Lots of people and houses are suffering from those slimy, disgusting, filthy bugs.
That’s where such questions arise: How to get rid of silverfish bugs and how to do it fast? What method to choose? Will it be safe?
The answers to these and other questions you’ll find in the following article.
5 Easy Steps on How to Get Rid of Silverfish Bugs
Silverfish bugs are pesky little critters that can make your home incredibly uncomfortable. They love to crawl into the tiniest spaces and eat everything in sight, including our food. If you've been seeing silverfish around your house lately, it's time to take action!
Here are 5 steps on how to get rid of these annoying pests for good:
Identifying
Identify where the silverfish bugs are coming from and seal up any cracks or holes in your home.Get Rid of Clutter
Keep food sealed uptight, get rid of clutter around the house, including old clothes, shoes, and books. Vacuum the house regularly.Cut Back on Moisture
Don't leave wet clothes laying around, install a dehumidifier if necessary.Use Silverfish Killer Products
Click here for more information about the best silverfish killer products.Clean Up
Clean your kitchen often with vinegar or bleach to prevent bugs from living there. Clean up after yourself - don't leave dishes in the sink or dirty clothes lying around.
Keep reading for more helpful tips!
To cope with the problem successfully one should understand what exactly you deal with. You should also know their breeding and living patterns to make your home “inhospitable” to them.
What Are Silverfish Bugs?
These are about 1/2 inch bluish-silver wingless insects with hard exoskeleton. They look like fish and their movements are very similar. They have 2 long antennas on their head and 3 prominent “tails” on the rear.
Females’ egg numbers vary. Depending on species, their quantity may range from 2 to 20 eggs per day. Silverfish can lay eggs at any season of the year and grow from larva to adult in 3-4 months.
Silverfish feed on mold, fungi, and carbohydrates (such as sugars, starch or cellulose). This means that your food (especially dry foods), clothes, shampoos, soaps, books, wallpaper, plants, and many other things are in danger.
Though the insects may be found almost anywhere, they prefer dark, moist, moderate temperature areas (60-80 degrees Fahrenheit) and places with good sources of food. Unless the food is gone, they remain close to its supply.
Therefore, the usual silverfish habitats are:
- bathrooms,
- kitchens,
- laundry rooms,
- attics,
- basements.
They are commonly found in/under sinks, bathtubs, in storage boxes, bookcases, old stacks of papers (magazines, newspapers, etc.), on closet shelves, behind wallpaper, wall voids, window or door frames, and baseboards.
The bugs just love the taste of starch in book bindings, paper on which there are glue or paste, various fabrics, bathroom products, cereals, flour, crumbs, and plant materials.
Silverfish Elimination
Killing silverfish bugs is not an easy thing, since they hide in different dark, protected places and reproduce very quickly. They are nocturnal (i.e. they’re mostly active at night) and may remain unnoticed for a long time.
Thus, the majority of homeowners detect them by their cast skins, tiny pepper-like feces, or feeding damage (e.g. small holes in wallpaper, clothing, cereal boxes, yellowish stains on fabric) when the infestation is already well established.
The fact is that most people give up trying to eliminate silverfish at first failure. But you should be persistent! Not taking action is a poor decision. You don’t want these creepy insects scurrying up in your bathroom, kitchen, or your BEDROOM, do you?
Ways of Silverfish Pest Control
There are two principal ways of silverfish control: natural and chemical. Both of them may be effective, but chemical agents are usually much more costly and harmful.
Natural means are safe for you, your children and pets. Besides, they offer a wide range of solutions for these bugs.
You may also use different traps that can be bought at a store or made at home.
Natural Silver Fish Bugs Exterminators
First of all, determine the places of infestation. It is not too difficult – they are always near their food. Secondly, select the product that is more appealing to you.
Here is a list of available solutions: citrus sprays, spices, diatomaceous earth, mothballs, lavender oil, cucumbers, cedar shavings.
- Citrus sprays. These sprays smell like citrus and are specifically manufactured to eliminate bugs like silverfish which are repelled by the scent. Apply it generously in the alleged places of infestation. Don’t use citrus smelling cleaning sprays; they are not organic and will be of no help.
- Spices. They don’t like strong scents of bay leaves, sage, and whole cloves (not ground!). Place the spices in porous sachets where the insects appear. It can help deter and discourage them from coming back.
- Diatomaceous earth (food grade). It is a white powder that dehydrates silverfish and other bug pests and causes their death. Dust all areas where they can hide and they will die simply from walking through it. Diatomaceous earth for silverfish is efficient as long as it is dry. Though the powder is lethal to pests, it’s non-toxic to people and pets.
- Mothballs. The bugs can’t stand their smell either. Place mothballs wherever they are seen frequently.
- Lavender oil. Silverfish are repelled by its scent and stay away. It proved to be a good method of clearing them out of your home. Mix a teaspoonful of concentrated lavender oil in 1/2 a small spray bottle of water. Wipe down the walls with the mixture, spray it onto the carpet, around the skirting boards, cupboard doors, pieces of furniture and other items at your home. Let them dry. Be sure to refresh the smell from time to time. Don’t apply it to delicate fabrics, as they can be damaged.
- Cucumbers. The scent of cucumbers is a nice repellent for silverfish. Cut a cucumber into thick slices and put them everywhere the pests may be hiding. Replace the slices once they dry up.
- Cedar shavings. Cedar pieces or shavings should be also helpful at getting rid of them.
- Silverfish are known to like damp areas (75 to 95% humidity), that’s why it is recommended to reduce it to about 50%. This can be done with the help of dehumidifiers and fans. Fix everything that leaks, minimize available water, ventilate the attic and closed rooms.
- Caulk cracks and crevices on walls, floors, and holes around pipes to prevent the insects from using them as an entrance.
- Inspect and clean ALL your possessions, including the contents of boxes, wardrobes, cupboards, book shelves, clothing, etc.
- Put all possible food sources into plastic air-proof containers.
- Vacuum, mop and dust your house frequently to remove eggs.
- Repair or remove wallpaper.
Baits & Silverfish Traps
Numerous traps are also non-chemical methods of eradicating the little buggers. They are very cheap and safe. There are some examples of such traps below.
Moisten and roll up newspapers, tie them with elastics, and leave them out overnight to catch silverfish. The next morning either burn the newspapers or dump them into a trash can outside the house since they should be full of “prisoners”. Repeat the procedure every night until you no longer find any insects.
Take a jar or a glass container and cover the outsides with masking tape. Put some bread in it or fill it halfway with water and 2-3 teaspoons of sugar as bait. Place the trap in a common infested area. The bugs climb up the masking tape, fall inside the jar, and die because they are unable to climb up the slick sides and escape.
General sticky traps are simple but effective and can be bought at a local hardware store. The traps attract pests and they get stuck.
Starchy food items or moist cotton can be also used as baits.
Chemical Silverfish Extermination
If you decided to continue a chemical route, be prepared to pay a lump sum of money either for hiring a professional extermination company or buying expensive silverfish pesticides. But none of them can address an entire infestation and guarantee complete silverfish eliminating.
The most common chemical silverfish exterminator is liquid pyrethrin. Spray it into the cracks around baseboards, doors, and windows. This method will kill adult silverfish but won’t kill the eggs.
One more solution to the problem is boric acid. Though it is a natural insecticide, it can be toxic.
Sprinkle a small amount of powder around the infested areas. If it gets damp, just reapply.
Boric acid is effective in killing not only adult silverfish but also hatching nymphs.
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- Pesticides are potentially dangerous to mammals.
- Boric acid is toxic when ingested or inhaled.
- Use a disposable face mask to cover your nose and mouth while applying pyrethrin or boric acid.
- Avoid applying insecticides near food, food utensils, or food preparation surfaces.
- Keep your children and pets away from these substances.
- Read and follow the insecticide directions for use very carefully.
Addressing silverfish infestation swiftly is extremely important because they reproduce very fast and are much more intrusive than most people think. If left untreated, the insects can cause costly damage to your home and make you feel nervous. To exterminate these bugs, you need to alter the conditions that make your home inviting to them.
Choose natural methods that kill the whole generation of silverfish, but are secure for humans and animals. Be persistent and don’t expect overnight results.
The process is quite tiresome and takes some time to achieve permanent elimination, so give the method a couple of tries and never forget about sanitation. This will prevent reinfestation and save you from many problems.
Questions & Answers
Silverfish bugs are not harmful to humans, but they can be very bothersome. They will feed on the glue and paper in your bookshelf or clothing you put out for drying. It is important to know that silverfish bugs do not live outside of people's houses! They only infest homes that have light fixtures with old bulbs (which emit a lot of heat) nearby, unvented areas behind baseboards near heating vents, under sinks where pipes enter from outdoors, inside damp places such as bathrooms or laundry rooms with leaky faucets; kitchens beneath cabinets filled with cleaning supplies and other items stored close together. If left unchecked these pesky pests will multiply quickly over time because their main food source is fungus growing on moist surfaces.
The silverfish bug does not originate from one single major country. It is a worldwide problem, however, the number of infestations will vary around the world. It is difficult to establish just where these bugs originated because they existed for such a long time before any records were made and were established before most forms of communication existed. There are also many different countries that refer to them by different names, which would make it even more difficult to find an origin point.
Although its origin is unknown, Silverfish is typically an indoor pest and infestation usually occurs just after the tenants have moved in or completed a construction task that has resulted in increased moisture levels such as painting. Their prime food source outdoors is fungi on wood but they can survive on other substances such as book bindings and dead skin cells from humans which causes them to move into human dwellings seeking these goodies.
Silverfish are usually attracted to ammonia, and so any house cleaners with this scent have a good chance of deterring them. Similarly, lavender has been shown to be an effective deterrent for silverfish.
Mothballs can also keep silverfish away because they dislike the smell. I'm not sure if you could call it "liking" these smells but they work effectively in getting rid of the pesky little creatures nevertheless!
Just wanted to say thanks for such thorough information! I am heading to the store to buy natural ways to get rid of these suckers! I have only seen three in my apartment thus far I am hoping there aren’t much more!! 🙁
I just moved into the basement of a friends home. They have ALOT of silverfish and spiders. I got rid of all the cob webs from the sealings and floors. It is grossing me out seeing all the silverfish at nights. I sleep with the lights on at nights to try and keep the criders away from me on my bed. I really need some help in getting rid of these bugs. PLEASE HELP.
Joann
You read the article ? Diatomaceous earth from Amazon; it’s a powder but non-toxic to humans & pets.
Keep place clean and dust free, as much as possible. If showering, keep window open or exhaust fan on, have less humidity. Vacuum. Make traps, take small jar, wrap with tape so silverfish can grip and climb up, use flour as bait, place jar along wall or corner of room, against wall, they tend to walk along wall. Don’t have a lot of clutter around, papers, clothes, keep place clean and organized. They will be eradicated over time. Do the same for all areas of teh house, upstairs and downstairs. Good luck.
At least for silverfish there are natural remedies that work. You all should thank Fate you don’t have bedbugs!
After you have the area treated have a bedbug sniffing dog come in thirty days later. If you did everything right this will come up negative and give you some peace of mind. A negative result will have your exterminator redoing the job. If they seem like jerks about what you have to do prepping the house it is for a reason. Bedbugs are the very devil to get rid of. Lots of luck.
Use dryer sheets between your mattress to keep bed bugs away
Diatomaceous earth works well for bed bugs too, anything with an exoskeleton.
Only way to near eradicate is..FIND the source.Understand their life cycle.Adults may be eradicated but eggs previously laid REMAIN.IMMEDIATELY discard USED vac bags!!=Keep the eradication steps continuous=No silver beasties seen,still continue the eradication persistently=Kill the next generation of dormant “invaders”etc.ANT POWDER works,glass jar+tape on outside=traps,baits,Borax powder,cardboard soaked in borax acid=last supper!spiders eat silver beasts,dark,damp basements/attics etc=Ideal breeding ground.Well ventilated areas prevents damp.A FAN keeps air MOVING=circulates etc..a **DAYLIGHT BULB can help in basement/dark areas. etc.=They hide!-You cannot fully eradicate=They may return,but at least applying all the applications mentioned..you can “99.999% CONTROL” any future “beasty uprising”..and they will…eventually.
regularly check storage areas!Discarded news paper,card board boxes,books,loose wallpaper,crumbling plaster,wall behind stove(they like warmth & moisture),carpet underlay,bathroom facilities.(moisture etc)
If you live in a penthouse…an upper floor tenement block etc…”they” live in the basement & increase in numbers=They “WILL RISE”.Unless lower floors exterminate & apply preventative measures thus applied too=MOVE!!!…and live in a balloon.
I’m going to stay in touch to let you know if, and when, which method worked best for me in my area and how long it’ll take. I’m more persistent then they are
I feel similarly distressed at the knowledge that having seen quite a few now, it is likely that they have been there for a while and are infesting. I need to buy all these things to sort it out because my landlord is not going to clear it – ‘not classed as a pest’ it seems…but seeing one on my pillow last night has done it for me…can’t sleep and definitely feeling effects of ‘nervous’….Unacceptable that they should crawl so freely in this place recently rented.
