How To Get Rid of Silverfish Quickly & Easily

Have you ever turned the light on in your bathroom or basement and noticed in the corner of your eye a swarm of silver bugs darting for the cover of the shadows.

If so, you’ve witnessed a silverfish infestation and are probably wondering how to get rid of the creepy little critters.

Luckily for you that’s exactly what I’m going to be sharing with you here on this website

But first, what are silverfish exactly?

Silverfish are wingless insects that grow between half an inch to an inch long.

They have a metallic shine to their carapace and move very quickly similar in movement to a fish – hence the name silver-fish.

The way their body tapers at the tail-end adds another similarity to their water-dwelling namesakes.

They typically live for between 2 and 8 years, reaching adulthood anywhere between 3 months and 3 years into their lifespan.

Why are silverfish considered a pest?

Although silverfish will not usually cause any major damage or pose any danger to humans, they are still viewed as a nuisance pest by many people.

They are rather creepy-looking and can cause a fright when you turn a light on in the middle of the night and see them scurrying around.

For anyone that has a phobia of insects, the anxiety they cause can be very bad indeed.

There is also a small chance that silverfish can contaminate food if they come into contact with it but they are not known to carry any diseases.

But perhaps their most annoying characteristic is their penchant for nibbling at books, magazines and fabrics.

You see, the silverfish’s diet consists of materials that are high in sugar or starch (carbohydrates) and proteins, which includes paper, glue, wallpaper (and the paste that sticks it to the wall), cotton, linen and leather. They also eat more common foodstuffs such as flour, cereals and they also have a tendency to leave a nasty yellow stain on any fabrics they consume, which is usually a good indication that it’s silverfish that have been chomping on your clothes and not some other insect, such as a moth.

So, how do I get rid of silverfish?

how to get rid of silverfish in your home

Once a colony of silverfish has set up base in your home, the only really effective way of getting rid of them is by using an insecticide to kill them.

The Harris brand (pictured above) manufacture some great insecticides that are not only toxic to the silverfish when consumed but also damage their exoskeleton when they come into contact with it and contain Harris’ famous lure, which makes the poison irresistible to the insects.

You should spray the insecticide anywhere that you have seen silverfish activity, particularly into the crevices of walls and under skirting boards where you suspect they may be hiding.

An alternative insecticide is the Silverfish Pak, which you simply place close to the areas that your silverfish inhabit.

In my experience, these packs are not as effective as aerosol insecticides because they require the the silverfish to actually come into contact with them and cover a much smaller area, however many people have had success with them.

Your vacuum cleaner can also be an effective method for getting rid of silverfish. Hoover up any stray silverfish and use the thinnest nozzle on your appliance to suck the insects out of the gaps in the walls, floor and ceiling.

Silverfish can also be trapped on cockroach glue boards and even in glass jars that have masking tape on their exterior so that they can climb up it. Unfortunately, I’ve not tried any of these traps, so cannot attest to their usefulness.

As an alternative to using insecticides and traps, you could turn off all the lights and see how many you can stamp on but I think you’ll find insecticides are the most effective solution

You should also ensure that you follow the advice in the next section about preventing silverfish to make your home less hospitable for current and future silverfish infestations.

How to prevent silverfish?

how to get rid of silverfish in a bathroom

Silverfish prefer to live in environments that are warm, moist and humid so a silverfish infestation can often indicate problems with dampness in your home.

This is the reason that silverfish often congregate in rooms such as the basement, bathroom or attic.

You can reduce your chances of getting silverfish in your home by eliminating sources of undue moisture, such as standing water, faulty plumbing and rising damp. For basements or attics, depending on the extent of the problem you may need to purchase a dehumidifier to reduce the amount of water in the air.

Ensuring these areas are properly ventilated is also very useful – this can be achieved simply by opening a window regularly.

Silverfish will also live nearby to their food source, so removing any potential food or sealing in in plastic can help keep them at bay. I’ve already given plenty of examples of the sort of thing they like to sink their teeth into earlier in this article.

Also, filling in or sealing any crevices in your home can prevent silverfish getting access to their food sources. It may be possible to get special filler that is toxic to insecticides from your local hardware store.

Finally, keeping your home clean can help deter many insects from your property. Bleaching the walls and fixtures of your bathroom regularly will often make it a less desirable place for silverfish.

I hope you’ve found this information useful and I wish you the best of luck for getting rid of those silverfish forever.

If you have any comments or questions, please do leave write to me using the section below