How To Eradicate Silverfish In Your Home
Silverfish or fish moths are tiny insects with carrot-shaped bodies, they are often white, brownish-grey, or bluish-silver in color. They are nocturnal creatures so they come out at night only to search for food.
Therefore, just like termites, they can go undetected for a long period, and cause destruction on your belongings.
These silvery insects feed on starch and animal protein; consequently, they are especially attracted to damp clothing and paper.
Once they have gained a footing in your house, they get to work, silently destroying clothes, papers, books, leather items, and even wallpaper.
OKC pest control has even heard reports of people finding them in unopened food packages!
Silverfish are most commonly found in bathrooms,laundry rooms, kitchens, damp cabinets or cupboards, basements, and attics as they prefer cold, dark, and damp places.
Signs of a Silverfish Infestation
Look for these indicators:
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Shed skins or scales (small, grayish, flaky)
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Yellow stains on paper or fabric
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Small holes in wallpaper, books, or clothing
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Sightings, especially at night
If you’re seeing these signs, it’s time to act fast. The photo below shows how things can turn out if they are not detected fast enough.
Understanding the Life Cycle of Silverfish
This is an illustration from Conquer Termites Pest Management.
To defeat silverfish, it’s helpful to understand their life cycle:
Silverfish begin their life cycle as small, oval-shaped, whitish eggs, which are often laid in batches in cracks and crevices within moist areas. These eggs can take anywhere from two weeks to eight weeks to hatch, depending on environmental factors like temperature and humidity. Newly hatched silverfish resemble the adults but are smaller and lack reproductive capabilities.
Young insects reach the adult stage within 4 to 6 weeks. Young silverfish look like adult silverfish, only smaller and white.
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Egg Stage: Silverfish lay eggs in hidden, damp areas. Eggs are tiny, white, and hard to see.
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Nymph Stage: Hatchlings resemble adults but are smaller and white. They molt several times before maturity.
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Adult Stage: Adults can live up to 8 years in ideal conditions and lay hundreds of eggs throughout their life. While your average chicken can lay 1 egg per day. A Silverfish van lay 60 eggs per day- let that sink in a bit.
By targeting every stage of their development—especially egg-laying zones—you increase your chances of long-term success.
Here we will explain eight (8)ways to solve your silverfish problems.
1. Essential Oil Combo
For this, you will need:
1 cup of water
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon boric acid
8 drops of Tea Tree Oil
8 drops of Lavender Oil
Combine all the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray in all infested areas to eradicate silverfish.
2. Use Clove Essential Oils
You can also rub clove essential oil over cracks and crevices in your walls or foundation to keep silverfish away.
In a spray bottle, you could mix half cup of rubbing alcohol and 15 drops of clove essential oil. Shake well and use it in areas prone to silverfish buildup.
3. Use Cloves to Repel
Cloves contain eugenol, this is a compound that is highly beneficial in preventing tooth decay in us humans, it also serves as a highly powerful natural insecticide.
Whole cloves have an expressly strong smell that effectively repulses silverfish. This property of cloves can be used to an advantage to prevent and eradicate silverfish infestations in your house.
Here are a few ways to do it
- Place a small bowl of cloves in areas that show signs of silverfish invasion.
- You may also place small bowls containing cloves in your basement or attic, or any other damp and dark areas that are vulnerable to silverfish.
- Alternatively, you can place small muslin pouches containing cloves in these said areas.
- You may also place the pouches in your wardrobe or bathroom cabinets to keep silverfish at bay.
Replace the spices every 7 to 8 days to keep the clove smell strong and effective.
