Get Rid of Silverfish Bugs

FAQs

Trying to figure out how to get rid of silverfish bugs?

Silverfish can be killed and controlled with these methods…

Table of Contents

  1. Understand the Silverfish Life Cycle
  2. Methods To Get Rid of Silverfish

Understand the Silverfish Life Cycle

The first step to getting rid of silverfish is understanding them. Some good news about Silverfish is that these grayish-blue serpentine bugs cannot hurt you nor do Silverfish damage buildings the way that termites or carpenter ants can. The bad news is that they can be very annoying and unpleasant to see around your home. 

Few people enjoy seeing any type of bug roaming around their home but silverfish have a particularly slithery appearance, almost like a centipede or millipede.

Let’s now discuss a bit about what attracts silverfish. Why are there silverfish in your home in the first place? Here’s a brief list of some of the things that will attract silverfish to your home:

  1. Books and Paper
  2. Starchy Materials
  3. Dead Skin Cells (which also attract dust mites)
  4. Dark and Damp Spaces

Methods To Get Rid of Silverfish

  • Trapping Silverfish (you can get rid of many silverfish at once this way)
  • Repelling and Preventing Silverfish (removing their food source, often paper, helps prevent silverfish)
  • Killing Silverfish (hard to kill them all one-by-one, but you can put a dent in the silverfish population in your home by squishing them when you see them)

Before you decide to implement a silverfish control strategy you need to understand what you are dealing with.

Where are silverfish active in your home? You can do you own amateur silverfish inspection or contact a professional silverfish control company to conduct an inspection.

It never hurts to conduct your own but if you find signs of silverfish you may want to have a pro conduct a more thorough search. That being said, silverfish will not typically cause harm to your structure or family so there are a pest that you can tackle by yourself. Some pests, like termites, are best left to a professional to eradicate.

So where should you look for silverfish activity in your home? Because silverfish are more active at night being nocturnal they can be difficult to spot. You can take a flashlight at night and search around your home but it is easier to look for the clues they leave behind.

  1. Molten Silverfish Skin or Exoskeletons: Silverfish shed their skin, so if you find discarded silverfish exoskeletons, then bingo you have a sure sign of silverfish.
  2. Silverfish Excrement: Silverfish droppings look a bit like black pepper. If you find this in a dark damp area especially, look around a bit closer and see if you find any accompanying silverfish skins.
  3. Yellow stains and Small Holes: If you find small holes or yellow stains on wallpaper or cardboard and fabric materials like clothing, curtain, etc. you may also be looking at signs of silverfish.

3 thoughts on “Get Rid of Silverfish Bugs”

  1. John, thanks for writing this article. I have been finding more and more silverfish in my house and it is really getting annoying. I keep finding them in my bathroom. I also keep finding these little black speckles on the floor (I have white tile) and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where that kept coming from.

    Now I’m pretty sure it must be silverfish droppings. I am going to try some homemade traps and give my home a good vacuum with a hepa filter. I read somewhere that those can help suck up the eggs. I know they do not damage too much like termites can, but silverfish are a real pain to get rid of!

    Reply
    • Cherry, no problem. Glad it helped you out. Sounds like you do have a silverfish problem in the bathroom. Silverfish (and quite a few other types of insects like termites) enjoy damp places because they need the water. Try your best to keep your bathroom well ventilated as this will make the environment less hospitable to them. Also, come back when you get a chance and let us know how the Silverfish traps work out for you. Best of luck!

      Reply
  2. The other day I was dusting my home, and I came across a greyish blue bug. I had no idea what it was. But I read this article, and you identify this bug as a silverfish. I’m glad to learn that it isn’t harmful—just annoying.

    Still, looks like I will be reaching out to a local pest control professional to look at my home. I do NOT like having bugs in my house, even if they’re relatively harmless :)

    Reply

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