Silverfish sounds like a beautiful fish living in a lake or the seafood catch of the day served at your local restaurant, but they are in fact a wingless insect. These pests creep and crawl in a movement similar to a fish and are grey/silver in color, which is how they got their name. Silverfish do not bite and aren't harmful to humans or to pets, but they can be harmful to your home. If you have found silverfish in your home, it's a sign of an issue that is going to need your attention. Read on what it means to have silverfish in your home and what you should do about them.
What Does It Mean?
Silverfish like areas with moisture, so you may have seen them in your bathroom, or even in your bathtub. If you have seen them in other areas of your home, it could be that you have a leak somewhere and your walls have moisture in them. When your home has moisture, it can rot wood, and do a lot of damage to your home, including causing mold and mildew to grow. With soggy, damp wood, it can attract other pests such as termites, ants, mice, and even roaches. If you see silverfish, it's because of moisture, so it's important to check your home for leaks or water damage that you haven't noticed. This can prevent costly damage to your home as well as damage from other pests.
What Can You Do?
If you have seen one silverfish in your home, you could have hundreds of them, especially if they have found a moisture source inside your house. You first need to repair anything that is damaged and remove any wood that is damaged by moisture. Make the necessary repairs and remove their moisture source. Silverfish like carbohydrates and starches, so you should also put away and seal any food that contains starch and carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, crackers, and cereal. Finally, you should spray for these pests. Spray in the areas where you have seen these pests and around the perimeter of your home as well. If you have had a lot of rainfall, they most likely came in from outside, so be sure to spray outside of your home as well. You should also call a pest control company for help as well. One female silverfish can lay hundreds of eggs, and all of these family members could be living in your walls, so hiring a pest control company can be very beneficial in getting rid of the pests you haven't seen.
If you have silverfish in your home, you need to take action immediately to prevent an infestation of these and other pests in your home. Call a pest control service for help.
Most pest infestations can quickly get out of hand if you do not address them. There is a reason people joke about "breeding like mice." You can go from having two mice in your home to having hundreds in a matter of weeks! When you think there are pests inside your home, you need to take control, and quickly. You take control by calling in a pest control professional. They can use a combination of trapping, poisoning, and cleanup methods to eradicate the pests. Learn more about these methods and about other pest control topics on this website, created to educate people like you about the pest control industry.