How to Get Rid of Silverfish
Safely Get Rid of Silverfish
Getting rid of silverfish is not that easy. I’m sure you’ve found silverfish in your home, didn’t know how they got there, what kept them there, what they eat, and how to not only eliminate them, but prevent their return. Maybe you’ve tried to kill the silverfish and need a permanent solution? You are not alone.
Silverfish are one bane of my existence. Just know I loathe all bugs equally, especially if they’ve invaded my home. I live in Tampa, Florida which is a prime breeding ground for all pesky insects. The first silverfish I ever saw was wriggling like a swimming fish in the bowl of my sink. I naturally grabbed a tissue and quickly made him (or her) into mush – and, for safe measure, did a permanent flush in the toilet. Okay, so I’ve since been on the hunt for information about the free loaders and how to get them packing permanently.
Want to make silverfish disappear forever? And in less than a week? Guaranteed?
Bob Haskin's "Get Rid of Silverfish"
Luckily I’ve finally found Bob Haskin’s DIY solution. I admit to having a fetish about bugs and poison anywhere around personal items or food and utensils. And I don’t want strange people coming into my home poking, probing, fumigating, and treating all areas with toxins. So Haskins’ easy step-by-step method got rid of all my silverfish without any of those worries. Try it for yourself, it’s risk-free with a money back guarantee if not satisfied.
If you’re not interested in Bob Haskin’s book, you can purchase Boric acid (Silverfish Paks, Borid, or Niban) that really, really works in making those small household bugs disappear.
What Are Silverfish?
Lepisma saccharina (commonly called the fishmoth and urban silverfish) is a wingless insect, small in length of up to one inch (though generally one-half inch). Their bodies are long, slender, flattened, and covered in scales. Their bodies are covered with a soft shell, unlike most insects, so they can dehydrate quickly in a dry environment. It got the name silverfish because of its silvery blue color and because it moves like a fish. The genus name comes from its diet of starches and sugar. It belongs to the Thysanura group believed to have existed for over 300 million years, in the Paleogoic era.
Silverfish are commonly found in homes throughout the United States. They thrive in dark, moist, and in cool temperatures. Silverfish can be found in such places as garages, closets, underneath beds, couches, bookcases, attics, behind base boards, door and window frames, and electrical appliances that offer no sunlight. They can be carried into your home via infested cardboard boxes, books, and papers of any sort. I’m sure you’ve found they were active at night (just pop on a light!) and they hide during the daylight.
Humidity will be between 75 and 97%, and temperatures will be at least 80 degrees. Perfect for Florida!
What Silverfish Eat
A silverfish’s diet consists of protein, starch, sugar, and mold or fungi. Believe it or not, these few categories cover a lot of territory! It includes cereals, wheat flour, dry foods, dried organic ornaments, wallpaper pastes, natural fibers, book bindings, all papers, photos, sugar, hair, and dandruff. You’ll commonly find them in and around sinks, showers, and baths.
Can you believe they like cellulose in shampoos and shaving foams?
Silverfish prefer feasting on cotton and linen, though they can’t digest either. Note: especially on starched cotton. During times of famine, they may resort to leather and synthetics. Even though silverfish can’t bite, they can chew. They even eat dead insects and their own molted skin!
The Procreation and Lifecycle of Silverfish
You probably haven’t given much thought to the sex life of a silverfish, but I bet you’ll change your tune are reading further!
Silverfish have a mating ritual marked by a series of love dances. These three phases could each last at least one half hour.
- 1st phase: male and female face each other, his trembling antennae touching her, then they retreat and repeat.
- 2nd phase: the female chases the male after he runs away.
- 3rd phase: male and female are side by side and head to tail, with the male’s tail vibrating against his mate. After a fashion, the male lays a sperm capsule which the female deposits internally to fertilize future eggs.
Adult silverfish lay 5 – 50 eggs at a time in cracks, crevices, and near your food supply. Eggs can be laid any time during the year, and take 19 – 43 days to hatch.
Egg to adult is anywhere from three months up to 2 years.
Because silverfish molt continuously as an adult, look for their discarded skin for signs of infestation.
Natural Known Enemies of Silverfish
Not that you want to knowingly add more hated insects to your list of invitees to wipe out your silverfish, but earwigs, house centipedes, and on occasion spiders are natural predators.
Damage by Silverfish
Damage is only significant over a long period of time. They don’t bite or leave any disease.
Prevention
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Sanitation (i.e., make sure you don’t use any starch on your clothes). Keep in sealed containers (no moisture or air).
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In storing, use tips above, and keep, for example, boxes away from walls and raised from the floor.
Okay, that was the first step. Sanitation only prevents silverfish from returning.
The hard part:
- dry out every area you can think of that shelters the little bugs.
- once you reduce humidity, light up your life and hope they migrate to darker and moister environments.
Lepisma saccharina (generally known as the fishmoth, urban silverfish or silverfish) is a small, wingless insect generally measuring from half to one inch.
Strange Cockroach (?) Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 10:41 AM I keep seeing these bugs in my bathroom which vary greatly in size.
What’s That Bug Doing in My Cereal?
A silverfish! Of course, the kids just HAD to see it. My older daughter plugged her ears, of all things, upon seeing it and it took us several minutes to get her to eat her own bowl of (completely different) cereal.
A few common questions keep popping up about silverfish pest control that I would like to answer. What attracts silverfish? Silverfish are attracted to glues, starches, and wet areas of your home.
Silverfish can be very difficult to eradicate, even with professional pest control services. Because silverfish live in walls and roofs, it can be very difficult to poison them with pesticides because those areas are inaccessible.
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