Changlu Wang with the Department of Entomology at Rutgers University. "I found pitfall-style traps work fine, such as tape-wrapped glass jars," says Dr. Homemade traps are a non-toxic option that can be effective at catching silverfish. “If all else fails, try some traps, but it’s critical to keep them away from kids, pets and anywhere food is stored." “Pesticides should generally be thought of as a measure of last resort,” says Health, Beauty and Sustainability Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D. Note that boric acid, like many pesticides, can be toxic if swallowed in fact, in 2020, pesticides caused nearly 70,000 poisonings in the U.S., according to the National Poison Control Center. Hide them in places where you’re likely to encounter the creepy crawlies, like bookshelves, dressers and desk drawers, under the sink and in the basement and attic. You can buy small packets ( like these) designed to trap and poison silverfish with boric acid. To speed up these management strategies, add a few traps into the mix. However, there's no scientific evidence that this strategy works and none of the experts we spoke to recommended it. There is also a lot of advice online about using natural repellants like bay leaves, cedar oil and cinnamon to prevent silverfish infestations. Norton recommends applying it in the evening, since silverfish are nocturnal, and for several nights in a row in order for it to work. You can sprinkle it around the baseboards in your home and other places you’ve seen silverfish. When silverfish come in contact with DE, it destroyers their outer waxy coating, causing them to lose moisture and die. Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earthĭiatomaceous earth, or DE, is a white crumbly powder consisting of the fossilized remains of diatoms, a class of algae. Get rid of the stuff you haven’t looked at in forever, and store items you can’t bear to part with in airtight bins, especially if the papers are kept in the basement or attic. Silverfish also love hiding in - and feasting upon - old papers, magazines and books, so if you tend to save every piece of paper that crosses your desk, you might need to do some clearing out. You might also need to keep moisture out by fixing leaking pipes, sealing up any exterior cracks with caulk and making sure your home's gutters and downspouts are channeling water away from foundation walls. "Keep in mind that a dehumidifier won't cure the underlying source of the humidity," says Dan DiClerico, the Good Housekeeping Institute's Home Improvement and Outdoor Director. Take away their favorite conditions by using a dehumidifier in damp basements and making sure the bathroom is well ventilated. Silverfish thrive in moist, humid environments, says James Norton of Fantastic Pest Control in London. Penn State recommends sealing dry goods like cereal, pasta, rice, quinoa, flour, sugar and pet food in sturdy, airtight containers to prevent silverfish from reaching these tempting food sources. You don’t want to pour out a bowl of your favorite cereal just to find it’s swimming with these squirming insects. Follow these steps for an effective pest control plan. If you find silverfish in your home, you definitely want them gone fast, but pesticides aren’t the only way to go. While you're asleep, the nuisance pest will come out from the shadows to nosh on books, wallpaper and clothes, destroying them in the process with their excrement, according to the experts at Penn State's Department of Entomology Cooperative Extension program. "As a nocturnal pest, they will spend the day hiding or resting in tight cracks or crevices," explains Cindy Mannes, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, National Pest Management Association (NPMA). They're sneaky little critters, too, doing most of their dirt work in the darkness of night. Of all the insect infestations you can be cursed with, silverfish might just be the most skin-crawling - right after cockroaches, of course.
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