Silverfish Removal and Treatment Information

Silverfish do not cause harm to humans but they are hideous little creatures that most people can’t abide to have in their homes. Unfortunately pest control of Silverfish is limited to temporary effect because the main cause of Silverfish inhabiting an area is damp, moist conditions, so until the property is fully dried out and moisture problems dealt with, silverfish may continue to appear.

The Silverfish belongs to the Thysanura Insect family and is officially called ‘Lepisma Saccharina’, it also goes under many other names including; The Fishmoth, Urban Silverfish and The Carpet Shark.

The Silverfish is a small insect, measuring between 0.5 and 1inch (12–25 mm). It doesn’t have any wings and it has slithers around with a fish-like movement (hence the name Silverfish). Newborn Silverfish are white in colour but by the time they reach adulthood they are silvery light grey with a tinge of blue.

Silver fish eat a carbohydrate diet high in sugar or starches. They enjoy most human food and are commonly found where crumbs and little pieces of food can be found such as kitchen cupboards and floors or computer keyboards. Silverfish also enjoy the sweetness of glue and other adhesives so they can cause damage by nibbling on human property such as book bindings, wallpaper, photographs and albums, tapestries or textiles.

Silverfish also like to eat human hair and dandruff, so bathrooms are extremely common places for Silverfish to reside because not only are the attracted by the damp conditions, but also by the presence of hair and dandruff on the floor or stuck to the walls and skirting’s.

Silverfish can go for as long as a year without eating but this is a very rare occurrence as there are usually plenty of opportunities available to them to eat. They even eat their own molten exoskeleton if the circumstances are extreme or other dead insects. Additional matter that may be consumed by Silverfish includes cotton, linen, silk and synthetic materials.

Silverfish can be found in buildings and homes anywhere around the world, where food is present. They generally prefer dark, moist areas such as garages, bathrooms, under beds, cupboards and pantry’s.

In order to reproduce, Silverfish require a high humidity of 75% to 95% and a warm temperature between 70°F and 80°F. They also prefer to avoid the light and stay under the cover of darkness. Unfortunately this means that very often Silverfish are completely unnoticed in your home until there is a very large infestation of them.

The presence of Silverfish in your home usually indicates a problem with moisture. This could be leaking through the roof, or leaks caused by plumbing issues, damp conditions in the walls, excessive condensation, air conditioning vents, moisture trapped under floors or in exterior walls.

If you do discover a heavy infestation of Silverfish in your home, you will no doubt want to do something about it. The main course of action is to get stuck right in to thoroughly drying out your home. This will stop them reproducing.

Effectively drying every nook and cranny is an ongoing process which could take a number of months to complete. In the meantime there are many substances you can buy from a local hardware store to put down around your home and kill off the silverfish present. Insecticide sprays should be sprayed all around your skirting boards, walls and any cracks or crevices to stop Silverfish escaping or moving through wall voids.

You should also aid their extinction by getting rid of any stacks of newspapers, magazines or paper you have lying around your house, garage or loft space. There are plenty of recycling places for these sorts of things nowadays. The same goes for old clothing or items suitable for charitable donation.

If you find some of your good clothes have been infested then you will want to get them cleaned carefully, it is recommended that you use a dry cleaner.

If you discover that your books and other objects of sentimental value are infested then you should tightly wrap them in plastic and can put them in a large freezer at 0°F for four to seven days.

In an area you know Silverfish are plentiful, you could try turning bright lights on and leaving them on overnight, this will certainly discourage them from staying. The problem with Silverfish being so small is that they can continue to thrive under floorboards or in walls for a long time. If possible you should Caulk obvious openings and crevices.

To effectively treat your entire house it is highly recommended that you call in pest control experts to fully fumigate the entire area and prevent them returning anytime soon.

Regular cleaning and ensuring your home is completely dry will help to prevent Silverfish reappearing. For further information on effective pest control click on this link.