They are pests… Ask any pest control company
I think I would figure a way to challenge the land Lord. They are pests and you can turn it in. My town has protection agency for renters
Hello, I share your feelings if you go poulins pest control and buy doctor doom spray, it works just as good as the chemicals, they spray and they also have bed bug covers and glue traps, but the spray is awesome and it’s only 25.oo, the powder is awesome too.
You can purchase a *huge* bag of bay leaves on Amazon for less than $20.00
I am going to try this in a storage unit, yuk I hate those things. Hard to change the
environment of a storage unit 🙁
Thanks
Use dryer sheets between your mattress to keep bed bugs away under your sheets works too. They sell boric acid bug killer at the .99cent store.
It is the same as and powder and is not toxic unless you ingest it.
Hi CT,
Did the bay leaves work for you?
Wow, thanks for the info. Very informative. Just recently had our house built but must have brought the buggers with us! Think I might try a double dose cos I’m throwing out so many new clothes from my wardrobe. Think will use the boric acid to kill not only the silverfish but also the nymphs/eggs and just for good measure either the cinnamon sticks or lavender. Tried the good old mothballs but they don’t seem to do the trick. thanks for the heads-up.
Starting to see these guys on a daily basis after becoming aware of what and where to look became very concerning and annoying. I tried the diatomic earth and did not see any relief. I then went and bought a few cans of spray pesticde and sprayed any cracks and crevices where I was seeing them. I also bought boric acid and spread that around all the baseboards in the areas I was finding them ( I used a spoon to apply a little bit around the baseboards so you reallly do not even notice it). It was then I was finding them dead on the floors for probably about two to three weeks. It has been about a month now and I have not found one since. I think the boric acid is the answer and I hope this has gotten rid of the problem. I did calll pesticde companies but they cannot guarantee to get ridof them. Boric acid is found at the pharmacy behind the counter as I had to ask for it. good luck
Thank you for the Boric acid recommendation. I have renovated my 17c cottage and have a lot of s/fish now ,on the stairs and in the lounge. Frightening so leave night lights on to try and deter. Will try the Boric acid as this seems what the majority of people recommend.
Have millions in my basement of parents house where I live currently unemployed. These little buggers have twice crawled in my ears and laid eggs. BAD NEWS
Ant powder kills them.. If you have pets you can’t use it, just puff the spray round your skirting boards and under your bath and you will gradually see them less and less.. The only thing that has worked for me!
Ant powder…… going to try this:) thanks..i will let you know if it work…
Ant powder…… going to try this:) thanks..i will let you know if it work
Ant powder worked for me… all gone thank you!!:):)
Where do I get ant powder? Please.
Thank you.
You can get ant powder from any garden shop or supermarket in their garden section.
You can get ant & crawling insect powder from any wilko & hard ware store
I’ve just finished day 3 of pouring any powdered round my entire kitchen still finding wee buggers but dead thank goodness . Will keep at it until I see none
Ant powder will kill them.. Be careful if you have pets.. Just puff powder into cracks.. Skirting boards anywhere damp.. And it works!!
what happens when they lay eggs and how do you know did you ever wake up coffing on them
Sounds like your parents are a victim of the EPA too. You need some DDT, Lindane, etc, pronto. These old pesticides worked. The worked so good they got banned.
You need to read Silent Spring by Rachel Carson…
Do that, and you will NEVER recommend DDT again. Seriously, that stuff is an environmental catastrophe – and near enough wiped out the Californian Condor amongst many other species.
Silent Spring has been thoroughly debunked now. The banning of DDT has killed millions of people in Africa and other areas in warmer climates where it had eradicated malaria and prevented outbreaks of other diseases which were carried by mosquitoes. Rachel Carson was a dangerous crackpot who was a lot like the anti-vaccine people are today. Nothing in Silent Spring was based on science.
WTF, they crawled inside your ears and laid eggs? Hell no, I’m so scared to sleep now
Mix 40% Dawn dish detergent, 60% water spray the cracks it will kill them on contact
I call BS on this.
mothballs are intended to kill moths and their eggs and are intended to be used in a closed space. Mothballs are pesticides that slowly turn from solid to gas, spreading their poison into the environment. Mothballs are NOT intended to be placed around open spaces where people and animals live. Mothballs become poisonous gas, that is how they work. Do not use mothballs, or any pesticide, for any insect or animal, or in any way other than the intended use as outlined on the package. Do NOT use mothballs as a repellent.
I can’t even understand how this happens. Can’t you feel it? Hear it? Omg, I am so freaked by this.
I would guess it’s a lie!
It’s not a lie, I woke up to one in my ear. It was right on the tip of my ear lobe. Hope it didn’t laid any eggs. I screamed and got it out and have been scared ever since that happened. I am heading to a store to buy anything I can to get rid of these things !!
The first thing I’d buy are earmuffs!
To help ease your mind a little about this eggs in ear thing, I would say although it is possible to happen, it would more likely be in a bad case of infection. He said there was millions in his home, so unless your finding casts in there thousands, I wouldn’t worry to much.
However, as it’s the stuff of nightmares to think silverfish nymphs are about to start bursting out your ears, as precaution; using hydrogen peroxide (6-9% solution is generally safest) and diluting it around 3 parts to 1 with tap water, take a medical syringe — obviously without the needle attached, and laying on your side drip a few drops into each ear cavity. This is perfectly safe to do and with give you a fizzing tingly feeling in the ear for 30 seconds or so. This procedure will definitely kill any eggs and have the added bonus of removing earwax. At night rubbing a drip of lavender oil on and behind the earlobe will also help to deter them from investigating further. Unless your finding casts in your actual bedding however, I don’t think you have anything to worry about! ; )
Thanks, Brian!!! I couldn’t believe the author was going on and on about NATURAL pest control — which I believe in also — and then recommended MOTHBALLS!! So toxic!
I heard of cedar wood before to repel silverfish. You can buy offcuts from a carpenter and mount them in closets with a screw or nail. It seems that the outer layer of the wood become sealed off, or at least lose its flavour after a few months. Every few weeks or months, use a medium sandpaper and just sand it down with a few strokes to get a fresh spot or side of the wood.
I tried installing an electronic unit which allegedly creates supersonic frequencies in the room’s electrical wiring to irritate and scare off insects and rodents. To my total disappointment I have an infestation of 5 ants species, silverfish, the odd cockroach, mice and rats! You know I’m reverting to chemical methods now!
Another interesting fact about silverfish is that they live in the wood panels of cheap furniture. Wall units, end tables and other items are often made with chipboard or pressed wood. This kind of wood makes for a lighter panel, cheaper furniture and of course with the right veneer looks like any fashionable or valuable equivalents. The problem is that inside the panel where the small wood chips are glued together, little crevasses exist where bugs like silverfish can move in and of course move with you.
I have a cedar roof that silverfish are gnawing on and coming through. So I would say that cedar doesn’t always work.
They got into your ears and laid eggs? Ok…I have now been ultimately freaked out. I have only found 3 of these things in my carpet but that’s enough to gross me out. I am 41 years old and out of all the places I’ve lived, I have never seen these things. I am still clueless as to why they are in my house. I live in New England where the temps have been freezing this winter. They aren’t anywhere humid or moist. Just near the blue tape I have put down on baseboards for painting the trim. I think they are attracted to the glue on the tape. I am going to try the cup trap tonight. Hopefully it works.
I’m not sure about the laying eggs part; but, when I was a child I awoke, look at my brother sleeping in bed and saw one crawl right into his mouth, nose, or ear! Uggghhh! So gross!!! (Forgive me as I can’t remember which orifice it actually crawled into.)
Now, I am 34 and I have noticed where I now live there has been this HUGE influx of these little #$%*@ – never seen as much as one in over 10 years; today, I’m killing at least five a day ranging from large to minute in size – to little avail! :O
(I live in a townhouse)
Sleeping is now a real problem for me for fear of the above.
Anyway, I have tried a number of the remedies. None have worked in my case. Honestly, I blame the disgusting freeloading, welfare neighbors whose hygiene is that of a farm animal. So, this weekend, I pull out the “big guns” as they say, no, not on the neighbors 😛
but I am going to find the source if it kills me!
Honestly, I don’t think there is any real solution :\
Oh, and the bread in the mason jar didn’t prove to be any help.
Thankfully, the are localized to a basement bathroom; however, in returning to the disgusting wellfare, free-housing neighbors, they had stagnant water and recently had construction done. So they could be coming from there! Their basement was fill with water and newspapers…
Thanks for listening! XD
So frustrating! I feel everyone’s pain!
There is a solution. It is called DDT.
The comment of a moron.
DDT is not a solution – even the most rudimentary internet search will reveal why!!!
(Unless of course you are one of those disgraceful human beings that believe it is your right to use whatever chemicals you wish even when there is a huge amount of evidence showing the environmental destruction they cause)
I think the moron is the person who is unable to express the truth without calling names. The silent spring has turned out to be crap and only another way for the government to control and tax your life. DDT was far more instrumental in halting disease like malaria than it was harmful to the environment.
I would definitely use the Lavender and water in a spray bottle. I would mist my sheets and pillows and under my bed. If they hate Lavender this should give you piece of mind. And Lavender is also a relaxing essential oil, so it should also give you a good nights sleep.
Ant powder kills them!
Did ant powder really a have just moved in new house and seen sum in my bathroom a hate bugs so much didn’t even know what they were
Did the trap work? I have just found one in my bathroom . I presume there will be more :-/
They do not crawl in your ear, they crawl in your anus for 6 months laying eggs then split for Nashville.
Hey Jennifer – it is likely they are attracted to the glue; they will eat glue type substances, shampoos and starchy foods. on the plus side, this might be a good way to direct them to a certain area to set your traps
I have been killing these little a-holes on a semi-regular, weekly basis since I have moved into my house. The place is three stories, and I have noticed silverfish on each of the three floors of the building. In the kitchen cabinets, cupboards, upstairs crawling on the walls in the bedrooms, around the windowpanes, in the bathroom, along the windowsill, crawling on the wall and floor, and downstairs in the garage crawling on some banker’s boxes. They’re not there all at once, though I have murdered these invaders in each of these spaces periodically over the course of about four to five years. The windows in the house are all single-pane and are in dire need of replacement, as is the siding of the entire house. Does anyone have any recommendations for what works best? Even a suggestion for a temporary solution is appreciated. I think the landlords are holding off on calling exterminators or taking more desperate measures until the construction/renovation begins as there are also beetle holes in the front stairs and termites eating the trim of the front door. Is that lavender remedy really effective? Should I do insecticides (no small children or pets live in the house)? Please help. 🙁
Tried the masking tape on the glass with some bate didn’t catch anything ?
I have used this trap and found it works…..sometimes. I use flour, and I have found that the difference on it working has a large relationship with where I place the traps. In my case I put one in 2 different corners of my bedroom. And as much as I hate to admit it, they are in my bedroom!!!! My point is, one trap caught about 3-4, plus a different insect, and the other trap caught nothing. I have since moved the less active trap to another area and I will check it in a week or so. The trap that did catch some, now has tiny, tiny silverfish walking in there. As in the large ones that were caught must have laid eggs, and now the eggs have hatched, so I not only caught 3-4 full grown ones, but have prevented tiny ones from growing and laying more eggs. The traps do work, just place them in different areas, and when you hit a high traffic area, keep a trap there. Good luck!
Where you buy the traps?
Hello all – just an update.
The day of my last posting, I went online an found boric acid tablets. They were rated 5 out of 5 from a number of consumers. So, at $5.00 or so a box I gave the a try. I followed the directions laying them in crevices all throughout the house; and when I say “all throughout the house”, I mean ceilings, studs, you name it, you will find a tablet within the vicinity. Be sure to read the directions.
Then, had to leave unexpectedly for five days. However, the night I laid all the tablets, I have to tell you, the peace of mind they gave me was AWESOME – I slept like a baby. In the morning, I actually found some dead next to some tablets! -Win!!! For now…
So, I went away and when I arrived home I found more dead one by the tablets! Another WIN!!!
Then they were gone!!!! 😀
I had won the battle!!!
That is, until I stopped seeing them by the tablets and started finding them in my room – where they we never at!!!!!! Fuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!! XO
So today, I’m ripping out the entire basement bathroom. I only write this in that, yes, those tablets DO work and well – to a point; but if you never find the source, the war is lost…I suppose it depends on how much of an infestation one has…
Good luck all! If I find the source, combined with other great steps from this site, I have confidence they will be gone…Cross our fingers!
Is boric acid safe to use when there are pets in the home? I can’t trust that my boyfriend will keep the doors to the bathroom or basement closed if we used it in there. We have 2 cats (and 2 rats, but they are in a cage).
