How to Prevent a Silverfish Infestation

Silverfish are the most common pest in the world. Although people are surprised they are classified as a pest, as they are not harmful to people’s health. Although they may not bite, sting or carry diseases, they will cause serious damage to your property. Silverfish will feed off almost anything meaning they will have no problem feeding through your furniture, household goods and building materials.

 As we know in pest control, prevention is better than cure. Wicklow Pest Control have some helpful tips to prevent Silverfish infestations both in your home and business:

• Housekeeping: although we have said previously that Silverfish are not solely linked to poor hygiene in the home, a clean home and business is essential for the prevention of all kinds of pests. Keeping good house keeping standards also helps you to spot an infestation signs such a droppings or skin moults.
• Seal: Silverfish will enter your home or business through small cracks and gaps around windows and doors. Sealing these will prevent entry of these pests and other pests too.
• Ventilation: As we now know, Silverfish need moisture to survive. Good ventilation in bathrooms and kitchens will make your property less appealing for Silverfish to get too comfortable.
• Food Source: open food containers or cereal boxes are creating easy food supply for Silverfish. Keep food in sealed containers and clean up crumbs on counters and food spills on floor to prevent infestation.

Many people think a sighting of a Silverfish in their home is a sign of an unclean home, however this is not the case. Silverfish are not attracted to dirty homes; they are attracted to moisture. They need moisture to survive and will establish themselves anywhere where moisture levels in your home are high. This is why a very common place for a Silverfish infestation to be is in the bathroom or kitchen of your home or business.

Did you know?

Silverfish are nocturnal. Hence why you may not know you have an infestation until you spot one in your bathroom at night. Whilst it isn’t uncommon to see the odd silverfish in your kitchen or bathrooms at night, they breed quickly, laying an average of 60 eggs per day. Keeping a close eye on silverfish activity in your home is important.

If you believe you have a Silverfish infestation and have called our team, we will firstly do a risk assessment survey to find where the source of your infestation is.