Have you ever seen a shiny creepy-crawly scuttling away from you in your bathroom or storage spaces? Chances are, it was a silverfish. You’ll be relieved to know they’re harmless to humans. They don’t bite, sting, or carry diseases – but they are definitely a nuisance!
In this post, we’ll be showing you some easy ways to banish silverfish from your home and keep them from coming back.
What are Silverfish?
Silverfish are a prehistoric bug and have been around for more than 400 million years, and they don’t need a lot to survive. With their distinctive silvery shine, long tear-shaped bodies and long antennae, they’re easy to spot. However, they move incredibly fast, and are great at running away.
As silverfish love dark and damp environments, they’re most likely to be lurking in corners of your kitchen, bathroom, and places where food is stored, like pantries and cupboards. They like to eat anything with sugar or carbohydrates. This can include paper, dust, and scraps of dried food.
Preventing Silverfish
There are plenty steps you can take to make sure these shiny bugs stay away from your home. Paying attention to specific places when cleaning, as well as keeping their favourite foods out of reach will go a long way, whether you’ve spotted a silverfish creeping around or not. Our simple tips below will give you some ideas…
Declutter your space
Silverfish love to hang out in cluttered and dusty areas, as there are loads of places for them to take cover. If you’ve not cleaned out your bookshelf, cupboards or bathroom storage spaces for some time, we’d recommend doing so. Keeping up top of dust and debris on a regular basis will go a long way towards keeping silverfish at bay.
Keep bathrooms clean
As silverfish tend to hang out in damp places, paying special attention to areas near your shower and sink with regular cleaning will make the space less appealing. You can use natural remedies as a deterrent. These sneaky bugs hate things like cinnamon, citrus, cucumber and cloves, so you may want to consider using them in those problem areas.
Store food more securely
Free food is a silverfish’s favourite thing. To keep your dry goods like sugar, cereals, flour, grains and pasta away from silverfish, make sure all paper and cardboard packages are sealed up securely. Plastic or Tupperware containers are a great option, as are bag clips. If packages are left open in your cupboard, silverfish can get in, burrowing deep inside.
Silverfish Pest Control
Fortunately, silverfish are much slower at reproducing than other pests, so you’re unlikely to end up with a major infestation. If you’re having trouble with silverfish in your home, House & Home Pest Control’s team of experts in Dublin can provide professional advice, and fast solutions.
To reach out to us, fill out our contact form here, and we’ll respond as soon as possible.