NEVER use Boric Acid or ANY other toxic substance/chemical in a home with children and/or pets!!! Having sick or dying pets (even worse a child) is obviously a much bigger problem than an invasive species. These parasites are little bastards… I know…am currently at war with an invading army of fleas, ants and silverfish.Thinking of calling in a Russian army or the like to use tactical warfare on these bastards. So far my murdering them is proving only effective in boosting revenge happy hormones but little else. While treating the house with a flea spray I discovered the silverfish and immediately looked for the closest bottle of alcohol as discovering yet another pest is too damn tiring to take on while sober. So pets/ children removed 24 hrs and had to stay behind to launder/clean EVERYTHING. Would you believe me if I said it was the most enjoyable 24 hrs of my life?) I now have one missing cat,a miserable newborn baby (and husband),a back that feels as though those bastards just moved into my spine for dinner,and a close to spotless house that is still partially infested. The cost for the pleasure of this most enjoyable experience… $250 Canadian dollars. (not including alcohol). I’m going to try the sticky traps as they are effective for all unwelcome guests. Now just need to come up with the master plan to keep the cats away from them, (if you decide to try these and the sticky part gets on you or your nosey pet…. Olive oil is your go to besty) Good luck my fellow friends in pest pain
Hello Again All!
Same day, I found a leaking “water park” in my basement bathroom. -Hidden as it dripped at a crippling 2-3 seconds, yet, fell half into the basin and half into the wall – virtually undetectable!
I decided to tear it all down despite my recent remodel. (Leak not my fault! X-D btw
Get this! I found them! I “forgive me as it is much as their home as it is mine”, I killed them in droves behind the shower’s walls. – I must’ve killed at least 50! – With bug spray in my surprise attack whilst they slept in the trenches.
Now to fix the “source”, -the leak, then completely dry the place beyond their threshold! (dehumidifier)
I am on a crusade to back the my holy homeland! 😀
I found a potential nest; – eggs an’ all. – Even Elders (judging by size)
In a few weeks time, I’ll post an update!
We will win this DYI war!
All the best everyone!
So, as my [hopefully, Hopefully, HOPEFULLY] last posting, find the source of their armaments, and attack! XD
I am killing these things on a weekly basis. It no longer is just at night, either. I found a baby one on my pillow and have refused to go back in my bedroom ever since.
I’ve tried home defense (originally thought they were centipedes), but no such luck. I am now trying the cedar blocks.
I live in the upstairs of a house, where there is cracked caulking, old wallpaper peeling, and the attack door right there. My landlord hasn’t seen any on her floor and says they are common because we live by a lake and will not call someone to take care of them.
I already hate bugs as is, and this has me paranoid. I really want the best and quickest method. What has worked for you?
Currently I am curled up on my couch, which is surrounded by cedar blocks. I probably look like a crazy person. I would love to be able to sleep comfortably in my own bed again!
Attic, not attack.
I found a large on on the bathroom wall. Dark color and all so im guessing its a full grown one. Ive lived here just over a month and its the first ive seen. There is more isnt there? Im getting paranoid. My first experience was finding one in my laundry then in my bedding when I was a teenager. Im 27 now and im freaking out. I do have a basement…..just wish I didnt now.
Hi Tina and Christina
I have previous posts; my last was on March 20th. (I’m Michael)
So, not to reiterate all that I wrote; but, in short, you have to find the source – not easily done, I know.
For me, it was a basement shower leak behind the wall. This subtle drip caused an infestation like you wouldn’t believe. I was literally killing some 5 to 10 a day!!! (sorry to say, but one can not simply catch those little creeps! – They’re quick and fragile!)
It was awful! I feel your pain – I went so far as to put my bed onto a post frame, then, I put the bed smack in the middle of the room! It SUCKED!!!!
Anyway, I found the source, and killed the lot of them! Then, after, there were residuals if it were that showed up here and there; now, since March 20th, I haven’t seen one!!! 😀 😀 😀
All back to normal!
So, the only true remedy is to find the source be it old papers or water sources; then, boric acid – and when I say boric acid, I mean put it EVERYWHERE! (Safely of course)
Then, starve them, wipe down wet surfaces, no damp towels, vacuum et al!
In a weird sort of way, they helped me because without the infestation I would have never have known of the leak; which could have drawn dangerous and possibly deadly molds as well as structure problems.
Also, for me, to ease my mind at the time, I told myself that they’ve been on this Earth longer than us and they’re virtually harmless. (Though still I hate creepy crawlies!)
Good luck and don’t let it get to you! Find the source and boric acid! Take the fight to them with diligence!
Thank you. When I vacuum, must I throw out the bag each time. Will ones I’ve captured climb out and/or exit through the hose?
Should I vacuum up/keep boric acid in the vacuum bag?
Is borax helpful in this process? I thought that maybe I was seeing fewer in my bathtub when I put it around/in the drain?
i,ve had a new kitchen fitted about two months ago and have found two only of these silverfish and it makes my skin crawl, they were found in the kitchen sink and also on top of a cupboard inside empty plastic boxes that arn,t used , what do i do to make sure i have no more or that none appear again , its awful.
I have noticed these little creepy suckers diving for cover when I get home at night. After reading the comments, I plan to try ant powder or boric acid. Not sure which is a better bet. Should I wash all my clothes in my dressers? Hanging clothes?
Best response on this matter Thankyou so much
Couple facts to help y’all out!
FIRST- dude up in the comments with the ear egg story? Total BS !! Either a troll who is preying on your disgust/fear or simply a deluded individual. WHatever~Please don’t freak out- that is a classic urban myth!
I understand you don’t like crawlies- Honestly- they are SOOO afraid of YOU! –they are pretty quick when fleeing, right?!
They are not intelligent, just very simple, so simple that they fall into your sink/tub/containers and can’t crawl out~ and die. Or maybe you show up first-then they die! LoL.
2) SO PLEASE RELAX- My point is- they CANNOT bite or hurt YOU in ANY way. They are not poison to eat (yah gross~ but if you ingest one somehow-you prolly won’t even know~ just saying…
They don’t destroy your HOUSE like termites! Yes, they can eventually mess up papers though(like newsprint etc) or maybe long ignored clothes-but that is rare in my experience.
I hate flies(always intentionally landing on you), mosquitos and chiggers-biting itching-ugh, and friggin ants – who bring EVERYONE they know to eat ALL your stuff and get into EVERYTHING! Some spiders can bite so I don’t let them exist indoors… You get the picture-many other things far more personally impacting- silver fish not so much.
3) ok- SO THAT said~ You want them dead! (Yah- me too- I have lots of antique books-bad attraction! Likely added to attractive home for em. I see them around bathroom and kitchen baseboard crack… and library/office room…
What gets them? Boric Acid powder! Go to hardware store or any gardening center (Home Depot/Lowes/FarmFleet/etcetc and get a bottle of teh powder- MORE and CHEAPER and just as effective as Tablets or lil packages at other stores.
You want to dust a little bit along the baseboard in the rooms and hall, edge of basement walls and entry way etc.
I take a Straw and just poke it into the powder at angle then hold finger over held end. Then use that tapping to dribble a little along. Get a little(NOT big), super cheapo paint brush(like one inch wide for 99cents) you can use that to kind of sweep the dribbled powder along and UNDER the trim/baseboard gap. THAT is where you want it! Right in THEIR Home!
Reapply as necessary- If you can “see” the powder, (just a dust) that should be fine. If it gets blown or swept up- then reapply. You can do this at edge of DRY carpet too.
DO try it on out of view spot first for several days just to make sure it doesn’t mess with color!!
ALSO With carpet–I would vacuum it up every so often and reapply before it clumps from natural humidity (it will eventually).
Keep that up for a month and I would say the silverfish(and any other bugs) will be toast.
4)! Keep in mind the points Mike/others made about figuring out any WET spots and reducing/securing any attractive food sources(mainly paper/cardboard).
Obviously- if you are renting- you have less control over all attached spaces, but DoNOT despair! Just work with what you have access to, they may hang elsewhere but once you have whacked them in YOUR space- they will not really want to return.
5) LAST- If you should happen to see one on your bed- I am sorry~ that sux but DONT FREAK! They are lost-lol- they want your newspaper or stored tax document, or maybe some cracker crumbs!
Consider maybe keeping your blanket/bedspread from hanging/touching the floor? Don’t get all wacky about hanging your bed from ceiling or anything!! Just be mindful of that barrier/ladder you left them as they moved across floor.
I mention this because I have a solid row of stacked boxes of old books between wall and bed, higher than bed, and touching edge of bed(is a stupid small bedroom:(
MY POINT- I have never had any ‘visitors’ to my knowledge while sleeping or reading in bed:) So rest easy folks- just be proactive:)
Best wishes in conquering!
JO
Excellent info!, thank you very much, it is nice to read a common sense, wise evaluation of this problem. Ant powder for me. Just found my first one eating a old favorite paperback.
Great info JAY O. We have ordered Boric Acid. We have never had them, until we did our daughters washing, they had them, just brought them a new hoover to help them. We have 3 cloakrooms, i put orange peel, and cloves etc, we do not have carpet, we have real wood on the lower floor, only carpet upstairs. This house is too clean and we still got them, i have only seen about 10 in 2 months, but the thought of eggs being laid in our house makes me feel sick. I do not mind spiders we have Ants in our garden, they do not get into our house though. We have to go through all our t-shirts and we have so many hoover all the drawers out, doing it in the garden. They love the dark don’t they, like to party at night. I have seen a couple of really tiny ones, i checked the life cycle of these things, they can go a year without food, and 3 months without water. I do not know where the nest is i have only seen 1 in our utility room it was under our new bin. Keep up the good work guys .
UPDATE. BORIC ACID, BORIC ACID all the way, tried different things at first, never found the source, still think they came in when we did our daughters washing, as they had them. Used Ant powder, is helps. We do not have small children or pets so the Boric Acid is great, the straw ideal is fantastic my hubs put it all around the baseboards, underdeath the shower, and underneath the bath around the edges all the way along 4 sides under the bath, i was so grossed out at first then i just got pissed off with seeing them. Have not seen any for 4 weeks, but they do say the eggs take 3 months to hatch, so if we do not see any in the next year i will be so happy, happy hunting guys x
When you use boric acid. or ant powder put it along every wall .Its more economic to add a quater cup pf sugar to attract bugs in general. use a spoon after mixing a whole bottle . put in all corners of every cabinet
Thank you for the calming letter. I am seventy two years old and this is the first time I have seen one. Opened door and it crawled right in.
Many people have reported having them crawl into the ears–it’s not an urban myth. They’re kind of dumb and will look for anything warm and wet. I had one crawl on my neck right under my ear the other night. The ones in my apartment will crawl over the floor, walls and ceiling so nothing’s off limits.
Them eating clothing is actually quite common.
If you have open spaces for them to enter, they’ll enter and -then- look for a food source. If you live in an apartment/condo/townhome, your best bet is to look for places of entry (which can be really, really small), cover and/or caulk, and talk to your neighbors/landlord etc to get rid of the problem.
Just moved into a new apartment found them rite away never seen them before has to be hard to find source in a large building like this
I was just making a cup of tea for my husband, this morning, when I saw something floating in his hot tea! I thought it was an escaped tea leaf. I fished it out to find to my horror it was a silverfish!
I have seen a few now and again in my bathroom, but this,
was it feeding on the tea bag in the cardboard box in the kitchen cupboard?
Full cleaning to commence!
I am going to take the advice of others and try the ant powder and boric acid to eliminate them.
thanks
Thank you so very much for clarifying the whole crawling in the ear myth because i was honestly horrified of the possibility. I HATE BUGS/INSECTS! I will be able to sleep better tonight knowing that they wont be crawling in my ear or of my husband or kids. I do however need to buy boric acid and start putting it down everywher. Even though i only saw 1 (on my bed between my bed covers and footboard) that was more than enough to get me going. Thanks JO, I’ll keep you posted 🙂
They for sure can and do crawl into ears. It happened to me. I went to the doctor and she was more surprised than me when she flushed my ear and said ‘oh my there really was a bug in there.’ I took it home in a small plastic jar to show my husband who probably thought I was nuts when I told him I thought I felt something in my ear the night before and all through the next day I felt the odd pain in my ear, hence my trip to the doc. So, it is possible but they are supposedly harmless. I will say it was one of the creepiest and disturbing days I’ve experienced and have been sleeping with earplugs pretty much ever since.
Please explain to me how silverfish crawling in your ear is a MYTH? I had one crawl in my ear last summer. So if you’ve never experienced it yourself, don’t speak on it.
How do they get into your bed?
Okay, so maybe silverfish aren’t as harmful as other pests can be, but in my opinion they are devil spawn and all need to die. I am a huge book lover and artist, and I absolutely HATE the idea of those creepy little things eating my books or artwork. It’s also personal for me, because twice I have found them in my bed, and the first time it was IN MY EAR. Worst way to wake up ever. So now I have a major phobia of these things, and I’m pretty sure we have an infestation. I find the everywhere, from the shower to my room, and every time the encounter leaves me trembling. I desperately need to try some of the stuff suggested on here, because I am going out of my mind.
– Boric acid (or a similar product) in dry areas, drizzled along skirting boards and in crevices is a good idea, particularly behind bookcases if you are keeping paper books and not going electronic. It is best not to use in kitchen cabinets, pantries and children’s rooms.
