What are Silverfish?
If you’ve spotted holes in your favorite books, yellow stains on your clothing, or small pellets on your newspaper, you may have a silverfish problem. These primitive pests, named for their shimmery silver bodies and fish-like movements, are more than just creepy. They feast on paper, clothing, upholstery, and more. Nocturnal, nimble, and quick-moving, silverfish can be difficult to eradicate on your own.
That’s where professional pest control companies come in. The best pest control companies can eliminate silverfish infestations and help you prevent the pests from returning.
Identifying Silverfish
Silverfish are ancient insects. According to research and the book “Nature Underfoot,” silverfish have been around for 400 million years—predating dinosaurs. Read on to find out more basics on silverfish characteristics and behavior.
How to Prevent Silverfish
How to Get Rid of Silverfish
The best way to get rid of silverfish is hiring a professional pest control company. You can look into traps and insecticides, but in general, these will only treat the individual silverfish that come across them, and not address a full infestation. To effectively eliminate silverfish, you must get rid of all of the pests and make their shelter inhospitable. Experienced pest control specialists can create an effective treatment plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it bad to have silverfish?
Silverfish will not cause people any harm, but they can damage books, upholstery, clothing, wallpaper, insulation and more.
Why do you get silverfish?
Silverfish may come to your home in search of moisture and food. Highly humid areas in your house, like your basement, laundry room, or bathroom, are attractive to silverfish.
How do you get rid of silverfish?
You can try using store-bought insecticide, or silverfish traps that poison the pests. However, these methods are inefficient for large infestations. In that case, consider calling a pest control company.
Are silverfish a sign of a dirty house?
Not necessarily, but silverfish are more likely to inhabit homes that have food and crumbs out and excessive paper clutter.
Our Rating Methodology
The This Old House Reviews Team backs up our pest control recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. We review pest control plans, navigate the provider website, speak with customer service representatives by phone and online chat (if available), request quotes, and analyze customer reviews for each provider. We then score the provider against our review standards for plans and services, reputation and customer responses, customer service offerings, workmanship guarantees, financing, and availability to arrive at a final score on a 5-point rating scale.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.