You must have encountered silverfish before; these are gross little bugs with silvery scales and little brownish color on its body.
To exactly identify, find those long upraised bristles at the end of the insect. You can get rid of silverfish by using below mentioned home remedies.
Though these little creatures do not do anything to humans, they can be one of the signs of the unhygienic environment in your home.
Something that you would be happy to know is that these insects does not do anything to humans and doesn’t even carry or transfer any disease. Though you would normally find them around human’s habitat.
Table of Contents
Differentiate Silverfishes From Other Similar Looking Bugs
The first step is to make sure and distinguish between silverfishes and other similar looking insects. Often you may get confused between centipedes or firebrats.
So, how you are going to differentiate between them?This depends on their behavior, diet, and size.
Centipedes: These are quite long almost double the size of silverfishes, and their diet includes silverfishes. Well, that means centipedes can be helpful.
Firebrats: They are quite similar to silverfishes but in size are smaller than them. So, find out some of the best remedies that will help to wipe out these little creatures.
Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Silverfishes
There are more home remedies available for you below but also look for herbal remedies that can be more effective than home remedies. The best part of the herbal remedies is that it does not have any side effects and also does nothing to home pets and animals.
1.Camphor
This is a herb which is extracted from the camphor tree. Shavings of the woods through which the substance camphor is extracted have a strong odor which works as a repellent to silverfishes.
2.Rosemary
Rosemary leaves are known as a member of the mint family which means it has the aroma of freshness.Spread rosemary leaves around the house where you suspect the nesting of silverfishes. This will help to evacuate dark and dump areas from insects.
3.Lavender Oil
It has a classic blend of fresh, floral, clean and calm scent .to repel silverfishes use lavender oil with water.Take a teaspoon of lavender oil and add it to 250ml of water to dilute the solution. Wipe or spray the solution around the corners of the house where the insects are more evident to be present.
4.Costmary Sprigs
This is a kind of leaves which are also known as bible leaves because they were used as bookmarks in the Bible. The main reason behind it was the aroma of costmary sprigs leaves that used to keep the silverfishes away from destroying the holy bible.
5.Leaves Of Basil, Eucalyptus, And Sage
These leaves are known for a hygienic environment. Keep some of these leaves at dark and dump places to get rid of silverfishes. Make a powder or mixture and put at suspected places.
6.Boric Acid
It is also known as hydrogen borate and is mainly used as antiseptic. Take some boric acid and sprinkle in the target areas where you sense the filthy ones to be present.
Though boric acid is highly poisonous to silverfishes, it gets attracted to and eats the powder. What is more interesting is that not only it eats the powder of boric acid but also takes some of their minor ones in the nest which ultimately removes the problem from its root.
Direction To Use
- If you have pets in your home, then be aware of the remedy while applying because it may cause a problem for the pets in the house.
- Sprinkle boric powder wherever you suspect the bugs to be present.
- Don’t miss out wet and dark pits in the corners.
7.Cedar Shavings
Shavings of cedar tree have a beautiful aroma, and fortunately, silverfishes do not like this smell at all. Checkmate, silverfish will evacuate all by itself after the smell reaches to them.
Direction To Use
- Place some of the shavings in the dark and damp areas which are more prone to get infested by silverfishes.
- Watch for basins and bathrooms that are more prone to silverfishes because of the high percentage of humidity.
8.Cinnamon
You must be knowing about cinnamon as a spice item which is used in various food items. Cinnamon also works same as cedar shavings do. Silverfishes do not like the pleasant smell of cinnamon unlike us.
Direction To Use
- Place cinnamon sticks in the places where you suspect the presence of fish moths.
- Ones the filthy months realize the presence of cinnamon they will go away.
9. Fruits Containing Citrus
You must be knowing that citrus fruits have this acidic property which is known as citric acid. Smell and non-diluted citric juice can help in removing the silverfish bugs from your house. These small bugs cannot hold on to the strong smell of citric acid that comes from lemon peels.
Direction To Use
- Put some peeled skin of oranges in the target areas of nested silverfishes.
- Its strong smell will remove all the smutty bugs and will help to clean up
- Remember to change and remove the orange peels before it starts to decays.
10.Naphthalene Balls
You may have seen your mother putting some naphthalene balls in your closet sometimes.
Naphthalene balls have a pungent smell of chemical substance out of which it is made. This smell is strong enough to kill the silverfishes if present in your closet.
Direction To Use
- You would find naphthalene in medical store or grocery store.
- Place 2-3 balls in the corners of dump humid areas, near the sink and closets.
- Let the closet be closed after placing the naphthalene for 2-3 days. This will kill all the bugs present in the closet.