– Also worth laying are sticky traps in corners of a pantry, wardrobe, underneath the sink, and in corders of dry rooms. These trap the silverfish within.
– Plastic zippered bags, such as wired blanket bags, and/or storage boxes with sealable snap-lock lids, should be used to store out of season clothing, books or documents, and items in paper boxes.
– Drawers, pantries or bottom shelves of wardrobes, can hold small transparent fabric gift bags, (used for jewellery etc), purchased at bargain or craft stores, filled with either a small handful of whole cloves, or a couple of inches of a cinnamon stick crumbled, or some dried bay leaves, or lavender. Sniff and replace every couple of months. Also, bags of silica gel can be placed in damp cupboard corners, particularly under sinks. Again, I would not use if you have young children around these areas. (Although a child-proof cupboard lock should be in use!).
– Before doing the above, give the interior of cupboards, wardrobes, rooms a thorough vacuum, wipe with a cleaning product, (lavender oil in water is also an option) and then dry with paper-towel. This can pick up the poo (looks like pepper) and maybe some eggs.
– Silverfish prefer starches, such as paper, glue, fabrics and dry foodstuffs, however they will also eat protein. They can live up to a year without food….Seal up any foodstuffs and avoid keeping paper storage boxes for a long time for either food or table-ware in pantries.
I’ve been living in my apartment since last summer and only recently started seeing silverfish. To date there have been three sightings followed instantly by kills. After the first silverfish I called my landlord and they sprayed, but the past two nights I have seen bugs. I believe my new neighbor could be making his home more favorable to insects than I would prefer and therefore causing them to check out other local real estate.
Based on the above tonight I’m launching my 5 part attack to keep my apartment silverfish free!
1. I’m spraying lavender essential oil mixed with water under all sinks and around baseboards. I’m also spraying it around our washer and dryer for good measure even though we haven’t seen any near there.
2. I’m putting boric acid in all crevices and around baseboards using the methods suggested above.
3. After laying out the boric acid I’m caulking anything I can to seal them out, my neighbor can keep them to himself
4. I’ve ordered nightlights (thanks amazon prime) to keep a low light on all the time in the bathrooms which is where all sightings have occurred, specifically my master bath.
5. VICTORY (repeat steps 1-4 until accomplished)
After successfully doing my work to be rid of them I’m calling my landlord and having him spray again too.
Thanks for all the tips!
I definitely have a silverfish infestation…. (Also, I keep catching them on the ceiling, which is creeping me out, too). I’m pretty sure they came with us in stored boxes when we moved… We’re still going through all the boxes, but it’s a lot of work, and I worry the infestation will get worse before we can clear it all out.
I also have a large collection of books…
Problem is I also have a dog! So I’m not sure we can use the boric acid?
I think the lavender oil would be fine, but not sure if that alone would work…
Hi there, just wondering if you found something that worked with your dog. I have two cats and a very large collection of books so just wondering if you found something that got rid of them.
The problem with people and so called green products is the lack of knowledge and understanding about these products. A so called “Green Method here is to use moth balls? Seriously? Mothballs in the U.S. contain very high concentrations of either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene as active ingredients. These are Pesticides in the same chemical class as Chlordane, Lindane and DDT. All out lawed in the US. Plus Moth Balls look like a piece of candy to small children. Moth Balls safe? Seriously?
Get the facts straight. Get your information from a quality source such as a reputable License Pest firm, an EDU site or a GOV site.
And most of all remember just because you read something on line does not make it the gospel truth.
Hey. I have found around 10 now all of which were found in my daughters bedroom who is nearly 2 however I found 1 in my bed the other day and now I am freaking out reading all these comments!!!! I am going to buy this boric acid tomorrow from a hardware store I was just wondering will I be ok to use it in my daughters room and still let her sleep in there? Need helppp and some sleep!! 🙁
I have some slamiybugs
They are by restroom at night
I have a massive invasion of silverfish and have no idea what to do or where to start. We live in a very damp flat with mould on every window sil as all our double glazed windows have blown and land lord wont replace. We also have a 6monthold baby. I kill atleast 10-20 bugs a night and have found them in my bed and in my babies room. I live in the uk so methods of extermination may differ, please help!!
You need to move. Not only is the infestation an issue, but the larger problem is the mold. It is a health issue for adults but can be downright deadly (or at least very sickening) for a child.
If you just insist on living in mold, spend good money on a decent dehumidifier and that will help immensely. The cleaning methods listed above will help and the boric acid is the key. As long as your baby is not crawling around near where you lay it down, there is no concern there. After about a month of consistent reapplication and persisent cleaning you should see a massive reduction, if not elimination.
If they are still there after a month of diligence, MOVE.
I live in mexico our houses have no insulation and are made of concrete they are always damp it seems but i found a way to kill them zote soap its a big pink bar of soap that has citrus in it you can buy it online by the case its very cheap get a cheese grater and grate about a cup and disolve in hot water put in a spray bottle and spray the walls the furniture cut slices and put it in your wardrobe cabinets and if you store your off season clothes in with them and they will leave also ive found keeping cloves oranges helps good luck
Thank you! We live in Florida under similar conditions! Will give this a try..
I AM SO GROSSED OUT! These disgusting bugs are in my room I am curled up on the couch scared of my bed room. These bugs are hiding in my old pictures and papers. I would just toss all of the papers out but they have centimentle values that are now covered with these gross bugs! How do I get rid of them? Please HELP???
I have silverfish in my fish food. what should I do?? HELP!!!!!
I have only seen three so far… but all in one day and in different places in my apartment. I’m renting in a new building that I’ve been in since december and only started seeing them today. I have a very large collection of books (all on shelves in the same room), as well as two very curious and adventurous cats. If anyone has found something that works that is animal safe and focuses on books (because I can almost guarantee that’s where they’re coming from) please let me in on your secret because I’m seriously freaking out.
I see a few sometimes near the water bowl of my cat and she sometimes finds them on my carpet or I assume it’s them. I would not say I have an infestation and I’ve bever seen one above floor height, but I am a bit alarmed learning they can become an infestation and eat cloth.
I am thinkung my carpets might be in danger and often I leave clothes on the floor until the morning. Can they damage my clothes in one night???
I am going to try the ant powder suggested by a few people. I don’t want anything down which can harm my cat.
This article has a lot of great advice – thanks!! But those who are “freaked out” by seeing a few bugs in their home should chill out! If you didn’t already know, we share the Earth with a myriad of organisms. Many of them live in your gut and on your body, and we rely on them to stay healthy. Open your mind to that! If you have zero bugs in or around your home, it probably means you’re living in a dead zone and aren’t supporting the natural ecosystems that are vital to life on our planet.
I agree lots of trolls .
My god it’s a bug !
I had a pest control come in 6 years ago
He sprayed ,twice they are only now starting to be a problem again .
Then only a few .
He also told me you will never fully get rid of them .
He said most older homes have them .
Make sure you never set foot in a library again .
I’d be more worried about roaches,bedbugs and rodents .
Killing at least 20-30 every nite of the wk..peels help need theses gone
Some of you fellows are hilarious!Ty for all the tips and personal accounts about your battles against the silver fish devils-now I feel confident that I also, can and I will eliminate them from my house, or will I?
Put a towel under your bedroom door and close the door over the towel so that nothing can go under the door coming in or exiting. In the morning lift the towel and there might be a couple silverfish that tried to get into your bedroom in the night. Pick up as much stuff as possible from the floor. NO PAPER PILES ON THE FLOOR or you’re just asking for silverfish to come live with you. Block your closet with a towel too until you can get a handle on killing these bastards. It works. DE puffed into baseboards works. DO NOT keep a bed skirt on your bed. I was turning the mattress on my bed one time and voila! three stinking silverfish were between the mattress and the box springs. They climbed up the bed skirt that was touching the floor. Don’t let any bed covers touch the floors. Vacuum frequently. Be VERY careful with any pesticides if you have animals or children. Be very careful. These bugs will go away if you are diligent. Caulk every ddam opening in your bathroom! Oh, while you’re at it do you all know that bed bugs are now an epidemic in the US from all the travelers and visitors from overseas bringing the bugs in here to the US. Never set your gym bag, purse, etc down on ANY floor as one stinking bedbug will no doubt be pregnant and cause SO MUCH misery that you’ll be happy to see a silverfish instead. Check your mattresses OFTEN and don’t let bedbugs become infested or you really will have a problem that makes silverfish look like shooting fish in a barrel.
Amen.
(How, why would any god create these dam bugs? They serve NO purpose whatsoever.)
Bedbugs have always been in North America…. The epidemics are not because of people over seas…. It’s because of people living in close proximity to each other….condos,apartments, etc. and less natural habitat. It’s viral diseases that have been brought over.
My kids bathroom is fool of them can thay get them sick
I hope to eradicate these pesky lil freaks from my kitchen…Purchased some Boric Acid today. Gave the area ( under kitchen kick boards ) a decent covering in the stuff so hopefully they crawl through it to get to where they want to go. I’ve also diluted some in hot water and added sugar, soaked the solution in bread and hopefully the little bastards will have a toxic feast tonight. 🙂
this is the best way to get rid of silverfish, ants & roaches–mix 1/3
part sugar, peanut butter & boric acid together like you are making
cookies–put the stuff behind the stove, fridge, anywhere that pets &
the kids can’t get to it–the critters will eat it & take it to their family–
they will all die–use it about every 6 months–this does not work on
spiders & termites as they won’t eat it–works like magic–super cheap
& you don’t have to inhale toxic spray–
Beware.
For silverfish in rooms where paper, boxes, crevices, moisture, etc., are the issue– this recipe is a magnet for additional infestations. Yes, the boric acid will kill your new ants and roaches, but why invite them in?
Not knocking the baits if you get acceptance go for it. DE is good but can cause siliconosis so avoid iinhaling it boric acid also good key to both is very fine application just light coatings. Lower moisture in house if possible and any properly labeled pyrethroid would be a great addition would get one that allows broadcast application if basement is heavily infested. Sometimes
it takes a good integrated attack strategy. And almost forgot vacuum is also a great addition
1. When you vacuum I would put a teaspoon of boric acid in the dust bag so they can’t crawl back out. 2. Here in CA is a company called Flea Busters who pack a non-toxic powder into your carpets. We found the treatment lasted for three years before we saw fleas on our two indoor dogs again. I’m thinking it would work on silverfish, too.
Help I have found babys in my bedroom . what can I do . I have an attic above my bedroom . thanks
Found a lot of the advice interesting & potentially very useful. Not sure about the added comment from H H about an infestation of bed bugs blamed on travellers etc. Like a lot of comments about bugs, they have been around for longer then we have & some because of us… Everyone one has bed bugs it’s part of life…. Just wash bedding at 60c or higher
IMHO most people do not have bedbugs, how sad if they are considered normal and acceptable where you live, if we all made an effort to eliminate all pets, without killing ourselves and pets, the world will be a better place to live. Same goes for many diseases, and disease carriers, such as mosquitoes.
I’ve been finding these critters near the bottom of my dishwasher! At first with the old dishwasher, i just though it was leaking- so we got it relaced… Still finding them!
To kill them, cause their so fast i use a fly swatter and paper towels after. Im glad i found this site, cause im sick and tired of killing them all the time! Whats worse is they’ll crawl near my feet when im going the bathroom, i just wanna scream!
I can’t believe what I’m reading here!! Silverfish are completely harmless. They’re certainly not slimy or dirty. I can’t imagine people are trying to needlessly destroy them – what on earth for? Pure squeamishness? Sounds like it to me. How ridiculous!
You’re an idiot. They destroy your stuff…that’s why you have to kill them. And then, some people don’t like living with bugs in their house unlike you, who probably live in filth. Spew your nonsense somewhere else! Smh!
Carol do you have them? is my question to you. I have only seen 10 in our house, over the last 2 months, the thought of these little shits laying eggs in crevices makes me feel ill. My mates tell me that this house is too clean. I have seen spiders in our house they do not bother me at all, but these horrid looking things they look disgusting. The thought of them in our house makes me feel ill. What you may think is fine others do not. To see the way they move around the floor yuck. Our house is only 15 years old, it is a detached one. We do not have a basement just a garage. I just felt that i needed to type this and let you know
How bout cause they eat your clothes lady duhh
Thanx for the info. I have this problem!
I had more silverfish than I ever had whenI took the wallpaper off they seemed to like the glue. I gave a coat of primer and found non for a whil. No am getting wood floors down and want them gone….I will spray periterin, then to th boric acid.. > want them dead.They re in mymain befroom and there is nothing wet or damp there at all. All my walls are sturdy and dry. the only think tht broght them was the glue….I wil kill them. as I hve been trained in doing controled fires within th ewalls, and no one was heart. Hope my boozedu[p in fo is foo…ot works for me
Hi Frank what worries me is we had real wood flooring in our downstairs cloakroom, hallway, large kitchen and utility room, so we are not sure what to put down, i mixed pure essential orange with water and put it in a bottle got the idea from here, put it all round the skirting boards, we have just had new flooring in our shower en-suite and bathroom, did a test run behind the bottom of the sink, because it is waterproof the solution just lays on top, we shall see how the pure essential orange oil/water works. We have ordered some Boric Acid that bad boy is going neat under the bath and shower cubicle, where nothing but those poxy things can go for good, we have not pets so we are ok to use it anywhere, will let you guys know.
