As the name suggests, silverfish are silver-colored insects that look and move like fish. They are also known as bristletails because of the three long appendages that resemble bristle-like tails. Silverfish are active throughout most of the US and they prefer areas of the home that are high in humidity such as attics, basements and bathrooms. They tend to be shy and reclusive, which means that a lot of the damage that they cause is not detected until it is quite advanced.
Signs of an infestation
The first and most obvious sign that you have a silverfish infestation is seeing a live silverfish crawling around when you turn on the lights in your kitchen, bathroom or basement. Silverfish will also leave feeding marks which may look like irregular holes, notches along the edge of a material, or etches on the surface of the targeted material. You may also notice silverfish droppings that look like black pepper pellets. The materials targeted include clothing, leather, paper in all its forms.
Prevention
Preventing silverfish infestations can be difficult, because we can’t really remove their food sources as we would do with rats. So the next best thing that you can do is ensure that there are no suitable environments for silverfish. These pests thrive in environments that have high moisture levels, so if you use a dehumidifier in your bathroom, kitchen and basement, you can create a drier atmosphere that is not welcoming to silverfish. You can also keep these rooms well aerated as well. Silverfish will die in any area that has a moderate level of humidity, which is why this prevention method can be very effective.
The removal process
Silverfish infestations are usually removed by professionals. You can kill one or two silverfish when you spot them, but odds are that there are more than a couple of silverfish in the home. To remove an infestation fully, a pest control professional will use baits, which will draw in silverfish to a food that they cannot resist, and which will kill them. This will ensure that an infestation is removed completely. DIY control methods try to replicate this process, but they usually fail to remove all of the silverfish in the home, which could lead to reinfestation. If you have silverfish infestation in your home, contact us today and we will help you get rid of it.