How to Get Rid of Silverfish – Quick Steps to Follow

The silverfish or the lespisma saccharina is a wingless and small kind of insect that is part of the order Thysanura. According to Wikipedia, the silverfish was able to derives its name from the silvery light and blue color that it has and the movements it make is just like the fish. They are fed with carbohydrates which includes starches and sugar. But, aside from that, there are more things to know about them.

A Short Description

The silverfish are nocturnal kind of insects and are commonly 13 to 30 mm in length. If you will look at them in the microscopes, you will find out that their abdomens are tapered in the end which is the main reason on why it has fish like appearance. They are completely wingless, have long antennas and usually move in a wiggling phase just like the fish. They normally live for about 2 to 8 years and are known to be agile runners.

Getting Rid of Silverfishes

Even though silverfish is harmless, having them in the house is still a big problem for most of the homeowners. They would typically cause some simple issues especially for the foods that were left out in the kitchen. With that, most of them would want to know how to get rid of silverfish in their house as soon as possible. In this article, you can have a better idea on the quick steps you have to follow.

Getting Started: Know Their Home

You have to figure out where they are lurking inside the house. Since they are nocturnal, it would be impossible for you to find them in the morning but you can be aware of their presence because of the things that they will left behind. Some of the traces you have to consider are the following below:

You have to look for dark areas that have small spots that kind of similar to black pepper.

They could also be responsible to the yellowish stains and small holes in the wallpaper, clothing, and the boxes of the cereals and in any fabric or cardboard materials in your place.

Silverfish are shedding their skin, so you may consider to look around for some skin casts in the basement, bathroom or in some other areas where you think they are living.

Way # 1: Trapping the Silverfish

One of the most common ways being done by many homeowners is to trap the silverfish with different tricks. If you are someone who is interested in this kind of method then you have to know the different things you will do which are the following below:

Glass Traps for Silverfish – you have to get a quart-sized kind of glass container or jar. Get a masking tape and wrap it around the body of your glass containers. Put the piece of bread inside the glass and put it in the area where you are suspecting the home of the silverfish. With this method, the silverfish will climb in the glass and go for the bread you put inside.

However, they would not be able to go outside of it because the glass is too slippery for them. Tip: It would be ideal if you are going to use this kind of trap during the night where the silverfish will go out and find some food to eat.

Newspaper Traps – another trap that you can have in the house are newspapers. All you need to do is to roll up the newspaper and put an elastic band in the end of it. After that, you have to moisten it. You can put it in the place where you typically see the silverfish and you should do it even before you sleep.

As you wake up in the morning, you will find that the silverfish have eaten their way inside the newspaper and they would think that this is a very cozy environment for them to stay. With that, you have to throw out the newspaper or you can burn them in the yard. It would be the best if you can do it often in the night until you have successfully get rid of the silverfishes in the house.

Traps Bought in Stores – if you do not wish to make your own traps then you can consider buying them in different hardware stores close in your area. This could be some kind of sticky traps and you can bait the silverfish with the use of breads and starches.

Way # 2: Using Insecticides and Repellents

On the other hand, you can also make use of some insecticides and repellents that you can purchase in the grocery stores.

Diatomaceous Earth – this is a powdery substance that is actually considered as a food-grade. This could kill any kind of thing that crawls and made up of fossilized kind of materials which also have some sharp edges for every grain of it. When you are using this, you have to sprinkle it in the cabinets or in any places where the silverfish might be residing inside your house.

Notes: after sprinkling in the night, make sure that you will vacuum it in the morning as well as the possible silverfish that has been killed by. Also, you have to wear a mask while you are sprinkling the substance as that could possibly irritate your lungs.

Boric Acid – the boric acid is also a natural substance which could kill, not just the silverfish but as well as their eggs. This could be sprinkled all over the bathtub, in the baseboards or in any kind of place where you are suspecting the silverfish to lay their eggs. It is important for you be careful when using this as it could be really toxic in the house.

If you have some questions, comments and other things that need to be clarified, feel free to leave a short message on this. We would surely be glad to hear something from you!