Hi All,
Found it – a solution- i really hope so…
Orange essential oil works so far and I am still holding thumbs, toes, legs, arms and hair … LOL.
It’s been 4 days and I have not seen 1 Silverfish in the house and or the normal places they creeped: Kitchen, clothes cupboards & bathrooms.
The household trap with the glass jar is also empty.
Orange essential oil (purchased at any health shop and online)
Dilute about 6ml in 500ml water with just a squeeze of dish soap in a spray bottle.
Spray all your areas that you’ve seen them.. it does not stain cupboards or tiles. It completely dries and smells fresh.
Spray in all the nooks and crannies, spray it very generously and you can even leave it overnight before putting all the stuff back in the cupboards.
Vacuum every nook and cranny after that and dispose the vacuum bag if any.
Good luck.
M
Sounds good. I love the smell of orange oil too.
MM great comment, i know quite a lot about pure essential oils, pure oils are the best, none of the watered down rubbish. I have been putting orange peel etc, cedar blocks, cloves, have ordered some Boric Acid so i will try that also. I will try the essential oil also, i am so freaked out. How the hell would one find out where the infestation is, i don’t think we have one i have not seen enough for that. i have only seen 10 in 2 months, but last night i saw 2 which is included in the 10, our shower en-suite in one night during the night, as they love the dark, have followed the life cycle of these horrid things. We have tried cockroach and fly spray at the base of the sink at the back where pipes go under. Some people are just not bothered about them which is ok for them, but me i don’t want them leaving crap on my new floors, we have all wooden floors downstairs, and laminate upstairs, because the colour is light they are easy to see. Cheers for your info, i will let you know how i get on.
Thanks for these tips. I saw one in the pantry earlier and another in the vacuum cleaner cupboard. If there are any on the floor the cat usually gets them but they give me the heebie-jeebies so I am going to try the bay leaf and the lavender oil remedies, since I have those items.
Mothballs are not natural, they are toxic. They can contain naphthalene which destroys your red blood cells. Don’t use them and please remove this option (especially because it is not natural) from this page. Thank you!
go away
Just to add my two cents. My immediate method of killing silverfish is hairspray. Buy some mega hold hairspray, when you see one spray like crazy and then smash with a shoe or flyswatter. The spray freezes them in place so you can kill them. I also use this method for wasps, spiders and anything else buggy. Caulk all baseboards in the bathroom. I stuff open areas around pipes (under sinks) with crunched up aluminum foil and then cover with duct tape to seal all of the area. Also try food grade diatomaceous earth, food grade not the pool stuff which is toxic. Food grade is safe for pets and people. With a small brush brush in around baseboards. It cuts up the bug and they die.
I’m laughing so hard sorry maybe you could start a bug killing company extra hold hairspray and expensive high heels.
“2cute chicks killing machine “
A silverfish infestation is not easy to spot, you need to have fukk grown adults. They are not harmful to people or pets and don;t pass on diseases. However they are a nuisance and in large numbers they can cause damage. I have recently put in a brand new bathroom. The old room was stripped back to brickwork so although its an old house (over 100 years) it was a clean sweep. We were infested within a fortnight. The light coloured tiles on the floor show them up well. However, the torpedo shapes do not move normally in a lit room, they freeze in place for quite a time but are easy to crush. However one night I noticed ‘dust’ moving on the floor, turns out it was all baby ones, so minute I couldn’t make out individuals, so evidently we were reinfested from another part of the house and so must have quite an infestation. From what I gather it’s pointless treating one area and moving them around the house, I will need to strip everything suspicious out, make good and then treat everything at once. However in the meantime we are on guard, and discouraging their movement, no new carpets, smooth legs on furniture, no hanging fabrics, and if I’m right a whole new kitchen! I can feel the damp in the air in the cupboards up against the outside wall. The previous people left the house empty for a year which obviously didn’t help. Don’t think I’ll be using hairspray on my new tiles though. I think I’ll go with ant powder to start and let the spiders back in afterwards, in my experience they are the best deterent against ants, silverfish, moths and other bugs plus it’s easier to tell if there is a problem because you can find examples in the webs which are much easier to clean away.
Great tips! I have only seen two (within two days) but believe that where there are 2- there are tons more.
One was hiding in a cardboard box that I finally broke down after a few months in my bedroom, and the other was scurrying out of my bathroom as I turned on the light this morning. I was able to kill both.
After reading about them, I am grossed out enough that I want this problem taken care of.. unfortunately, I live in a room in a house in SF where the live in landlord is blind (100% can’t see), cheap, and will not listen to me or the other tenant when we both bring up issues with the house.
This is a 100+ year old Victorian with OLD wallpaper, OLD carpeting, lots of cracks in the walls and baseboards, and mots likely dripping pipes throughout the house. My stingy landlord also refuses to hire a maid, “It is your responsibility to clean the house…” But that is a different problem for a different day… lots of dust, he drops tons of crumbs, etc.
I bought a pesticide (it’s called SLA) at the local hardware store as suggested by one of the workers. He told me that every time he has dealt with them, they had always originated in the sink drains. He suggested I boil water, pour it down the drain, and then spray the pesticide down the drain- which I did with both of the kitchen sinks, my bathrooms sink and my tub drain. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my landlord’s upstairs area or the tenant who lives in the back of the house- so if they are originating there, I am SOL.
He mentioned that the boiling water will clear out any grease/etc. that allows them to climb up out of the drains. Slippery, vertical surfaces is apparently a good way to keep them out.
I am now nervous because apparently pesticides only kill living adult silverfish? I need to kill off their eggs! I vacuumed, cleaned the common areas of the house as best I could… now I am looking for a new room to rent.
Oy vey.
Wow! Excellent tips from the article. Even more excellent tips from the various comments! Thanks everyone. I’ve always thought silverfish were harmless to humans since I usually find them between some old books. But these couple of days, I’ve found them crawling on my bedside table, a drawer in my bedroom and just now, on my bed! That is it. This is war. Tomorrow, out with tr books from my bedroom, going to vacuum the entire room thoroughly and get boric acid!! Oh, i did quite a thorough wipe down in my bedroom 2days ago with Dettol, thinking I’d disinfect my room since we’ve got a newborn. Could the Dettol wipe/smell/chemical cause the silverfish to come out/stir from its hiding place?
I live in Malaysia, so it’s humid all year round. And i am guilty of keeping plenty of books in thr bedroom. So that is going to change. I shall sprinkle some boric acid in the bookcases in the living room too!!
They are much slower than they used to be. If out in the open, I can grab tape and catch them with that. I was seeing maybe 2-3 a nite coming from under bathroom cabinet. After neighbor had their unit sprayed for carpet beetles, I didn’t see any for some time. I have a hygrometer and “moisture eliminator” box from the dollar store and lately, nothing.
I’d only known them to run across the floor but once saw a baby one on my bathroom counter and once on my dining table. Gross.
Paranoid, I’ll shine a flashlight where I expect them before turning on the light – hoping to catch them.
Have to remember, sometimes it’s because of your neighbors.
I have been trying to get rid of these for quite a while now, tried a few methods, the latest being a flea spray a very expensive one which since used I have found a few dying or dead but I still get them every night, they are in my dining room which isn’t used a lot and I can’t find where they are coming from as they are always around the skirting board but not in one particular spot and I wouldn’t say there was a food source or damp in that room, if they are dying is my method working and will I eventually find that they have gone altogether, I do hope so
I opened my fortune cookie at a Chinese Food Restaurant once, several years ago, and one jumped out and ran across the table. Yes, the bag was sealed.
My cat loves to eat these things. Built in bug killer. Was wondering has anyone tried the lavender spray? Was wondering if it works.
My cat eats them too & I was gonna try the lavender spray and spray it all over my house
omg….. im 7 months pregnant and we just startwd seeing these s.o.b. ugh 🙁 thank you for all the natural ways and toxic ways to try to get rid of them 🙂 were going to be trying some out today.
Just saw this sucker near my bed as I was about to go to sleep! Eww! My plans immediately changed–no sleep until this problem gets solved.
Ok, so I came across one of the little buggers and immediately put all the boxes close by, outside in the freezing weather. Will this kill them? We just moved and they only appear to be in the boxes my son had stored in his closet. I keep a very clean house and have Microbanned everything as we packed. I didn’t get to my son’s boxes however and I am hoping that below 0 temps will do the trick until I can clean out the boxes… and spray down with lavender.
Ok, so does the freezing weather kill them?
Not at all just slows them down, I live in Canada and can see -50c temps and they are back every spring.
I am going to try the Boric acid and lavender oil.
keep all your drains closed at night. thats were the silverfish come out of bathroom garage sink kitchen sink. I used bay leaves in draws it seems to work.
I hear the are attracted to noise hairs when your asleep in the dark maybe because it’s dark and moist up there .
I wonder if this is why you see people in Asia with face masks on all the time ?
“Demon powder” can be bought on Amazon or farm & tractor supply inc
Gets rid of everything. Safe to use in the house, wait 30 min for drying time.
I have been killing these pests for years. I had one to wake me up one morning. It pinched my ear lobe with its pinchers. I am not lying. They are mostly in my bathroom. They crawl all over my house. I would love to get rid of these things. They seem like they get worse for awhile and then go away. I am going try some of these remedies. I hope we all get rid of them.
I don’t think that was a silver fish, may have been an earwig, google images of both
I’ve had the exterminator at my house 4 times in the past 3 weeks. These damn things don’t want to die. There were days when it seemed to have gotten worse after the house was sprayed. What does it take to kill them? I’ve gotten rid of most of the paper and cardboard boxes I have a couple left but I was really hoping by hiring a professional I wouldn’t have to be so paranoid . I need help! Does boric acid really work? I wouldn’t be so freaked out if they weren’t crawling on the ceiling or up the walls not sure which direction they are coming from.
Eh? What is it with you people? You only occasionally find one in the bathroom – they are harmless – they are not slimy, nor filthy. It is merely your opinion as to whether they are disgusting or not.
But kill them? Why?
Eh? What is it with you people? You only occasionally find one in the bathroom – they are harmless – they are not slimy, nor filthy. It is merely your opinion as to whether they are disgusting or not.
But kill them? Why?
If you got lots of them then it is because you live in damp conditions – dry your place out (which will improve your health anyway) and you will find no more, or very few, silverfish. Also, don’t kill spiders – spiders eat silverfish.
I’ve put “moisture eliminator” boxes, found at the dollar store, on my bathroom counter and under bathroom and kitchen sinks. After 2-3 months, I’ve got an inch of water in the first one I put out. Leave the fan on 30″ after a shower etc. Earlier, I’d spot 2 or 3 a nite in the bathroom (think from the unit below me) but after putting out these boxes, only spotted 3 in the last month, each in an odd location, far from the bathroom. Controlling humidity does help.
We just moved into a home from our condo. NEVER had an issue with silverfish until now. There are so many and we have tons of boxes that haven’t been unpacked yet in every room. To add to that we have a 6 month old baby and a dog! HELP! I’m so disgusted I can’t sleep. I know they are harmless but they are so disgusting that I’m creeped out. Has anyone tried the Pest repeller ultimate? It’s some ultrasonic thing.. I ordered it anyway since I can’t rely on chemicals with a baby. Hoping that someone here had luck with it since I can’t find many reviews on it.
Jennifer,
Welcome to the club. I found that magic shell works well. Buy lots of this stuff. Pour it on your floor and then turn up the air conditioning.
Middle man, Now that was funny!!!! However, I’m going to war on these things! If ANYONE else has even better suggestions, I’d gladly take note. Dekko silverfish packs – any luck?
Widdle man not middle man
I have had the plug-in bug repellers in every room of my home for a year. I did it for ants and spiders. In the last week i found a silverfish in my laundry basket (which was empty) and woke the other morning with one crawling on me. I’m guessing they don’t work on silverfish. I just started using orange oil because I’d rather not sleep with the silver fishes!
awhile ago I told everyone here how to kill silverfish very easily–simply
mix 1/3 parts sugar–peanut butter–boric acid (silverfish will not eat
boric acid without the sugar & peanut butter) mix mixture like you were
making cookies–put it behind things so that kids & pets don’t eat it–
silverfish will eat it & take it home to their family & die–works on ants
& cockroaches–does not work on spiders or termites–super simple & it
works like magic…….
Thanks Diana. Going to try this as well. We had an exterminator come and use an organic spray twice! Didn’t get rid of them. I’m so disgusted by the previous owners knowing about them and not doing anything about it. Of course while doing inspections, never saw one and now they are literally everywhere, even during the daytime. I have Dekko packs out, ultimate pest repeller plugged in and will try the peanut butter, sugar, boric acid combo as well. I sound like a crazy person with all this but I don’t care. Thanks for the advice!
