There is no denying that silverfish are strange-looking insects. If you have recently spotted one of these pests inside your Huntsville home, you probably have a lot of questions. We are here today to answer common questions including: Are silverfish bad for your health? What attracts silverfish to homes? And: What methods work best to keep these pests away?
Are Silverfish Bad For Your Health?
Are silverfish bad pests? Absolutely. Are silverfish bad for your health? Not really. These scaley, fish-shaped insects may look creepy, but they are not harmful to human health. What these pests are is destructive. Silverfish eat a variety of things. Some items these pests snack on are things you might enjoy: such as things you wear, drapes you like to look at, and carpets you like to walk on. If your home has a problem with silverfish, you might start finding holes in your clothing, fraying in your carpets, and damage to other fabric materials.
What Attracts Silverfish To Homes?
There are a few things that draw silverfish into area homes. The first is excess moisture. These silver-scaled pests love to live in areas that keep their bodies moist. If conditions outdoors are getting dry, silverfish will start looking to homes to potentially provide them with this need. Another reason silverfish invade homes is to find food. This typically happens naturally and involves these pests accidentally wandering inside through cracks, gaps, and other openings. Sometimes silverfish do not crawl indoors but are carried in inside boxes of decorations, used furniture, and other items.
How Fast Do Silverfish Make Baby Silverfish?
It does not take long for a small infestation of silverfish to turn into a big problem. A single female silverfish produces one to three eggs per day and continues producing eggs every day for its entire life. These eggs are laid on cloth, inside crevices, and in food or dust and take 19 to 60 days to hatch. In summary, if you do not handle these pests immediately, it won't take long for your home to have lots of baby silverfish.
Home Remedies For Silverfish
There are many home remedies for silverfish that are designed to deter these pests. Assuming your living areas are not currently under attack by silverfish, here are some great tips and tricks to try today.
- Fill in gaps, holes, and cracks around your home’s exterior foundation using a caulking gun or some liquid cement.
- Repair damage to door and window screens.
- Make sure all of your exterior doors are protected with weatherstripping and door sweeps.
- Dust your home often.
- Keep your living areas clean and store food inside air-tight containers.
- Use a dehumidifier indoors to keep moisture levels down.
- Repair damage to leaky piping and fixtures.
- Check your gutters for debris and damage.
- Eliminate sources of moisture build-up in and around your home.
- Thoroughly check boxes, used furniture, and other items for silverfish before bringing them into your home.
How To Keep Silverfish Away From Your Home
If you are currently up against a silverfish infestation or are looking for a reliable way to keep these annoying and destructive pests out year-round, let the experts at EnviroGuard help you out today. We will implement fast-working and advanced strategies to eliminate these pests from your living areas and set up a defensive treatment barrier around your home’s exterior to keep these pests out in the future.
Give our team a call today to discuss our eco-friendly pest control options and find a time to have your Huntsville home treated for silverfish.