Stop Silverfish In Their Tracks: Top Techniques For Control For Chester Springs Homes

Silverfish: What Are They?

Starting with the basics, let’s talk about what silverfish are and what they look like. At a basic level,  silverfish are insects. They have six legs, they’re about 3/4 of an inch long, and adult silverfish have shiny silver scales that resemble fish scales, which is where they get their name. Not-so-fun fact: silverfish can live from two to eight years, at least if a predator or a pest control professional doesn’t get to them first. Like many other insects, silverfish are focused on surviving, and they have very specific needs and preferences when it comes to the environments they choose to call home.

Silverfish prefer dark places, meaning you’re more likely to find them underneath some furniture, in a basement, or inside a bathroom drain. They also need very humid environments to survive, making basements and bathrooms popular hangouts. In general, silverfish wind up in Chester Springs homes either because they’ve come in search of food or because they arrived by accident, carried away from a previous infestation by unsuspecting homeowners. Regardless of how they got there, If they manage to find food and shelter in or near your home, then they’re more likely to develop into a full-on silverfish infestation. 

It’s also important to understand what kind of negative impact they can have on your home. Let’s get into the details. 

Damaging Effects Of Silverfish In Your Home: What You Need To Know

What do silverfish do to your home, exactly? How do they cause problems? To be clear, not all pests pose the same threats to your home. Different pests cause different kinds of damage, and in the case of silverfish, you don’t need to worry about major structural damage or venomous stings.

However, silverfish need to eat, and they happen to like eating a number of human foods, such as preserved meats, flour, cereal, and vegetables. If silverfish have infested any of the food in your home, it should be disposed of right away. Beyond that, silverfish also eat various materials that are inedible to humans, including paper, cardboard, certain fabrics, and even glue. So while they won’t go after structural beams, there’s a good chance that silverfish in the home will cause serious damage to your belongings. This is of particular concern in any dark storage areas. You may find that these pests have chewed through antique books, an heirloom wedding dress, or important documents.

Silverfish-Proof Your Home: Essential Maintenance And Repairs

Silverfish prevention involves diligence and active repairs and maintenance for your home to make sure that silverfish can’t find their way inside.

Here are some techniques to keep in mind: 

• When bringing goods into the home (food, boxes, books), check them thoroughly for signs of live silverfish or silverfish eggs.
• Work to reduce the humidity in your home. This could mean increasing ventilation or installing a dehumidifier in key areas of the home. Also, make sure that your gutters are draining properly.
• Put foods with a long shelf life in sealed containers.
• Clean floors on a regular basis, taking special effort to remove any crumbs or scraps of food.
• Look for cracks in walls and floors. This is where silverfish lay their eggs. Getting rid of these cracks could slow their rate of reproduction or even prevent it. 

These are long-term techniques, not one-time fixes, so make these into regular habits to be sure you’re doing all you can to make your house less appealing to silverfish. 

Take Action Against Silverfish: Get Rid Of Them Once And For All

So how do you get rid of silverfish? The best thing you can do is to reach out to a pest control company that specifically offers silverfish control services. If you’ve been searching for a silverfish exterminator near you in the Chester Springs area, then you’re in luck. Masters Touch Pest Solutions has ample experience eliminating silverfish infestations in homes, and we’re ready to help you, too. Contact us today to set an appointment and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Chester Springs.