Although they don’t bite or spread disease, a silverfish infestation can be disastrous for your paper goods, dry food, and clothing. Use this guide to figure out why these bugs might be living in your home and what’s the best pest control method to get rid of them.

How to Spot Silverfish in the Home

Silverfish are nocturnal insects and tend to hide in tight cracks and crevices during the daytime. Typically, you can spot them in places with high moisture and humidity, such as the basement, attic, laundry room, and bathroom. They won’t survive for long outside of temperatures above 50 degrees with a relative of humidity of at least 75 percent.

Usually, you’ll notice the damage they’ve caused before you actually see them. Their diet largely consists of the sugars and starches found inside books, magazines, wallpaper, and dry goods like oats and flour. It’s also common for them to eat clothing materials and dead insects. Besides the scrape marks they leave behind on these materials, their feeding will also produce a fungus that causes your belongings to yellow. 

Once you have determined their hideout, make sure you are dealing with silverfish and not firebrats before taking pest control measures. While they look and act similar, silverfish are longer—about one-half to three-quarters of an inch—and are a metallic shade of silver instead of a dull gray or brown.

How to Prevent & Control a Silverfish Infestation

If you have a minor silverfish problem, dehumidifiers can be used to make your home an inhospitable place for them. However, severe infestations might require more thorough chemical pest control treatments. You’ll also have to correct moisture and humidity problems throughout the home, including fixing leaky pipes and patching holes.

To prevent future infestations, try to keep humid areas dry and clean. It’s also important to keep dry foods in tight containers, periodically clean out your closets and storage areas, and avoid placing books and other paper collections in humid rooms.

If you believe silverfish have invaded your prized books or are ruining your wallpaper, contact the exterminators at Pep Co., Inc. to get rid of them. For over 30 years, these pest control experts have provided affordable and thorough insect and pest removal to Kearney, NE. Visit their website today to see their full range of insect and rodent control services, and call them at (308) 236-6103 to receive an estimate for your home or business.