Silverfish are long, thin pests that crawl around garages, sheds, and bathrooms throughout California. They are carrot-shaped, ½-¾ inch long and gray in color. These nocturnal creatures dart around with quick speed, sometimes even scaling walls. Silverfish are most frequently found in places that have high levels of humidity. Even if you don’t mind spotting the occasional silverfish in your home, there are still dangers if an infestation occurs. They are able to thrive in homes because their diet can be met with items readily available in most houses. This includes paper, glue, cereal, clothing, insulation, and other tiny pests. When silverfish eat through important documents and clothing, they can become more than a slight annoyance.

What attracts silverfish to my house?

Silverfish enter humanmade structures such as residential homes while searching for a food source and a humid or moist environment. Easy entry points exist around your home such as windows, door frames, utility pipes, and shake roofs. They can also be brought in as stowaways in boxes or packages. Although silverfish don’t cause structural damage or pass on diseases to humans, they do cause damage to books, wallpaper, paper goods, and sometimes clothing.

Once the silverfish have established themselves inside, they can live for several weeks without any food source or water and have an average lifespan of 3 years. However, if they find an abundant food source, they’ll stay close by. Silverfish breed indoors, laying eggs every day, placing them in cracks behind electrical sockets, tiny cracks and crevices around your home, and even behind wallpaper.

Are silverfish dangerous?

Silverfish aren’t a risk to your health and won’t bite you. They do not pose a threat to the structural integrity of your home because they are not considered to be wood-destroying insects like carpenter ants and termites. Valuables such as photo albums, important documents, receipts, and treasured books can be targets for silverfish feeding. Their presence can be uncomfortable for those who have a low tolerance for pest activity in their home, which is when professional pest control becomes an option. Because they eat mold, persistent silverfish activity can be indicative of mold problems, water damage, or broken/leaking utility pipes.

How can I get rid of silverfish?

If silverfish are already in your home, there is no surefire way to get rid of them on your own with 100% success. Simply squashing them one by one as you find them is not going to be effective long-term. You may experience what seems to be temporary relief. Don’t be fooled! Silverfish are exceptional hiders and can be scattered throughout your home even if you don’t physically see them. As is with most pests, the only way to effectively eliminate the population is to eliminate their breeding source. The best way to avoid a silverfish infestation is to take steps to prevent them in the first place.

How can I prevent a silverfish infestation?

Silverfish generally prefer humid environment, because nymphs develop rapidly in humid weathers. So, if you want to control silverfish, first you have to think of ways of reducing humidity throughout your home. You cannot control weather, but you can definitely control the humid environment inside your house. Open vents, crawl spaces should be lined with caulks. As silverfish feed on a lot of things, the best way to control their breeding is to keep your houses clean and an infestation can be avoided. Reducing the storage of clutter and cardboard boxes (which can lead to mold problems) is also helpful. However, it is difficult to eliminate their food sources because they are so disposed to eat paper and glue that holds wallpaper together.

If you are struggling to get a silverfish infestation under control, call the experts at AAI Pest Control right away! Our targeted silverfish control services will eliminate the populations in your home, and prevent them from coming back. Call us or fill out the contact form on this page to get started!