Five No-Hassle Silverfish Control Tips For Western Massachusetts Homes

The steps required to get control of silverfish are often things you're already doing. Since you're already doing them, it is no hassle to take a little more effort to make sure you're doing them in a way that will make sure silverfish are being driven out and away from your Western Massachusetts home. Here's how it works.

Tip 1: Address Moisture and Humidity

Silverfish need moisture to survive. Everything you do to reduce moisture and humidity in your home will have an impact on silverfish. This alone can be enough to address a silverfish infestation. But you have to get complete control of moisture to drive silverfish out. This can be difficult.

• Repair any faucets or showerheads that are leaking.
• Use the fan in your bathroom when taking a shower or bath.
• Wipe water droplets up when you're finished in the shower, especially if the droplets will sit overnight. Silverfish are nocturnal.
• Install dehumidifiers in your basement. This takes the moisture out of the air and makes it uncomfortable for silverfish.

Tip 2: Address Exterior Conditions

The reason silverfish enter Western Massachusetts properties is often because they have a reason to be near exterior walls and foundations. If you address these conditions, you can prevent silverfish from getting into your home after you've taken the steps to drive them out.

• Inspect, clean, and repair your gutter system. It is vital that rainwater and melted snow is channeled away from your foundation perimeter. When it pours over or leaks out, it increases ground saturation and leads to damp conditions that attract silverfish.
• Trim your vegetation and remove unnecessary plants to allow the air to move through your vegetation and keep things dry.
• Repair any exterior plumbing issues.
• Blow leaves out of your landscaping and remove leaves from your property. Leaf piles and leaf litter offer an ideal habitat for silverfish.

Tip 3: Seal Entry Points

Once you've addressed exterior conditions, it is important to seal any entry points that silverfish might use to get into your home. This is a one-two punch that stops silverfish in their tracks.

• Repair rotted wood or fill the holes in. If you've had a damp perimeter, you may have rotted wood that is allowing silverfish to get into your home.
• Apply a seal around exterior door and window frames.
• Seal any cracks in your foundation walls.
• Create a seal around water mains and other foundation penetrations, such as wire conduits and loose wiring.  

Tip 4: Catch Silverfish

A tip offered by entomologists is to use glass jars to catch silverfish. Before placing the jars down where silverfish can crawl into them, cover the outside of your jars with masking tape. This provides a surface silverfish can scale. When they climb up over the lip of the jars, they'll fall in and will not be able to climb back out. Place these jars in dark, humid spaces near walls and in corners. Keep in mind that this method won't get control of silverfish on its own. It is merely one step in the process. You may also use sticky traps to capture silverfish. Professionals use sticky traps to monitor for silverfish activity, but rarely use this as a control method. 

Tip 5: Remove And Protect Food Sources

• The dust in your home is a food source for silverfish. If you take the time to clean the dust up in common areas and also in secluded storage areas, this can have an impact on silverfish.
• Store magazines, comic books, important documents, books, and other paper products in sealed plastic totes. This will preserve these items and also prevent silverfish from feeding on them.
• Store clothing in sealed totes for the same reason as you would paper products.
• Put your pantry foods in sealed glass or plastic containers. Silverfish can sometimes become pantry pests as they will lay their eggs in stored food products.

Targeted Silverfish Treatments

If you like no-hassle silverfish control, this is the most hassle-free tip of all. Contact American Pest Solutions for silverfish control in Western Massachusetts. We'll come over and take care of the hard work of eliminating those silverfish for you. We use industry-leading pest control strategies to ensure the best results. Speak with one of our agents online or give us a call. The team at American Pest Solutions is always here to assist you with your pest control needs. Connect with us today for immediate assistance.