Silverfish Insects: Prevention and Professional Removal

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basic identification and understanding methods for the silverfish insect. Similar to the fire brat, this is a small, scaled insect that’s present in many commercial buildings and also some homes.

At Bug Busters, we’re happy to provide both commercial and residential pest control methods for a variety of potential invaders, including silverfish and fire brats. These are some of the oldest insects in the entire world, dating back to prehistoric eras – this means it can survive in a lot of settings. Today’s part two of our series will focus on how to prevent silverfish from invading your property to begin with, then go over some basic DIY removal methods and why leaving that job to the pros is usually the right way to go.

Prevention Methods

Here are some basic precautions to take that will help limit the presence of silverfish in a home or building:

• Limit and standing moisture risks, including fixing leaking plumbing and any roof cracks or gaps.
• Store any potential food sources in stored containers, including garbage sources – if leftover food is in an unsealed trash container, we recommend it be thrown into the outdoor bin.
• Seal all cracks and crevices around the outside of the home or building, especially in plumbing areas.
• Vacuum regularly under vending machines, book shelving or other similar areas within homes or buildings, as silverfish often nest in these spots.

Removing Silverfish

There are two basic DIY methods you might be able to use to remove silverfish if they’ve already shown up in your home:

• Herbs or spices: Certain options here, such as bay leaves, dried rosemary or cinnamon sticks, naturally repel silverfish. Place them around the home. However, they will not kill silverfish.
• Diatomaceous earth: This is a crushed-rock substance you can buy at some home improvement stores, and will actually kill silverfish. Place it around areas where they’ve been seen.

Why Professional Assistance Pays

While the above methods may be successful for minor silverfish issues, the biggest problem with them is this: A seemingly minor silverfish infestation that you’ve spotted usually means there’s a more significant one you haven’t seen, and the above DIY methods won’t terminate a full-on infestation. Not only do we have the right kinds of products to remove silverfish, we also have methods for identifying silverfish presence that home or building owners simply do not have access to. This means that when you call us for this kind of service, we’ll diagnose and eliminate the full scope of the problem – DIY fixes are usually only temporary.

For more on preventing and removing silverfish from your home, or to learn about any of our pest control or exterminator services, speak to the staff at Bug Busters today.