11.Diatomaceous Earth
This is a powdered form of naturally occurring sedimentary rock. This rock powder helps to get rid of bugs and silverfishes because of dehydration as they get contacted to the powder. This powder does not affect humans and other pets in the house.
Direction To Use
- Sprinkle some diatomaceous earth in a circular form around the suspected areas.
- As soon as the buds try to get out of the nest, it will cross through the powder.
- This will completely dehydrate the bugs leading to its death.
12.Cucumber
Cucumber peels also work the same as cinnamon or cedar shavings. The Pleasant smell of cucumber is not liked by silverfishes. Instead of throwing the peels of cucumber while shaving it just put some of it in the suspected places and your worries are over against those clumsy creatures. Always just keep one thing in mind that remember to remove the peels before it starts the process of decay.
13.Whole Cloves
Cloves also have a strong smell which is not liked by the bugs. Placing some cloves near the bugs nest will remove all bugs and silverfishes.
14.Table Salt
Salt proves to be an effective remedy against bugs. Even for us, if we consume a spoonful of salt, it will burn our tongue. Salt is a harsh substance and reacts when the silverfishes consume it.
Direction To Use
- Sprinkle some salt if you see any silverfish.
- Also, sprinkle some of it in the moisture areas such as sink and washrooms.
15.A Mixture Of White Flour And Water
Silverfishes loves to eat wet flour and starch. Wet flour can get the silverfishes out of their
Direction To Use
- Put some small pieces of wet flour around the corners of the damp and dark areas.
- Silverfishes are surely going to come for eating wet flour and that how you can use the flour as bait.
Why Do You Need To Get Rid Of Them?
Silverfishes are a great destroyer and have the potential to destroy your important stuff at home.
1.Documents
Have you ever noticed small holes and eaten sides of old books. Silverfishes love of eating papers.Amongst the main diet, silverfishes mainly eat items full of protein and carbohydrates such as papers, woods, clothing and others things that are mainly found in dark and damp places.So, make use of any of the remedies mentioned above to save your important documents from the bugs.
2.Woods And Wallpapers
Often this silverfish can enter your home when you buy furniture and other wood items. They hide in the crack and corners of wooden items; that’s where they lay eggs and start nesting. Godowns and basements are perfect for them.
Check out concavities and tiny gaps behind the wallpapers. Wallpapers work best because that provides corner and food in the same place.
3.Clothing
The best remedy to get rid of these insects from your closet is naphthalene balls. A bunch of clothes provides a cozy and perfect environment with food as the cloth itself to survive and breed.
4.Food
Stored food items can get attacked by silverfishes and resulting in crummy food items.Mostly the rotten food items are the attraction of silverfishes.
Home Made Solutions
Try out following Home-made solutions for removing silverfishes:
1.Jar Trap
- Take a glass jar and cover the outer side of the jar with a roll of tissue paper or masking tape.
- Put a piece of bread inside the Jar as bait to attract the silverfishes.
- Place overnight in the areas where you suspect them to be present, and you may found the bugs present there in the morning.
- Make sure to cover the jar from outside up to the top of the jar so that it can help the insect to climb to the bait.
- Silverfishes can not climb slippery surfaces which would trap the insects inside.
2.Newspaper Traps
- Newspaper traps are effective because silverfishes love old newspapers as their food.
- Roll some newspaper by attaching bands at both the ends so that it does not open up.
- Moist the paper with some water and leave it in the suspected places overnight.
- This newspaper would provide the perfect environment and food for them.
- In the morning check for the bugs to be present in the paper and if there are silverfishes present, burn or throw the newspaper in the garbage.
Do’s
- Seal all the cracks and cavities in the window, walls, and stairs.
- Seal passive pipes.
- Keep every corner of your home clean and dry. Make sure mainly during the rainy season that no places are dark, humid and closed.
- Keep dry and regularly clean the places where food items and clothes are kept.
- Expose the items that are mostly kept in closed rooms into the sun occasionally. The heat from the sun will not let any bacteria or insect to develop.
- Change the position of the stuff in your home. This will help to clean every corner of your room.
Don’ts
- Don’t Let any paper items to compile at a place a for a longer period. This may influence the development of silverfishes.
- Don’t let things those are higher on the search level to accumulate and never let them get rotten. E.g., Potatoes are made up of starch.
Final Talk
Though silverfishes are insects that are not at all harmful to human beings and are resultant of our irresponsibility for keeping unnecessary items in our home, rather than cleaning and throwing stuff in the garbage.
The reason why we don’t like these bugs in our home because it gives a sense of fitness and makes your feel gross. They seem very horrifying because of its serpent type of appearance and those long bristles In the front and back.
You can use any of the Home mentioned above remedies to get rid of this insects. Use home-made solutions such as JAR trap or Newspaper trap to catch them. Rather than killing these to trap and throw them out of the house.
