Silverfish infestations have been rising in Texas over the last few years, with hundreds of homeowners resorting to professional help to clear out these fast-multiplying insects.
Silverfish, also known as bristletails, are small insects, usually less than 3/4 of an inch long, not including the tail. They have flat, teardrop-shaped bodies with long bristles on their front and back ends, and fish-like scales cover them, giving them a metallic appearance as they move. Their bodies wiggle side to side as they move, resembling a fish swimming through water.
Silverfish are common in all 50 states and found in areas with high moisture. Indoors, you'll commonly see them by the kitchen sink, bathrooms, around plumbing, etc. Silverfish have no natural ways to defend themselves from predators; however, they move amazingly fast to keep a step ahead of predators.
Silverfish are voracious eaters and feed on paper, glue, or anything else with starches.
Let's look at what damage silverfish can do in your house, how to get rid of silverfish, and, if DIY methods fail, how to find reliable and effective pest control in Laredo.
What Is The Purpose Of Silverfish?
In their natural habitat, silverfish are recyclers. They eat through half-decomposed plant matter, enriching the soil and providing food for multiple predators. They're also not above snacking on dead silverfish and other insects, helping to recycle them as well.
Silverfish Can Damage Your Belongings
Silverfish in Laredo can't bite and do not carry infectious diseases, but their appetite for starches will drive them to chew on paper, books, and linens and damage them. They will also do their best to get into food packages, preferring food high in starches like oatmeal and cereals and contaminating them. They seem to enjoy the glue in furniture and other products and can damage them by eating through the adhesive and weakening the joints.
Silverfish are nocturnal and great at staying out of sight, causing a silverfish infestation to advance. People exposed to silverfish feces and molted skins can develop an allergic reaction.
Four No-Sweat Prevention Tips To Keep Silverfish Out Of Your Home
Preventing silverfish from infesting your Laredo home is pretty straightforward. Silverfish are either carried indoors inside of infested books or other paper products or have crawled in on their own through cracks or openings in the outside walls of your structure.
- Check books, cardboard boxes, and other paper-based products carefully before bringing them into your house.
- Don't store old books and magazines in the areas silverfish can easily access, such as attics, basements, and garages.
- Store human and pet food in sealed, glass, or metal containers to avoid attracting silverfish.
- Repair cracks in the walls and holes in door screens and repair any plumbing issues to avoid leaks that will attract silverfish and other insects.
Silverfish need high moisture levels, at least 70 percent, in the areas they inhabit to survive. Use a dehumidifier in the house and make sure basements, crawl spaces, and attics have proper ventilation to convince silverfish to avoid your home.
How To Get Rid Of Silverfish For Good
An adult silverfish can wait for up to four months for its next meal, and a silverfish egg can lie in a crack in the floor or between pages of an old book for up to three years, waiting for optimum conditions to hatch. A single egg or an adult missed can be the beginning of new infestation years down the road.
At EnviroGuard, we've dealt with thousands of silverfish infestations in the 40 years we've been helping Laredo residents keep their homes pest free. If you suspect you may have a silverfish infestation, give us a call today to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Laredo.