While being a homeowner is rewarding, there are some frustrating parts. Finding silverfish in your home is one of them. Dealing with pests is an inevitable part of being a homeowner, and silverfish could be one of the insects wreaking havoc in your home.
While these creepy crawlies don’t pose any danger to humans, they can cause damage to your property and belongings, so it’s important to address the situation promptly. Here are some possible reasons they’re attracted to your home and how to find their nests.
If the silverfish infestation in your home is hard to manage, get professional help. Pest control specialists have the tools and expertise to keep these pesky insects in check. They can also help with other pests, like carpenter ant queens.
Dealing With Silverfish in the House? Here’s What’s Attracting Them
While you generally don’t have to worry about silverfish harming you, they have some off-putting habits you shouldn’t put up with. For starters, they contaminate your food by leaving poop in them. They’re also known to leave unsightly stains on belongings with their feces. In addition, they have a love for chewing and can bite through your things.
If these pests are driving you up the wall, eliminate the things that could attract them.
Humidity, Warmth and Darkness
Humidity is the number one thing that draws silverfish. These insects need high humidity levels of at least 75% to survive. While they can stay in dry areas for short periods, moisture is their best friend, and they seek it out.
Aside from humidity, darkness and warmth are their two other favorite conditions. They typically prefer hideouts that range between 70 and 90 degrees in temperature. To avoid the sunlight, they conceal themselves during the day in dark areas. If you move an item they’re holing up in, they’ll scramble to find another dim hideout.
Here are some of the most common spots in the home where silverfish thrive:
- Basements
- Sinks and bathtubs
- Kitchen
- Garage
- Laundry room
- Bookcases
- Closet shelves
- Behind window and door frames
- Behind baseboards
Reducing water sources is the most effective way to control the silverfish in your home. It can also help to place a dehumidifier in the basement and other high-humidity areas. In addition, keep sinks, showers and tubs clean and dry, and repair leaky faucets and pipes.
Remember your attic and crawl spaces. To keep them dry, you can place plastic sheeting on the ground.
Keeping your outside area clean and dry is crucial in controlling a silverfish infestation. Landscape your yard to encourage water drainage away from the house. Also, remove clutter around your property and trim back dense foliage.
If silverfish keep invading your home despite your efforts, that could indicate water issues. It might be time to investigate to address your silverfish issue and prevent costly water damage to your property.
Carbohydrates and Protein
Silverfish have a penchant for carbohydrates and protein. Starchy materials like wood and paper are their number one weakness. Glazed paper is a particular favorite because of its starchy coating. Unfortunately, your magazines and books aren’t safe from these pests.
Silverfish also find glue and linen irresistible. They will consume the glue in book bindings, wallpaper, curtains and carpets. Your linen clothes, furniture covers and curtains are delicious food for them. Here are some other carbohydrates and proteins around the home that silverfish consume:
- Rolled oats
- Flour
- Cereal
- Vegetables
- Dried meat
- Dead insects
If you don’t want these ravenous pests eating your supplies, it’s crucial to seal your food in airtight containers. It also helps to store your food in only one area of the home and vacuum your floors and carpets regularly to eliminate food debris.
Various things in your home could be attracting silverfish. If you’ve tried everything, but they keep invading your space, it’s time to let pest control specialists take over. They will assess the infestation level in your home, identify what’s drawing these insects and take the necessary measures to manage the situation. They will also seal off entryways, like cracks and openings around your property, to prevent future infestations. They can also help with other pests, like ground moles.
Will Silverfish Crawl on Me in My Sleep?
Whether spiders, cockroaches or silverfish, it’s everyone’s worst nightmare to have creepy crawlies all over them while they sleep. If you have a silverfish infestation at home, you might wonder what these pests are up to at night. Do they secretly crawl all over you and disappear when you wake up?
The bad news is silverfish love chowing down on dandruff. So yes, they could potentially crawl on you or near you while you slumber, searching for flaky, dead skin to eat. They might also be all over your hairbrush. The good news is that silverfish are generally harmless insects. They’re not bloodsuckers and aren’t inclined to bite you, whether sleeping or awake. They also don’t carry diseases with them like cockroaches do. However, they may cause an allergic reaction in certain individuals.
While silverfish don’t harm humans, they can wreak havoc in different ways. Here are two reasons you shouldn’t ignore a silverfish infestation in your home.
Silverfish Can Damage Belongings
Unlike termites and carpenter ants, silverfish don’t feed on wood and cause structural damage to our properties. However, they can still damage our belongings. Because these pests love to eat starch, they can leave unsightly holes in wallpapers, curtains, books and clothes. You should be wary of these pests if you want to preserve valuable or sentimental items.
If you have important documents, magazines and books at home, store them in plastic airtight containers. You should also keep valuable clothing items in garment bags. You wouldn’t want to see holes in your designer suit or your wedding dress. If you have valuable collector’s items like baseball cards, postage stamps or comic books, you should also protect them in plastic sleeves.
Silverfish Contaminate Food
The food items in our kitchen are just as appealing to silverfish as they are to us. It doesn’t help that they chew paper and can easily get to our food supplies, contaminating them. Flour, rolled oats and sugar are some of their favorite snacks. If you don’t want to see silverfish and their droppings in your food, transfer edible items from their paper and cardboard packages into plastic airtight containers.
The thought of silverfish crawling on you while you sleep is disturbing enough. But there are other things to worry about, including damage to your valuables and food contamination.
Contact pest control specialists if silverfish are taking over your space. They will inspect your home, assess the level of infestation and customize a treatment plan for you. They can also do regular maintenance to keep these pests under control.
How Do You Find a Silverfish Nest?
Having silverfish in the house is not fun. These pests can cause damage to our homes and belongings, leaving ugly holes in wallpapers, curtains, books and clothes. Our food’s not safe from them either. They can invade our pantries and contaminate packaged food with their feces. While these pesky insects are destructive, you’re not likely to spot them out and about.
Silverfish are nocturnal, so you likely will only cross paths with them if you’re a consistent night owl. So, how do you find their nests? It helps to familiarize yourself with their habits. They’re not too picky about where they live as long as it’s a humid, dark and warm place. The bathroom is one of their favorite hideouts, particularly the sink and bathtub. The garage, basement, attic, crawl spaces and cabinets are other ideal nesting spots for them.
You can make locating silverfish easier by using sticky traps. You can place them on walls and around water sources to catch these insects as they go about their nightly business. With regular monitoring, you should be able to find all their hiding spots. Once you know where they live, you can begin troubleshooting.
Moisture is the number one thing that attracts them, so look out for nearby leaks. Check your faucets, pipes and drains, and address water issues that might be causing excess moisture in your home. It also helps to place dehumidifiers in different areas to make your space uninviting to these pests. When you have your humidity levels under control, these insects might go away on their own.
But if they stick around, you know it’s time to let a pest control specialist take over. They’ll find all the silverfish nests in your home and control them with the correct treatment method.
Contact the Pros for Your Pest Problems
As a homeowner, you have a thousand responsibilities to juggle. You don’t want to add pest management to that list. If you’re dealing with silverfish or other pests in your home, don’t hesitate to get professional help. Pest control specialists know how to handle the situation, so you can sit back, relax and let them do their job.
ABC Can Treat the Silverfish on Your Property
If you’re dealing with silverfish, contact ABC Home & Commercial Services. Our professionals will create a custom pest treatment plan for your property. We even offer preventative pest control services so that any potential pest problems will be stopped in their tracks. They can also help you with other types of pests, like black mice.
