases the humidity in our house. Also, putting extractor fans in the bathroom helps a lot. Just make sure that air is flowing around your house because it can help with keeping the silverfish away.
Declutter your home
Declutter belongings that are not needed. You can start getting rid of your old books, old clothes, cardboard boxes, and newspapers should be disposed of that are not being used. As small as they are, we do not want these silverfish to have places to hide.
Use a diffuser
The cedar oil that you love to use in your diffuser and massaging oil is very helpful in getting rid of silverfish. The scent of cedar oil is a perfect repellent because it makes silverfish go away. Just simply add the oil in your diffuser and place it in moist and dark areas of your home. The strong scent of this irritates the silverfish. That is why they hate it, it repels them. and it will leave your house in no time.
Vacuum floors, carpets, and upholstery regularly
Vacuuming the leftover food crumbs from the carpet, sofa, and floor prevents the silverfish from entering our homes. Did you know that the presence of the silverfish even attracts carpet beetles? Yes, they do. So, vacuum all the way.
Keeping food in well-sealed containers
Silverfish insects are attracted to food that is inside cardboard boxes or plastic containers. So, it is important to keep food in airtight glass containers where it cannot be easily accessed by the silverfish.
Properly sealing cracks in walls and other open areas
The small size of the silverfish makes it easy for such pests to enter cracks under and behind windows, trim, and baseboards. It can also enter open areas like seams between the ceiling and walls. Sealing these open areas prevents the silverfish from inhabiting our homes.
Dehumidify your house
The silverfish loves to inhabit moist areas. Using a dehumidifier in damp areas will help prevent the moistness that the silverfish likes. Ridge vents on the roof will also help the humidity escape. As we all know, silverfish loves to stay in humid places. Installing vents on the roof lessens the humidity of the area.
Waterproof the inside and outside of your house
For the outside, you can use waterproof paint to prevent moisture build-up on the walls. It is also advisable to clean the gutters and drain away from the water. For the inside of your house, using plastic sheets on unfinished basements and dirt floors will prevent moisture in such areas. Getting rid of moisture can shoo away silverfish because even if they can survive without food, they cannot survive without water.
Make traps
A cheap and easy way to capture a silverfish insect is by using traps. Just simply moist a newspaper and leave it in the dark or moist area of your home for a night or two. When silverfish insects have settled to it, you can bring it outside and burn it.
Vacuum floors, carpets, and upholstery regularly
Vacuuming the leftover food crumbs from the carpet, sofa, and floor prevents the silverfish from entering our homes. Did you know that the presence of the silverfish even attracts carpet beetles? Yes, they do. So, vacuum all the way.
How To Get Rid Of Silverfish
We know how to prevent silverfish, but what if they are already in our homes? What can we do? Letting them be is not a solution because they can reproduce quickly and in large numbers. Once you let them reproduce, their population growth leads to an infestation problem in your home. It will be a nightmare when this happens because killing them is hard and killing lots of them will be even harder.
To get rid of them, you can use insecticides but these can only help to kill a few silverfish on the surface and not the whole population. Remember, if we cannot get rid of them all, they just continue to breed. Thus, the help of a pest control expert in silverfish extermination is necessary to eradicate such an infestation problem. Pest control experts such as those from Go-Forth Home Services specializes in eliminating and preventing these types of pests, so they know what to do and how to catch them all. If silverfish are smart, then pest control is smarter.