The Easiest Way To Get Rid Of Silverfish In Western Massachusetts For Good

Are you noticing these tiny insects in your home? They are tiny insects with a shiny veneer, and movements that are somewhat fish-like when climbing over objects. The body of the silverfish bends. It also squeezes. A silverfish can get into tiny gaps. It is likely that a silverfish used a tiny gap to get into your home. While unique and fascinating critters, silverfish aren't great houseguests. Let's take a look at how silverfish are a benefit to our world's eco-system, why their beneficial traits aren't beneficial in your home, five helpful tips for getting rid of silverfish naturally, and how to remove them once and for all. This is a jam-packed article and we're looking forward to sharing some interesting facts with you. Before we get started, we want to quickly remind you that help is available if you want to speak with a pest professional live or in person. Call us or drop us a line. American Pest Solutions offers advanced solutions for silverfish pest control in Western Massachusetts. We'll help you find answers to your silverfish questions. 

What Is The Purpose Of Silverfish?

Those tiny silver pests aren't pests in nature. The silverfish population of the world is a food source for other creatures. Every living creature is food for other creatures. Even silverfish eat other creatures, but they do so only after those creatures are dead. Silverfish eat lots of dead insects.

Silverfish are also one of the many sanitation workers that clean up the world. They move about, feeding on and digesting materials that have carbohydrates or proteins. As they break down detritus, they create waste. Their waste is a source of fertilizer. So, as they remove dead plant matter, they create conditions for new plants to grow by applying fertilizer to the soil. It is a remarkable process.

Inside your home, they're only destructive pests. Silverfish eat books, wallpaper, clothing, documents, carpets, plaster, photos, and more. When they leave their droppings in your home, their waste doesn't go into soil, it just sits on your floor. So, they aren't able to provide the benefits they provide outdoors. Our recommendation is to keep them outside where they are beneficial, and take steps to prevent silverfish infestations.    

Are Silverfish Harmful?

Many insects in Western Massachusetts are harmful. Some of the pests in our Western Massachusetts service area sting. Some of them bite. Some of them spread harmful bacteria around homes and businesses. Pests impact human health in many ways, and it is always good to ask if a pest is potentially harmful. So, how do silverfish measure up with other harmful pests? We are happy to say that they aren't known to present a danger to humans in these ways. They are, however, a danger to your stuff, and that can be a danger to your wallet. They can put holes in your sheets, damage important documents, deface photos, and more. Silverfish eat a lot of things you don't want them to eat.  

Silverfish also have the potential to get into pantry foods. They like to feed on cereal, corn starch, bread, and other foods that are high in carbohydrates and proteins. If you open a box of cereal and find these bugs inside, it is a scary sight. But take comfort in knowing that you're not likely to get sick from eating food contaminated by these little pests. They'll only make you ill by the thought of having insects in your food.

Five Naturally Effective Silverfish Prevention Tips

There are many ways to get rid of silverfish naturally. Naturally, we want to share them with you. We don't recommend using control products. They don't work well, often fall short, and have the potential to make you far sicker than silverfish ever could. The secret to silverfish control is understanding how and why they want to live in your home. Let's start on the outside and work our way in—just like those silverfish do.

1. Address hiding places. Silverfish hide under objects that are near your home before they enter your home and hide within your walls. If you remove potential hiding places, silverfish won't hang out near your exterior walls.

• Remove organic clutter next to your foundation. Not only do silverfish hide in leaf litter, they feed on it as well. When you rake or blow leaves out of your landscaping and create a dry perimeter next to your exterior, you will significantly deter silverfish from entering your home—or continuing to enter your home.
• Remove dead branches and refrain from stacking branches near your home or storing them under your deck. These are another preferred hiding place and source of food.
• Remove junk piles. A silverfish can find lots of food options in a pile of junk. They'll nibble on old pizza boxes, clothing, books, and more. Store junk piles in a plastic bin or remove them entirely.

2. Reduce perimeter moisture around your home. Silverfish have a high moisture requirement. They aren't going to get into your home if they don't first find suitable habitation near your exterior walls. While they'll hide underneath leaf litter and other organic detritus, damp soil will allow them to explore out in the open.

• Clear out your gutters and make sure the rainwater is flowing down and away from your home.
• Water your plants in the early morning so the moisture has time to dry up during the day.
• Repair any plumbing issues, such as leaking spigots.
• Trim your ornemental plants, shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation in your landscaping so that the wind can move through your vegetation and dry the moisture.

3. Seal cracks in your exterior walls. A silverfish can slip through an incredibly narrow crack. Some of the cracks you'll need to seal aren't even visible. You need to know where the potential trouble spots are and target them.

• Use a caulking gun to seal gaps around window frames, particularly your bathroom window. Go inside and seal there if needed.
• Patch damaged screens and repair rips.
• Use mortar to patch foundation walls that have cracks.
• Use expanding foam to fill in voids behind joists, gaps around plumbing, and wood holes.
• Replace any weatherstripping if you see light leaking into your home during the day, or light leaking out of your home at night. 

4. Address plumbing and humidity issues inside your home. Silverfish seek out environments that are high in humidity or that offer a water source. It only takes a droplet of water to provide enough water for baby silverfish to grow.

• Repair all leaky faucets and shower heads in your bathroom, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
• Repair any garbage disposals that are weeping.
• Take showers a few hours before bedtime so that the droplets of water dry up before nighttime when silverfish are active.
• Use your fan when you take a shower or bathe or fill a sink with water.
• Install dehumidifiers in areas of your home that tend to stay humid.

5. Remove indoor food sources. Silverfish are looking for food. When you guard your property and keep things clean, you deprive silverfish of the food they are searching for in your home.

• If you have items in storage, particularly in a humid storage space, protect them by storing the items in sealed plastic totes.
• Consider storing your pantry and kitchen foods in sealed plastic containers. Silverfish love starchy foods.
• Clean dust in your home. Dust contains dead skin cells, which are food for silverfish.
• Clean hair in your bathroom. Your bathroom is already an attractive room due to the moisture; the hair provides another reason for silverfish to live in this room.

All-natural methods naturally prevent silverfish from living in your home. They also create a natural buffer to keep them out of your home. These may provide enough control for you. If you have a concern about valuable items that silverfish could damage and you need advice, contact us.       

How Can I Get Rid Of These Pesky Silverfish Once And For All?

You'll have to maintain yard work, work on moisture control, fix plumbing, and keep up with sanitation to keep silverfish out. If you want an easier solution, consider getting a year-round pest control service plan for your Western Massachusetts home. Our Pest Guard program is custom-tailored to address the pests that concern you. It also comes with routine perimeter treatments, which deter pest activity near your foundation and stop pests from entering your home. Your Pest Guard program will protect your home from other pests too, like spiders, wasps, centipedes, carpenter ants, mice, and more.

With Pest Guard, you select the services you want and we bundle them to help you save money. If you've never had pest control service, the benefits are likely to surprise you. Life is so much better without pests invading your home! Contact us today to learn more about Pest Guard and how it will work to keep pesky silverfish out of your home once and for all.