I just tore open my drywall in ceiling because of ice dam build ups and Im pretty sure these are what I’m finding. If I get rid of all the wet insulation and dry it out, will they leave? or am I forcing them into the house this way? Ive never seen them inside my house before. I’m going to have to do some mold treatments from servpro- willl this kill any remaining or do I need to do some bug treatments? Thank you for your help!
Never seen any until my neighbor moved in,now I have killed four in one month.Only on one side of my dwelling.I use Raid and spray and sticky boards.Have vacuumed and cleaned my whole home,and so far have only seen them in the living room.Seriously,sounds like nothing really works.
Used Boric Acid in Central America to keep many kinds of bugs at bay, including roaches , silverfish etc. I had lots of books and papers and it kept them away. Did not mix with anything as was common practice there. Dusted under dresser drawers and kitchen drawers. Took a drinking straw and put just a dab in the binding of books…or dusted the cracks of the bookshelf, behind the books.
Also they come into your homes, cars via packages from the stores. Just hard to avoid getting them, but we don’t have to keep them.
i found them in my dresser, how do i get rid of them? should i wash all of my clothes?
If you find silverfish in your clothing, a good trick is to put the clothing into the dryer for perhaps 5 minutes on low heat. It will shake anything out and probably kill them as well. Clean your drawers with the lavender solution before putting back clothing.
Some people have asked about whether or not one has to wash all their clothes. I have not found an answer so far and I would also appreciate a answer to this question. Could one just tie them up in plastic bags with the air squished out, for a certain amount of time?
Kat, see my reply about running your clothing (dry) in a low heat dryer, then using the lavender solution to clean your drawers before putting the clothes away.
how do you silver fish bug i saw it in the bathroom it look degusting
I live in South Africa. I saw & killed 2 in the room I am storing stuff in at my mother’s. Not really damp, just seldom opened. Boric acid & orange essential oil seems best solution, but can’t afford expensive solutions & essential oils r extremely expensive here & can’t even afford food at present as I have no income & soon to lose my home – no fixed abode, will be living with the homeless on an ‘island’ adjacent the yacht club. Would appreciate any help while I still have internet access. Phone/internet to be cancelled May 2015 & electricity to be cut today unless a friend can pay the outstanding balance, therefore no internet access or mobile phone recharge available. Dead in the water. Thanks for all the advice so far. Midge.ZA
I throw whole cloves everywhere & it seems to deter them. Also dry lavender & OILs of lemongrass in a burner helps.
Very useful! Went in my kitchen turnt the light on to see a spider as i got the hoover to get the spider I noticed the silverfish in the corner of my kitchen so i hovered them up aswell! Turnt the kitchen light off and left came back to find more! Getting some natural remedies tomorrow to get rid of them!
The glass jar w masking tape trap works great. But don’t use bread. Use wheat flour. It has more of a smell and will really attract them. I put one in my attic and it had about 20 silverfish in it the next day.
Think I will give this a try under my kitchen cupboards and see if there are actually in the kitchen…as the kitchen is the only room I havnt seen them in
Ok. I hav a litl difrnt situation. Last wkend, I helpt clean out my fathrz house. He is/was a hoarder. Mild by sum qualifications, I’m sure, but a hoarder, nonetheless. Paper, cardboard boxes, books, old boxed foodstuffs cum n out the wazoo, & TONS of silverfish! Ther were sum items 4rm ther that I wantd 2 keep 4 sentimental reasons as they blongd 2 my deceased mother. One b, n a nice book on gardening, a few small cardboard boxes, & sum metal items. I put these items n big garbage bags bags, twisted the bags, & knotted each of them thinking they’d suffocate & die. THEN, I’d open the bags OUTSIDE, just 2 b sure I didn’t bring them n2 MY house. My question is this: Did that wrk? Also, shud I put sum ant powdr or boric acid or RE-seal them, & THEN open them sumtime later? I KNOW the gardening book WIL b CHOCK FULL of them. That’s 4 sure. I. DO NOT want 2 bring them n2 MY house, but, I wud like, @ least @ sum point, 2 b able 2 b use thoz things that r special 2 me. I also wwaannt a set of books that I used 2 read wen I was litl. (I am 53 yrs old, lol.). 2 me, they, 2 r special. Again, the r sure 2 be LOTS of silverfish n them. My brother wants 2 just throw them away. He’s probly guna b renting a storage unit 4 the rest of the boxes until he & my dad hav time 2 & can go thru them. wat cud he do 2 get rid of them so they don’t overtake the storage building? & Wil they b n old records, u no, the vinyl kind contained n cardboard or paper (old 45’s) coverz, 4 lak of a betr wrd? Cuz,I DO NOT want THEM tossed, ya no? Many of them r realy special 2 me as well. so, ther u hav it. Any & all help wil b greatly aapreciated, as this distresses me a lot. Thx evr so much. (I enjoyed reading all ur previous comments, 2.)
FYI… Exterminators say to remove your electrical outlet covers and light switch covers to add your prisons to get it in your walls. They like the spaces behind baseboards, in walls, under your carpet/linoleum floor etc.
*poisons
What about bug bombs. I remember many years ago when we had a cockroach problem, we used something that you would set off inside your house and it would kill any bugs in an immeidate area. Wouldn’t this solve all of the roaches, silverfish, etc. infestations, or do they not exist anymore? We have a garage-full of boxes of things from when we downsized, and I have seen silverfish. I would like to just “bomb” the garage for starters.
I have seen teeny, tiny bugs in my bathroom sink, and outside my front door, under the morning newspaper. They look like a speck, only thin shaped. Could they be silverfish?
I have had these in my house for the 18mths I have been here…i live in a terrace and attached both sides….they are in every room of the house….turn light on I see them around the skirting boards….beginning get on my nerves..everynight the same ritual..light on..see them..kill them…is it at all possible these little pests cud be comin from next door..his house is really grimey…mould in his front windows…funny smells come through floor boards upstairs….i have out ant powder down….everywhere…i have found loads dead in the bathroom..but I don’t see non in the carpets…ie bedroom..landing..stairs..living room..front room..i have never seen them in the kitchen…but I bet they bloody are…
Carol… You’re not seeing them on the carpet bc they often travel under the carpet and inside the baseboards. Both great places for food.:/
I keep finding in the bathroom..tiny little bug type things..are these the eggs hatching…me on me hands and knees looking round the bathroom tissue in hand..then deposit in the loo….i just can’t seem to see no dead ones in the carpets…i know they are in my room cus before I put ant powder down I was seeing them every night when I turn the light on….
Questions for everyone, but first a little back story… Last month I started noticing these tiny little grey bugs on my window sills didn’t think too much of it as it was day time and it only seemed like one or two. Then I realized they were at every window sill in my apartment I had my landlord get an exterminator he said they were some kind of mite, that his spray would kill them and I should stop seeing them in about 3 days. Fast foward to a week later and I’m seeing way more and now on the floor and terrifyingly on my bed. We told the landlord who called the exterminator again. This one said they were silverfish, when we said they didn’t look like the ones you see in pics on Google he said they were a type of silverfish belonging to that same family and sprayed the perimeter of every room and every crack and crevice with what he said was the strongest spray that could be used indoors and that it would take 2-3weeks before we would stop seeing them. We do find some dead but still finding a lot of them. We are moving and because of how small these bugs are we feel like we can’t trust bringing any of our furniture because they could be hiding in there, is this over kill? Should we not trust our stuff and risk bringing them with us? This bug problem has been psychologically difficult to deal with and the last thing we want to do is bring the problem with us, any suggestions?
We purchased new couches and when we flipped an old one over, there was a silverfish underneath it! It seriously is psychologically difficult to deal with. We’ve had our place sprayed by the exterminator several times and I still see them. Be careful bringing your stuff into your new place as you might take them with you 🙁 Sorry. It’s beyond disgusting and I wish I would’ve known the home we were moving into had them! Otherwise I would’ve tented the place prior to moving in. Again, good luck!
How does one know? Especially in an apartment building. Even a new one. You and your belongings could be fine and then you find them because someone else has them and they travel through the walls and any cracks.
I was organizing my room when I saw one of these bugs in a box we killed it and I thought nothing of it. But then A week later I saw another one of these bugs hiding in a drawer of my papers. Naturally you would just throw out the papers but these papers had sentimental value to me that were now crawling with these disgusting bugs. I am scared to sleep in my bedroom! what do I do?? PLEASE HELP????
I tried nailing one to a wooden block, you know so the other silverfish would see this realise I mean business and scarper!
Alternatively just burn the house down
I moved I will say that for papers and books I put them in the freezer and then immediately removed them from the house, also before we the exterminator came again and sprayed the strongest spray that could be used indoors a week later we saw nothing. For my stuff I bought food grade diatomaceous earth it’s safe and works well you can also use it all over your house without risk to you or pets. Good luck, I know how you feel.
I have a question about using lavender essential oil – if I spray around the room where the silverfish currently are, would they just move to another room? Would I have to spray my entire house so that they don’t just get comfortable somewhere else? They are in my bedroom, and there’s another bedroom across the hall that I don’t want them to travel to. Would the lavender work at all in getting them out of the house? I’ll spray the entire house if need be, I just want to be sure I know what I’m doing before I go ahead and risk simply relocating them elsewhere in the house. Thank you!
I would like to know the answer to your question also?
Anyone know?
Found these ugly fucks in my sons bedroom with recent eater damage. Then I found 3 baby ones in my bathroom, and one in my bedroom again. I’ve since caulked the ceilings of the bedroom, ball, and bathroom (near shower), I frequently vacuum and clean, and I covered the light fixture which was broken I thought they were coming out of. They seemed to have gone, but I then saw another last night. So I came here for solutions. I also sealed all my food in plastic containers, and put cinnamon to keep them out of the area. ***I have a great trick. ***Put a large amount of cinanmon in a cup (I use a large red solo one) and give it a good shake. It lets out a large mist of cinnamon. It can coat everything. I do it around my entire room, clothes, and near the trim. It lets out a stream everywhere and it will cost everything! It is very cheap and seems to keep them away. It doesn’t clump either it’s just a light, non visible coating. I love to put it on my bed, it gives some sense of security, and it smells great. Also, I have my AC near my bed, I reccomend everyone do similar. They go everywhere but there. The dry air seems to keep them out. Thank god. The cinnamon can also be sprinkled under the bed, it covers a large area but doesn’t leave stains. Just keep it out of your eyes and lungs. If can be unpleasant. I also put all my old clothes and SHEETS in under the bed organizers now. Which I will then cover in either cinnamon or lavender. You can get them for very cheap at Walmart. And it can give you a sense of security for your closets. I’m going to use after a night light, get the small crevices in the floor with boric acid (if you don’t have it yet, put cinnamon and blow it in the cracks, its not long term but it keeps them out!). Im also going to look through every item of clothing, clear it out, cinnamon and lavendar the closet, and then use a under the door snake I reccomend putting a cinnamon sprinkled one near the door to your basement.. Which will be coated with cinnamon, under the closet so when its completely cleared they won’t reeenter. I understand everyone’s pain. These comments have brought me more fright and help. I can’t even sleep in my room because of these. I also reccomend getting a small fan to air out areas once in a while. Also, I’m a person who likes to keep their blinds clothes and have a dark room. However now when I leave the house, I open all the blinds and closets and open the windows if it’s not humid. I also reccomend everyone to get a small powerful fan, I have a vornado one. I put it in my closet and bathrooms once if a while to clear it out. If you use the cup cinnamon and this. It sprays it everyone. Cinnamon is a HUGE help. I am currently renting in a two fam house with dirty people upstairs. I think a lot is coming from them. They are old, but I don’t understand how they can just live with them. I am so done with these things I will go into the basement tommorow and check everything. Then afterwards sprinkle cinnamon if I can’t find the nest. Im also caulking absolutely everything!! And doubling down and cinnamon. Thank god I don’t have it worse. Keep a clean house!!! I will be back with an update after tommorow when I do a total sweep!! Anyone know what to do that can kill them on the spot. Non toxic in a spray bottle or something? I’ll need it if I fjnd a ton when going downstairs. USE the cibbamon!! Thank all the helpful commenters. Sorry if this was all over the place. It’s only been 2 weeks with these things after moving in a new place. Wanted to share every little thing I did in this holistic approach to exterminate them. Thanks for hearing me.
Having recently moved into a second floor flat and took my stuff out of storage I saw the odd one in my sons room since then I’ve since found two in my bed ! one happily running up my arm as I was getting in as if to welcome me home after a weekend away I shook put bedding and climbed back in sadly this ment I slept very badly as I felt quite rightly if I wanted a visitor in my bed one should be invited so thankyou for your suggestions today I’m off to buy lavender to douse myself in so I smell like my grandmother thus should prevent any further nighly callers and fea spray ant powder around my bed !! I can only surmise that these house guests where already non paying tenants or I sadly collected these free loaders from the storage unit one very spooked but still humorous but tired lady from UK
Some of these comments had me laughing out loud
Wondering if the 20 rule team borax in the laundry section would work instead..gonna try it and see because I’ve read it works for roaches and other creepy crawlers
wow i need to try this if i had silver fish 😉
I found one in my bookshelf. While I have many old books in there, I found it among magazines I had shoved in their. Also, I live in a damp, tree-fIlled area. Should I be concerned?
