Silverfish can be found in a number of locations, including in your basement, under your sink, or in a garage or bathroom—you never know just where silverfish might be lurking. These destructive creatures come out at night, moving rapidly—even sideways—if they need to.
A silverfish has:
- A length of ½ to 1 inch
- Silvery (gray to brownish) scales covering its bodies
- Long antennae
- 3 long, thick tails
Silverfish don’t have wings, so they can’t fly. These creatures do have flattened bodies, though, which make it easy for silverfish to hide in a crack or a crevice in your home’s foundation or other spaces.
Schedule silverfish bug control in the Baltimore area with Brody Brothers by calling 410-653-2121 today!
Area Silverfish Only Found in Books?
Although many people think that silverfish feast mainly on the paper and glue in books, their preferred meal is actually dried meat. They will eat dead insects and are sometimes cannibalistic. Flour, starch, fabrics (linen, silk, rayon), and even bathroom mold serve as other food sources. Silverfish damage goods by staining them and/or by leaving their feces behind on them.
Silverfish can reproduce fairly rapidly, laying up to 50 eggs at a time. The eggs can take two weeks to two months to hatch, depending on how warm the temperature is in the area. The nymphs look like small adults when they hatch, going through several molts before they get their scales. Silverfish can live for two or three years or more.
Though it’s impossible to completely prevent silverfish from entering your home, you can do things to lower the possibility of an infestations.
Some things you can do include:
- Vacuum regularly and pick up food crumbs from the ground.
- Use a dehumidifier.
- Install a bathroom fan, and turn it on when someone in your home showers.
- Don’t leave piles of newspaper or mail around, and get rid of old cardboard boxes that may be laying around.
- Clear leaves and other damp debris from the perimeter of your home.
- Fix leaky plumbing, which can create the wet spots that silverfish love.
- Caulk around doors, windows, and pipe entry holes into your home.
- Clean your kitchen and pantry and store food in containers with tight-fitting lids.
As a Home Protection Plan customer, if you’re not satisfied with our pest control service, we will service your home at no additional cost until your issue is solved or receive your money back from your last scheduled service.
If you take the suggested precautionary steps, but you still end up with silverfish in your home, there are a few things you can do to get them out yourself:
- Spray crevices with cedar oil.
- Put something starchy, like bread, in a jar wrapped with masking tape. When the silverfish climbs up to get the food, they won’t be able to get out.
Removing silverfish from your home isn’t an easy process, though. If you’re trying to remove them and aren’t having any luck, call Brody Brothers for professional pest control help.
Schedule silverfish bug control in the Baltimore area with Brody Brothers by calling 410-653-2121 today!
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Clarksville, Dayton, Ellicott City, Columbia, Marriottsville, Woodstock, Sykesville, Woodbine, Finksburg, Hampstead, Manchester, Reisterstown, Upperco, Westminister, New Windsor, Baltimore, Raspeburg, Gywnn Oak, Pikesville, Mt. Washington, Roland Park, Govans, Clifton, Arlington, Druid, Franklin, Highlandtown, Catonsville, Carroll, Morrell Park, Parkville, Nottingham, Rosedale, Northwood, Baldwin, Cockeysville, Hunt Valley, Glen Arm, Glyndon, Lutherville, Timonium, Monkton, Owings Mills, Parkton, Perry Hall, Phoenix, Randallstown, Sparks, Glencoe, Stevenson, White Hall, White Marsh, Sparrows Point, Essex, Middle River, Dundalk, Towson.
