Standing at the sink, washing the dishes, and all of a sudden you catch a glimmer of silver out of the corner of your eye. Come to think of it, didn’t you see a similar flash in the corner behind the toilet just the other day?
It may only be a tiny speck, blink and it’s gone, but your mind may not be playing tricks on you and there might actually be a cause for concern about these twinkling shapes. What you may have is a possible silverfish infestation.
What are Silverfish?
Silverfish are tiny wingless insects, the name originating from their silvery-grey colouring and wriggle-like movements. Also known as carpet sharks, fishmoths or paramites they are difficult to spot being nocturnal and actually quite shy in nature.
The problem is, they breed very quickly and can live up to a whole year without eating. The one small saving grace is that they don’t bite and don’t carry diseases.
Typically characterised with flat, elongated bodies and flickering antennae, the insets move swiftly and can cause extensive damage to your home.
Often found in darker kitchen, bathroom and loft space corners that are prone to warm and moist temperatures. Despite their veiled nature, there are a few clear indications that you may have a silverfish problem if you know what you’re looking for:
- Their feeding habits can cause holes in wallpaper and clothing
- Damage can be characterised by yellow stains
- Tiny pepper-like faeces
- White skin extracts
How to eradicate your Silverfish problem
Silverfish are an ancient insect and they like to nibble on sugary, starchy and cellulose substances plus anything bound by glue. Typical household items such as paper, photographs, mold, books bindings, coffee, carpet fibres, and even your clothing and hair. The latter is probably not going to happen as silverfish tend to retreat away from human confrontation!
If you think you have a problem, consider the following actions as a starting point:
- Invest in a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air
- Check and fix all leaking pipework
- Seal food containers
- Removing any standing water vessels
- Check your bathroom fan is working efficiently to remove moisture
- Clear dead leaves and damp debris from around your walls outside
- Ventilate rooms properly
- Vacuum all tiny crevasses
Once you have formed general habits as a preventative measure, here are some basic removal solutions to try:
- Sticky traps
- Spray cedar or cedar oil along floor and wall crevasses
- Spray insecticides
Be sure to clean your hands properly and keep pets away from the sprayed areas until completely dry.
And there’s still professional help from Pest Busters
For severe infestations or complete peace of mind, call the experts in today.
Pest Busters (Birmingham)
Highfield Farm, Middle Lane, Kings Norton, Birmingham B38 0DX
0121 695 9076
www.pest-busters.co.uk