I began noticing the slimy little skanks in my bathroom, maybe three months ago. They always come out (from where, WHERE?!?) under the cloak of night. They scuttle for cover as soon as I turn on the lights. At first, it was maybe one or two a week, lurking in the corner of the bathroom by the shower. Now I find as many as five a night. I quickly became quite adept at killing them (emitting a mildly psychotic battle cry to mask the sound of their popping little death noise.) Then I discovered that they are chilling under my bath mats. So now I enter the bathroom armed with wads of toilet paper, flick on the lights, attack any in plain view (insert psychotic battle cry), fling the mats asunder, scream and squish some more, flush, exit bathroom shaking with adrenaline and residual terror (they are fugly beyond words- truly the stuff of nightmares). I repeat this ritualistic killing spree several times a night. I am beginning to fear for my mental health. I thought I could kill ’em all in due course, but I suspect they have multiplied beyond my killing capabilities, and I feel defeated and again, a bit insane. I am considering seeking professional help- be it an exterminator, a psychiatrist, or a minion army of spiders. This article has given me some much needed strategic (and seemingly sane) approaches. The comments have given me great solace in the knowledge that I am not alone in my silverfish-induced descent into madness. I feel a sense of comraderie with my fellow afflicted. We can somehow overcome this slithery enemy. Yes, yes we can!
I’m going to give advice I wished I had read here before buying and trying all kinds of products to rid my home of these critters.
1. Read about the life cycle, reproduction rate and etc… of silverfish or firebrats. READ and inform yourself.
WHY: Once you know how long they live, how often they reproduce, how long they can go without food and water as well as what actually kills them then you will understand what follows.
A) Don’t even bother with essential oils and anything else scent related because these will not rid your home. What they may do is just cause the critters to relocate some where else in your home IF the scents work at all.
B) It comes down to two choices of how to kill them and get rid of them.
1.Diatomaceous Earth
2.Boric Acid
You want to kill the adults and their nymphs. Use a mixture of 4-2 diatomaceous earth(DE) to boric acid. Reasoning: it takes 7-14 days for one to die using DE and DE does not kill the nymphs. Boric acid kills the nymphs and works the same way as DE. I was unable to find how long it takes boric acid to kill them. But, you want to go this route because DE is finer, will stick to them more because it is essential a fine powder whereas boric acid is more granular. By mixing the two you are able to spread it better and know that not only will any adults that crawl through it be coated but also, if there are nymphs present or soon to be present, you’ll kill them too. You also want to use this route because in two weeks the critters could also lay more nymphs.
I would also suggest supplementing this with the bait method as well. You want to approach this with as many proven prongs as possible, be it 2, 3 or 4 prongs.
I am currently in the process of trying to rid my home of them completely and to do this I will be placing the above mixture along the wall and baseboard of every room in my home as well as baiting. I am going to vacuum as close to the powder without actually vacuuming it up, I hope, and leave it there for at least 4 weeks. I will then after a month vacuum all of it up and repeat. I suspect that in order to truly get rid of them it is going to take at least 2 years or so before one can ever really say they succeeded because of the lifespan and their ability to go for long periods of time without food or water.
Good luck everyone and I’ll update with my progress after 6 months or so.
Great suggestions. I will try these healthier ways to rid of these disgusting silverfish.
By the way when you do see silverfish and learn that they are difficult to catch and squish. So when you see one immediately go get your vacuum and with the hose attachment suck them up. It is the best way that I have found.
Ages ago in subsidized housing, I’d see an odd one and they were FAST! I’ve been in this home for 9 years now and in the beginning someone had said he found one in his cutlery drawer. I’d spot the odd one and wasn’t concerned as I was too busy with work and family. Plus I’d be in bed when it was their playtime. Or maybe it wasn’t a big problem yet? The last 2 years I’d been spotting them off and on – sometimes 2-3 a nite. I switch on the bathroom light while focused on the floor. I find them easy to catch as long as not near the baseboard. I use sticky tape or labels. I became obsessed, wanting to move etc when 3x I spotted one close to the ceiling. I’ve only seen the young ones up high. Once i did find a firebrat in my cutlery drawer. Gross – “how did pepper get in here?” Anyways, I keep moisture eliminator boxes under the sinks and one on bathroom counter and keep fan on after showers. I believe all this has “eliminated” them or at least it will be weeks before I see one. I’ve seen them in the light fixture in our open corridor and once I moved my outside doormat and saw a firebrat. Another time one was outside on my door jamb. Finding them OUTSIDE has put my mind at ease but I still check for them daily. I’ve reassured myself they are passing thru and I can’t control that but inside, the answer for me is controlling the humidity and killing what I find. Oddly enough, I’ve had NO mosquitoes or flies, which I would prefer any day.
We have just moved into a old renovated house with lots of wood I just killed 5 silverfish in one go went to my son’s room an caught another two we arrived home late turned the lights on and there these ugly creatures were.. We have been in the house 3 weeks and I have a terrible rash could the be crawling on my face at night and leaving these bites in my face but apparently they don’t bite.. I thought you only found them in wet damp places… We had some of our furniture in storage could we have brought them with us… Can’t sleep now after tonight
The previous owners were nasty! Although we ripped the house apart and refurbished I keep seeing these ugly creatures they are every where ..have not seen them near the kitchen but in the bathrooms yuk! I’m a very clean person so where are they hiding I found one fall out of my child’s pj the other night ..so I put moth balls in all the cupboards.. But the smell is annoying to the children. Does the moth balls kill them or just shy them away? There are young and old ones so it seems they have been living here for a while… They sure move fast.. I always think of these silverfish as an unclean environment .. They are making me feel sick!
They ARE annoying because they are ugly plus they run and hide. You also don’t want them breeding in your home. Unlike a fly that comes in an open window and leaves.
I used to just check the floors at night but have caught several small ones up the wall near the ceiling or on the ceiling several inches from the wall. Daytime too. This I find disturbing. This apt is 9 yrs old and there are no cracks along the ceiling so are they climbing up from the floor? The young ones are more agile and are found higher. So check everywhere. Daily. And if you are in a building, you will never be free of them.
I have caught several small ones up the wall near the ceiling or on the ceiling several inches from the wall. Daytime too. There are no cracks along the ceiling so are they climbing up from the floor? The young ones are agile and are found higher. So check everywhere. Daily. And if you are in a building, you will never be free of them.
What’s best pesticide to use to get rid of house worms?
UPDATE: OK, it has not been a full two months but it has been at least 6 weeks since I placed down my 4:2 mixture of DE and BA. Before placing down the powder I would see anywhere from 3-5 a night in the attic and on the stairs to the attic. My attic is essentially a 3rd floor with vaulted ceilings and the house is a new build concrete structure. Anyway, I use to often see adult size, fat ones and would kill those right off. I also saw the stage 2-3 size a lot as well. I am happy to say that recently I may see 2-3 a week and none adult size. I think that the ones I am seeing now are those that have hatched within the 6 week period and avoided the powder thus far. I of course kill them right away too. I think it is going to take me being diligent for at least a year, so 52 weeks to even attempt to rid my home of them. And in all honestly, I’m not sure it is possible to completely rid ones home if I you can never locate how they enter the house. I also, for the first time, a few weeks ago saw a very long, centipede like, skinny creepy crawly on the wall and killed that instantly. I suspect there may be a crack in my foundation which they are entering through. So, with that in mind I am just aiming to get rid of as many as possible and hope that whatever does enter is killed by the poison that I will continue to place along the baseboards throughout the year.
I’ve wondered if the postal service vehicle might be a way for silverfish to be spread! Papers always there, who knows, maybe old papers, so I check my paper and mailbox. Inside I just went through the pantry and threw out everything that might have an expired date or was unsealed and transferred all I could to glass or plastic sealed containers. Then I cleaned the interior and sprayed while everything being saved was out of the cabinet. Sure makes you feel good to know it’s clean, and am being more scrupulous about cleaning the kitchen floor every night and making sure any unwashed dishes are at least rinsed. Next I will check all antique books and treat them and every room using the above suggestions.
I’ve had a huge problem for a long time, no idea how to get rid of them. Have tried a few natural ways but not affective 100%. I just want to get rid of them for ever, do I have to get the camphor balls and go that way.
Help !!!!!!!!!
Bringing down your humidity level is the most natural and effective answer.
We found these nasty little bugs in my thick sheer certains.. First just one that caught my eye. Then a few days later look & there is 4 at the bottom of them where they pay on floor. So started looking everyday & killing them but seems like there are a bunch. Not in any other part of the house. I got them down & put in wash oh hot! Then vacumed like crazy. There has been 3 come up wall. I hate bugs I’m kinda freaking out but got to do something. I’m just winging it so need some suggestions please
Wow what has this world become… Now people go screaming about having to do everything to kill >harmlessuseful< animals. They don't carry diseases, they generally don't go on your food or in your bed and they also don't normally go destroy your books except for huge infestations which is EXTREMELY RARE. The story about silverfish laying eggs in your ear is total bullshit as this is NOT the optimal breeding ground for silverfish. Also you would definitely remember that doctor visit! Stop lying… Yes even them coming into the bed is a very rare occurrence. They generally don't move away from the room where they have the optimal conditions. How can your bedroom be wet and warm? It must be a disgusting place where you live…
Silverfish kill miles and other actually harmful critters and they eat mold as well as skin scales so they are keeping the place clean at worst! If anything they are the best indicator that mold is spreading in your house. How about you do not use poison, that might be harmful to yourself and others, or spend hours hunting and murdering innocent and useful silverfish and instead tackle your humidity levels and mold problem? Because the silverfish will always come back when they have the right conditions. And they eat mold so what do you expect when mold is growing somewhere in your house. Get rid of the mold not the silverfish… They will go away themselves when the conditions aren't there anymore.
I ignore the silverfish and am happy when I see some as they hunt other unwanted guests and tackle mold problems also they are fascinating to look at with their shiny scales. A perfect animal 300 million years old that even shows you when you have humidity / mold problems and hunts miles. Show some respect ffs.
I normally ignore any critters and let them live out their little lives quite happily, but silverfish ARE DESTROYING MY ANTIQUE BOOKS many of which are heirlooms, it’s devastating to find them wrecked by silverfish. I also sell books on ebay, and it’s not great when you find that book you just sold has been disfigured by silverfish! I occasionally find them in the cupboards with the cups etc, I just rinse them out before use, no problem. But you eat my books, you die!
I’m so tired and I have seen silver fish in my closest
Agree. Sadly, even with no infestation, regular checking eventually pays off.
Several homes later and MANY ruined tops (basically cotton), I found an article last night because a BRAND NEW SHIRT was chewed in the same spot as all the others. Voila’. Silverfish. Here’s the issue. No longer live in the house where I began finding holes in my clothing. Bought TWO other houses. BOTH houses have clothes with holes in them. NEW CLOTHES. So now, I have double infestation. Lucky me. Fortunately, I have diatomaceous earth and plan on buying two new shirts (one for the drawer, one for the closet) to see if this is really my issue. BTW, if it is your shirts and the holes are in the same place, I’ve read four or five different articles where these little bugs like the aroma of some people’s navals and they will come back to the same spot even after the shirt is washed. Not sure how true this is, but it is definitely what’s happening to me. Wish me luck. I wish you all luck as well!
Was up really late. Quick check of floors and ceiling corners. Ugh – a big one, 7 ft up the bedroom wall. Makes me wonder how many you don’t see when you don’t look or go to bed early.
Has anyone ever smelled moth balls? If so, how did you get their tiny little legs apart! Just shedding some humor on a disgusting subject. Silverfish are gross creatures.
Please get informed with a professional, people!!!
I had never seen these bugs until I moved to a new apartment.
3 in the bathroom the day I moved, nothing for weeks, the started being regular. 2-5 a week. Very random.
Applying insecticide with Deltamethrin 0,015% in every skirting board keeps them away for 3-4 days. Sticky traps in every corner helps catch them and avoiding seeing them. But you need 3-4 traps per room for better results.
Exterminator coming soon. Not many hopes since they use same insecticide.
Update, 4 months later:
Exterminator came but only sprayed around skirting boards.
First week it went from seeing 2 to seeing 9, then 6, then 7. Finally 2 and 3, then sprayed again. Been a constant of 2 since.
Been away 1 month without insecticide. Came back, seen but a few, very positive.
Had all of a sudden 7 in bedroom in a week. Sprayed around, last week only spotted 1.
So, persistence is key. I didn’t use borax or DE or any of that. Didn’t caulk either.
So, long story short, for now I spray ALL skirting boards once a month and have sticky traps around the house. Since I kept keeping track of what I see, I’ve counted some 100 in 8 months (30 weeks). That’s 3-4 per week average. The more traps the better chances.
