About silverfish traps
Silverfish traps are often cardboards that are treated with high-viscosity glue on one side. The traps are placed in areas where these bugs prowl. Some are pre-baited to attract silverfish while others are not. The aim is to have them crawl over onto the glue board and get trapped. The glue is strong enough to render insects immobile.
They will naturally struggle to break free and later get tired. When these ugly things are down with exhaustion and haven’t fed for a while, the inevitable sets in. One trap can catch as many of them as the board can take.
What types of silverfish extermination methods are available?
There are different types of silverfish extermination methods. There are insecticide sprays, essential oil mixtures, and glue boards. Some are even packaged into small pouches that emit fumes that repel silverfish.
There are almost as many silverfish pest control methods as there are brands out there. What is important is that you know your condition and figure out which one suits you the most. They are all effective or they won’t still be available for sale. But some are better in certain circumstances than others.
How to know which is best for you
It essentially comes down to what situation you are comfortable with. You can opt for the silverfish poison which will probably kill most, if not all, of the silverfish in your home. But then you need to understand that these poisons might be hazardous to humans and animals too. So, if you have kids and curious pets in the house, the idea of laying poison around the house might not be a wise move.
On another hand, if you do not mind vacating your home for a while. Perhaps, your situation is such that everyone leaves home almost the same time and returns around the same time too. You might decide on one of those insecticide sprays which you can apply when everyone leaves and the toxic smell would have gone by the time the home is full again. Only except without the silverfish this time.
There are the all-natural organic insect controls too which are safe for all and sundry. If you are looking for how to get rid of silverfish naturally, the essential oils are a great way to go.
Silverfish baits, which you can also refer to as silverfish killers, are another good option to kill multiple silverfish with one baiting. They work in a similar manner to cockroach or ant baits – they poison the insect with a slow-acting pesticide which it then transports back to the rest of its nest and poisons many of them accidentally. These baits are less effective on silverfish, however, as these insects don’t live in nearly as large nests as ants, termites, cockroaches, or lots of others.
As for the silverfish traps themselves, glue traps can come in different sizes, shapes, and designs for you to choose from. You can use a basic flat and open glue trap if you’re not afraid that you, a child or a pet can touch it accidentally, or you can use an enclosed box-like or pyramid-like trap that’s filled with glue on the inside.
Either way, the trap you choose should be of the right size too for the places that you intend to put it on – if it’s too large it may not fit on your bookshelf and if it’s too small then a lot of the insects may just circle around it. Most silverfish glue traps aren’t meant to be baited as they can just be placed near the insects’ preferred food source – your books and dried foods.
If you don’t want to use a glue trap you can also make a DIY glass jar baited trap – put a piece of bread in a glass jar, cover the outside of the jar with duct tape for the insect to climb on, and once the silverfish is inside it won’t be able to climb back out thanks to the smooth inside walls of the jar.
What to consider before buying a silverfish trap
Most silverfish traps are basically cardboards treated with sticky glue. They are all effective as they will work to catch other crawling insects too. If you know you have quite an amount of silverfish roaming in your home, you might want to go for the bigger traps. This is so because the bigger ones will trap a lot more silverfish than smaller ones. This makes it last longer which is more economical.
You might also want to consider those ones that are designed with covers. It might seem at first that those insect house type of designs is just for fancy. The truth is that those brands are trying to mimic the insect’s preferred environment as much as possible so the insects won’t have an issue going in and getting trapped.
The viscosity of the glue on the trap is another thing worth taking note of. Some trap boards are simply stickier than others.
The truth is, the stickier the trap, the better. This way there is a smaller chance of the tiny-legged insects strutting across the board and not getting caught in the glue.
Advantages and disadvantages of silverfish traps
Silverfish traps are easy to use. Just fold into a preferred form and place where you know they won’t resist crawling into. Some of these traps have an adhesive backing which allows you stick the traps almost to any surface. On the wall, the ceiling, etc. Talk about taking the war to the insects.
They are non-toxic. These glue boards are just cardboards covered in glue and nothing more. They do not contain chemicals nor insecticides which are often dangerous to humans and animals. They are eco-friendly too.
There are no real disadvantages to silverfish traps unless they are not well made. One thing that can pass for a disadvantage is that if you have a curious kid or pet, they might get themselves caught by the glue and cause a mess. Remember those boards are designed not to let anything it catches go that easy.
How to properly use silverfish traps?
Remember!
When it comes to insect traps, location is the name of the game. Putting a silverfish trap at the wrong place can render it completely useless, while a trap that’s well-situated can kill half the silverfish in your home.
This rule is probably even truer for silverfish than it is for other insects as these prehistoric critters aren’t as interested in “baits” as some others. They may still go to a glue trap if it’s baited but more often than not they will just go straight to the feast that is your bookshelf.
With that in mind, the best locations for a silverfish trap are precisely on the way of the silverfish to their inanimate prey. Place the traps anywhere that you know or suspect silverfish pass through:
- Near the exits of their holes, cracks, and crevices.
- On the edges and corners of rooms, shelves, cabinets, etc., where silverfish usually go through.
- On the corners and sides of bookshelves, nightstands, dry food cabinets, and “baits” for the silverfish.
- Near the possible entry points to your home – it’s possible that the silverfish you see are coming from the outside.
Once the glue trap is placed, the waiting game can begin. To optimize a silverfish trap – whether as a control tool or as a monitoring tool – it’s important to pay attention to its effectiveness day to day. If a silverfish trap hasn’t caught anything but you’re seeing new silverfish bite marks, molted skin or droppings, relocating the trap might be a good idea.
Lastly, it pays to be cautious when using glue traps. While they aren’t toxic or dangerous to humans and mammals, the simple act of accidentally sticking a strong adhesive to your skin is still unpleasant. With pets, in particular, there is the risk of the dog or cat sticking the glue trap to its nose while trying to sniff it and then either harming his/her skin or possibly even suffocating. To avoid that, if you have pets or small children, it’s best to place the glue traps in locations that aren’t easily accessible to them. And in the case of an actual accident, there are several good ways to remove glue off the skin, as outlined by this article from Medical News Today.