Kill Silverfish

Many homeowners are interested in how to kill silverfish and want effective ways to get rid of the silverfish insect forever. In order to kill silverfish it is important to know something about them. The silverfish insect is a small wingless insect that has been around for thousands of years and are found throughout the world. They are silver with a brown hue to their color, and their diet consists mainly of starches and sugars.  Although it may take some effort to kill silverfish doing it yourself can save you substantial money.

To Kill Silverfish You Must Know Where They Live in Your Home

Silverfish are most active at night although you may see them at anytime. The fact that they are very flat enables them to hide in wall baseboards, inside the walls of your home, under carpeting, and almost anyplace else in your home which can make it difficult to kill silverfish.

The silverfish bug prefers to live in moist, humid places and require a relative humidity between 75% and 95%. They can  be found in garages, closets, bathrooms, crawl spaces, basements, laundry rooms, attics and under sinks.

Eliminating Their Food Source Helps To Get Rid Of The Silverfish Bug

The silverfish insect diet consists of starches found in the glue in wall paper and book bindings. Some of the other favorite foods include paper, photographs, sugar, coffee, hair, carpet, certain clothing (cotton, linen, silk) and dandruff. Silverfish also eat foods high in carbohydrates such as cereal and flour. Although silverfish have been known to live up to 1 year without eating they do need a high humidity environment to live.

If you have a leaky roof or a damp place in your home where mold can grow, the mold can become a food source for silverfish.

Silverfish Damage

The Silverfish insect can damage your homes contents such as papers, books and clothing. They can damage clothing by leaving stains and small holes. They harm books by eating the paper and glue in the book bindings. They will eat plants and have even been said to eat leather. Although they can contaminate food with their eggs they are not known to carry any diseases harmful to humans.

If you have an infestation of silverfish in your home you may see an increase in the number of spiders and centipedes in your home because they are natural predators of silverfish. Although they do kill silverfish they cannot eliminate an infestation in your home.That is a good news/bad news situation you may have to deal with.

Another big problem to consider is the embarrassment you may feel if you have quests at your home and you see a silverfish scurrying up the wall. It can also  be a motivation to look for silverfish extermination solutions.

If you have tried to kill silverfish infesting your home you already know that it might not be an easy thing to do. In addition to silverfish elimination products found on this site you may want to review a popular get rid of silverfish guide developed by a top silverfish control expert. This guide is a step by step guide to eliminating silverfish in the home.