I live in a block of flats, council rented. The bathroom and kitchen are teaming with them at night its gross. all the above dont work, ie no food, heating is drying to the air etc. Cant seal entire bathroom/kitchen off… they still get in somewhere… its awful. Housing just say they cant rid of them.
Very good and overall guideline!
Does anyone know how to get Boric acid in Canada?
Can not find it anywhere.
Hello, I work at home, selling online. I have just seen that a silverfish that they are munching on my brand new shipping boxes stored in my garage. Are you recommending that I need to toss out about 50 new boxes ? I am going to try to boric pills and the sticking jar method and the rolled newspaper. From reading all this great info I wonder if these ugly bugs have laid their eggs on the boxes. If so, the box mail could contain their eggs? I would be extra p.o. if that happened to me because I also buy online and would not welcome that box into my home. Mostly asking if I have to toss the boxes from my garage?
REPLIES TO SOME:
To the person with the boxes in the garage, you need to throw them away or return them for a refund because the last thing you want to do is be responsible for spreading/sending them to someone’s home.
To the person that lives in a rental flat. If you are constantly seeing them in the bath tub and sink then you need to place traps there so that none escape. You can even use something like duct tape and put that down on the floor next to the walls and areas they need to crawl up and onto to access your sink and tub. Also, if you live in flats with vents for ac/heat then you should place tape around those areas as well. By the way, I mean with the sticky side facing upwards so that they get stuck to it.
As for how many you don’t see well that’s a good thought because I only see them when I should be in bed, like early in the wee hours. But my line of thinking is that for everyone I see there are at least 10 I don’t see and so, for the 10 I’ve seen in the past 5-6 months, I probably missed another 100 or so.
UPDATE TWO: For the past 4-5 months I have seen all together perhaps a total of 10 silverfish at the most. I did something which I think allowed them to grow again and that was vacuum up all the DE and BA that I had place in a specific spot that I had seen them in. I did this because I foolishly thought since I hadn’t seen many if any at that time that they were gone BUT wouldn’t you know it, as soon as the DE/BA was gone a few months later they are back, and not a lot, just like 2-3 that I’ve seen so far. I just saw one near the wall and ceiling in another room which has DE/BA at the bases. This one fail and I think it was because the DE/BA was working on it. I also think because my concrete structure house is soooo hot and that we had a leak that this has allowed them to grow faster. So, while I’m not back to square one, I will say that it is best to leave the traps or powders for as long as possible and then replace immediately even when you stop seeing them.
To get rid of bed bug use borax put in a container to sprinkle all over carpets flooring and under bed sheets kills them .I moved into an apartment it was loaded with them and bought borax ànd put it in a baby powder container and sprinkled in every where ànd it killed them dead
Have been seeing a few in my bathroom. Just figured they went with all the other creepies out in the country. Mice, rats, possums, wood roaches, web footed frogs, fleas etc. I use diatamaculous earth for fleas. Have three bags right now. Gonna vacuum bathroom tomorrow and put some in all the cracks around walls. The DE cuts the exoskeleton of the fleas killing them. Guessing that happens with these little buggars too.
I moved into an apartment 3 weeks ago. 2-3 days after, I found a silverfish in my bathroom. Then every night I found 2-3 bugs and killed them. After using the Diatomaceous Earth for 2 nights at the bathroom, Only nymphs are seen. However, they seem to be more active and easily spreded. I used clover, lavender oil and cinnamon to isolate them in the bathroom, but I think I failed.
Finally I bought boric acid powder to get rid of the young one too.
I am wondering what will be the effective way to spread the powder.
First, I’ll try to make solution and touch the the place where they travel and crack and crevice with the brush. Then I’ll use powder mixture of DE and BA as recommended.
Wish me good luck!
I’ve been reading and my eyes are blurry. I have seen silverfish in my attic and in walls that have undergone reconstruction. I don’t have access to most of my attic. Every article says it explains how to get rid of silverfish in attics but none of them do. What can I use? Dekko and just through it as far as I can? I have parrots so having the bug is definitely better than a sick bird but I would love to have a solution.
I sprayed raid and and ant powder all around the perimeter of my 0 br home. I still see them. Several a day.
I am mostly scared about them in my bed. I already found 1 crawling up my bed frame. PLEASE, can someone tell me how to prevent them from getting on my bed or crawling on me in my sleep?
Just when I haven’t seen any in weeks, an adult is spotted close to the washing machine and runs back under. How do you catch this? With a flashlight, I see a couple of the tiniest ever ones. Barely see them as they run under the baseboard. How do you seal every crack in your home?
It’s true, they can’t climb slippery surfaces. I’ve seen them trapped in light fixtures or in a wastebasket. But I’ve also seen young ones run across a wall and up the baseboard which is almost glossy paint.
I’m in a apt building and I’m learning to accept they will always exist or pass through but it means you can never let your guard down.
If I wanted to sell my unit, do I mention this? I check a few times every night and spot/catch a few every month.
Reading all the comments, I think it’s unfair to think people are over-reacting to these bugs. They don’t bite or spread disease etc. BUT they can damage your possessions and unlike other insects, they move in and can start an infestation whereas flies just can’t find the opening in the window to escape, and moths, spiders, mosquitoes etc – are single visitors. It’s like going to a restaurant, if you see a fly, you live with it. If you find a cockroach on your table, you’d be instantly checking for more. If you find a spider in your home, you don’t have to fear it came in with its growing family and your neighbors will be blaming you. It’s the history that comes with the silverfish.
These slippery little buggers are difficult to eradicate – after I recently discovered after moving into a 70 year old home.
The problem lies in; after literally declaring war and going on a killing spree for a few days, they quickly vanish and you feel it’s problem solved.
Yet, a month or so later your left scratching your head after noticing you have another outbreak on your hands.
The key here is persistance. Do a thorough job first time round; including making sure to seal all cracks around skirts and doors etc. Then once it’s brought under control, keep a firm lookout regularly for tell tale signs like their casts. (Yes they are nasty, but at least them doing so works to your favour. If there are casts appearing you know without doubt silverfish are still present)
They often never appear until the lights go out, so unless you fancy getting into the habit of walking the house and flicking on light switches at 3am and watching them skuttle … do daily checks around the house looking for shed skins. As soon as you notice an outbreak, act immediately and you will find if your thorough it can be brought back under control in a couple of days. I found ant killer worked a treat for this – scattering small amounts along walls and in corners particularly by doors.
The issue from my experience is either; eggs can lay dormant for months before hatching or fully grown silverfish are much harder to kill.
Keep on top of it and be persistent with your methods. Like I said earlier, acting quickly is the key. These bastards multiply fast and before long and in the right conditions you will have a serious problem on your hands!
Good luck all.
I just moved in to a home and I saw three. That was 3 too many. It appears the previous owner never aired our the house, dusted, or mopped. There was also some 40 plants indoors when we looked at the house. I have sprayed insecticide along the baseboards vacuumed, placed dehumidifiers in the bathrooms, and ant/silver fish baits on the house parameters, scrubbed everything.
….An old man who served in WW2 told me about a bed bug remedy, if your bed has legs, then you can use a metal or plastic bowl/beaker, use 2 for each leg, first bowl or beaker like place bed leg in it, second bowls, fill them with water, place the bed legs that now have the dry bowls/beaker on them and place them in the second bowl that has water, make sure the second bowl or beaker is HALF full of water, now the creepy bastards can’t crawl up your bad leg, make sure any part of your bed does not touch the wall in anyway too. He told me the bed bugs got clever, they ended up crawling up the wall, then proceeded to crawl along the ceiling, then drop themselves onto you in your bed! Smart bastards. He was stationed in Egypt btw. Anyway, I’m sure the ones in your house haven’t thought that yet….lol.
And keep covers off the floor
Try 20 mule team borax which is the same as borax acid. It is used for ants equal amounts of borax, sugar and a little bit of water. Keep away from pets and children.
I lived through bedbugs so bad I have PTSD and was out of my home for 2 years! Now I’m finding silverfish. Saw one the other day and sweetie told me not good. Then one ran across my nightstand just now. Littlish one I think and quick as the devil. Then I found this website. If I get the house tented will they go away? I have issues from a broke back and not sure I can take all this again. So stressed. Leaving lights on. Putting out bay leaves and ransacking the lavender and cinnamon oil. should I throw out my bedroom carpet? I don’t care what I have to do. BYW I’m a clean to a shine person yet here they still are. Best way to handle this please. Thank you very much.
First don’t panic! I managed to get rid of a pretty bad infestation recently by using the method I posted a couple of posts back. Persistence is key. Do a good thorough job first time round and then keep on top of things with a sharp eye. Before long they will be history. Good luck!
Finding them in the guest bedroom on the bed. And on the living room couch, as well as dead on the floors near baseboards. I’ve sprayed three types of Lyme thrown and I still see them. Probably less than what I was but it would seem I’m not putting a dent in the issue. I just got rid of all my cardboard boxes and stored my junk in plastic bins with lids. I’ve tried to eliminate all the issues. I probably do need a dehumidifier. If I were to spray every month would that take care of the issue. I am curious how long it would take to fully resolve the issue. Last month was the first time I actually cracked down on it.
Humidity inside down to 43%. Temperature outside -8C. New doorsweep. Covered unused electrical outlets. Plugged up some gaps in flooring/baseboards etc but it’s impossible to do it all.
Haven’t seen one for over a week. Decided to gargle this morning – crap! There was a small one on the ceiling.
Can they come in thru electrical outlets?
How many indicate an infestation rather than passing thru?
I live in an apartment building.
Thanks for the info! I saw a silverfish today in my bathroom and we don’t know where it went.IT LOOKS SO NAUSEATING. But I can’t wait to see that pest DEAD.
Can I just put this in proportion for the freaking out people.I have lived in my house for 40years and for the whole of that time, it has had a silverfish problem,there have been times when I thought they were gone but the little sods pop up somewhere else.I have never found the source, but they take great delight in running me ragged.I have brought up two healthy kids here,I’m old now and still healthy.The point I’m making is CHILL people they wont kill you much less eat you alive.If your really that bothered get a bloody great spider he’ll see them off for you.I also found that washing things down with stardrops with amonia keeps them out of kitchen cupoards.
I have found that Tomcat glue ant traps also attract and kill silverfish. Have found them online but not in local harware stores. Seems to work pretty well – Can’t eliminate them but cuts their numbers. Have tried the Dekko packs too but they don’t seem as effective as the Ace traps.
Hi my name is Aleen , and I’m 14 and I have been having some problems with silverfish, they are living in my closet and around my bedroom door area, and I put some rubbing alcohol around my bedroom and I’m not sure if that’s gonna help a little because they have been eating my clothes and paper that I use for school that I keep in the closet, what would be the bestest thing to use? I also have pets at home and I’m wondering if the product will also hurt my pets.
PLEASE HELP!! Every night my husband and I have been in bed and have had one in our bed about a week ago we killed it then again last night and tonight I saw 2 please help we have a toddler and it creeps me out to know these creep around at night I need to get rid of the
Help!!!!
Our friends introduced silverfish to our house by bringing tons of dry bread for our backyard chickens. As many of you, I was just killing those I see. There is no such thing as “just a few silvershishs”. Either you don’t have them or you have a lot but just don’t see them. I called multiple companies to get rid of silverfish and all of them said that it would be a long battle. But only one said that it is easy :). It cost me $100 for a 3000 sq ft house in florida and a little prep work before and after. I moved everything from the walls to the middle of the rooms- he sprayed everything the inside perimeter near the baseboard, including closets. Then he sprayed the outside perimeter of the house. Than he put “dust” in the attic and explained that the dust should take care of newly hatched ones. I started seeing dead ones next morning… tons of them. After a few days, I cleaned the house and put the stuff I moved away from the walls back where it should be. Never seen a silverfish back in that house for 2 years we lived there! I think the “dust” in the attic did the trick. I am still praying for a well been of that guy and his family :). Good luck to you all! Treat it as soon as you see them or they will multiply!
House sitting for a friend’s old house and there are alot of silverfish, everywhere, the bathroom floor, kitchen drawers, bookshelf. Decided to do something about it, otherwise I won’t stay. It’s either them or me. Bought diatomaceous earth on Amazon (the food grade type) and dusted it where I had seen them. Only then I read online that that stuff is not undangerous. You can get it into your lungs and wreck havoc. But it seems to be effective because for the last 2 weeks, no more silverfish, – until this morning when another of these buggers showed up on the counter, just as I was having my coffee. I am thinking, for each one I see, there’s probably dozens hiding. So now I am going to use the Ortho home defense spray. I’ll spray every counter and along the baseboards and go to the beach for the day. Hopefully, when I get back in the evening, they are history. They are disgusting.
That is great! I wonder if that “dust” was diatomaceous earth? Do you know? Did the guy say that it was harmful to human beings in any way?
How to get the silverfish eggs out of my clothes? Does washing them in 95c is enough? Or should I use the dry machine? And could I get the silverfish eggs from the public laundry room?