How to get rid of silverfish at home

Many people living in the apartment had to face an unexpected guest in the bathroom - a silverfish. Acquaintance with this unpleasant living creature causes a burning desire to get rid of it as soon as possible. How to do this - consider below.

Silverfish - what is it

The main features by which to distinguish silverfish include the following:

• body color is more often silver, less often has a yellowish or greenish tint;
• body length 0.8 - 2 cm;
• on the back and front of the body there are long antennae;
• many small paws.

Favorite habitat is the warm microclimate of the bathroom and the bathroom. The insect feeds on starch, sugar, organic waste, and its dead counterparts.

This species is very prolific and hardy. A silverfish can do without food for up to 10 months. The female can lay up to 70 eggs. If such insects are found, measures must be taken to destroy them immediately.

Causes of silverfish

The insects of this family are attracted by darkness and moisture. The silverfish just loves not regular and not thoroughly cleaning the room, so its appearance is a signal that the sanitary condition of the bathroom or the bathroom leaves much to be desired.

Neighborhood with them can be avoided by regularly cleaning the bathroom and solving the problem of good ventilation.

Important! Silverfish are bred in conditions when the humidity in the apartment exceeds 70%. It is enough to lower this figure to 30%, and uninvited guests will leave the house.

Such an insect easily enters the human home: through ventilation openings, cracks near the front door, and cracks in the floor. You can get such an unpleasant neighbor by bringing him home, along with purchases or boxes that were previously in the basements. As soon as the silverfish is in new conditions, it quickly hides under the bathtub, sink or other dark and damp places.

Damage that silverfish are capable of causing

For humans, this representative of the fauna is completely safe. Insects do not bite and can not be called a peddler of diseases. But the things in the apartment, they can cause significant harm.

1. Eating substances containing sugar and starch, silverfish everywhere will find food for themselves - in book binding, wallpaper glue, adhesive, etc. If the house has expensive literature or paintings, it is they who can suffer from the actions of a wingless insect.
2. Cotton products (clothing, bedding), as well as silk and synthetic fiber can also be damaged by silverfish.
3. They can cause significant harm to wallpaper, carpet and even food.

How to get rid of silverfish

Disinfection. To get rid of uninvited guests, it is enough to contact the appropriate service with an application. However, you can disinfect the premises yourself. To do this, you will need:

• Copper sulfate;
• Any sufficiently strong aerosol from insects;
• A cleaner containing chlorine;
• Hair dryer, fan possible.

To begin with, it is necessary to ensure the reach of all corners and inaccessible places of the room, perhaps something from the furniture will have to be removed for a while. After that, all surfaces are carefully treated with a chlorine-containing composition, pipes and the bottom of the sink is no exception. After the agent has dried, it is necessary to re-treat all areas, but only with copper sulfate.

Places of probable moisture accumulation must be dried with a hairdryer or fan. A great way to destroy silverfish is to warm the room to a temperature of +350 and above. This can be done using a portable fireplace or heater.If you install such a device in the bathroom and leave it for the night, then unsolicited insects will forever leave these places.

Once the room is thoroughly dry, you should use an insect spray. It is recommended to buy a strong and toxic remedy, since compositions based on herbal ingredients in the fight against silverfish are unlikely to help.

It is advisable to use aerosols once a week for 1 month to fix the result. Usually after 2-3 weeks the insects disappear, but the treatment should be repeated for prevention.

Homemade poison. 4 parts of powdered boric acid are mixed with 1 part of chalk, previously crushed. The mixture is scattered in those places that have been chosen by silverfish. The powder is left for 7-8 days. Again, such a procedure is recommended to be carried out in a month. By then, young eggs will hatch from the eggs, which must be disposed of in a timely manner.

Glass traps. You will need a glass liter jar, which should be wrapped with electrical tape on the outside. At the very bottom is a bait in the form of a piece of bread or sugar. This device must be installed at night in places where silverfish are most common. The smell of food will make insects crawl into a jar, from which they can no longer get out. In the morning they should be destroyed in any way possible.

Trap from the newspaper. The moistened newspaper must be twisted into a tube, and the edges tied with an elastic band. Before going to bed, such a trap should be put in the bathroom, bathroom and in the kitchen. At night, silverfish will certainly bite into the newspaper, because here for them there is both food and a comfortable living environment. In the morning, this roll of paper needs to be burned without turning. Such devices will have to be installed repeatedly until you can completely get rid of insects.

Shop traps. If there is no time or desire to make devices for catching silverfish, then you can buy ready-made ones in the store. Sticky traps or “cockroach motels” can be a great help in the fight against these insects. The best bait is bread and other starch products.

Intimidating spray. You can purchase a spray containing liquid pyrethrin. Such a composition is able to kill silverfish if sprayed in the habitats of insects. However, the drug itself is very toxic, so you can not use it next to food or in places accessible to children and pets.

Spray citrus or lavender. In addition to the fact that any of these smells discourages silverfish, such products are harmless to humans. The lemon and lavender essential oil purchased at the pharmacy is diluted with water and poured into a spray bottle. Spray is sprayed in places where you do not want to see insects.

Fragrant spices. Bags with cinnamon, sage, bay leaf are able to drive silverfish out of the kitchen, because the insect eschews sharp aromas.

Preventive measures

After an unequal struggle with silverfish, in which you managed to win, I really do not want these insects to reappear. You can avoid their return if you adhere to certain rules:

1. Wipe dust off constantly. Try to monitor humidity parameters, avoid dampness. If possible, do not store wet items in the bathroom; leave the door ajar. From time to time it is necessary to dry the room.
2. All cracks and cracks in which insects lay their eggs should be repaired. Putty is suitable for this.
3. Avoid condensation on the floor and walls. Be sure to ventilate the apartment or house, preferably twice a day. If the weather is cold outside, then the doors and windows in the room should be left open for a long time, allowing cold air to fill the apartment. A temperature of less than 100 kills not only adult insects, but also their eggs.
4. Clean out once a week. At the same time, thoroughly clean the bathroom, the bathroom, pay special attention to hard-to-reach places.
5. It is advisable to deprive insects of a food source. Food should be stored in sealed containers. It is better to remove cardboard boxes on shelves, do not leave them on the floor.
6. Clothing that no one uses is recommended to be stored in bags made of polyethylene.
7. Carry out minor repairs in a timely manner, including gluing wallpaper, eliminating leaks in pipes, etc.
8. Make sure that paper products in the apartment are not stored in places with high humidity.

The appearance of any insect in the house causes a feeling of discomfort. Despite the fact that silverfish is completely safe for humans, it is unlikely that there will be anyone willing to put up with the neighborhood of an unpleasant tenant. It is important to remember that a timely reaction will prevent the rapid reproduction of these insects and help get rid of them quickly and for a long time.