Many of us have seen unpleasant insects in the bathroom or toilet, which are called silverfish (silverfish or woodlice). These are small, flat insects that live in homes, especially where there is a lot of moisture.
The silverfish is an extremely unpleasant insect
Each of us keeps old books and photographs that mean a lot as a reminder of the past, or have spiritual value. Silverfish prefer to live in such things, which will cause a lot of problems for the owner. Killing silverfish will be a challenge.
What is silverfish?
The insect is a small wingless creature with bluish silver skin. It can be mistaken for a small fish, but fish do not crawl. She has two long tails on her head and three more different tails in the back, and is a nasty creature.
Small nimble insects live in dark places and they only come out at night, they are not friends with any animals or people. They cannot harm a person, they only cause unpleasant emotions. Woodlice cause significant damage to wallpaper, clothing and valuable books. They feed on paper and love glue. They reproduce very quickly and live up to three years. One female lays from 2 to 20 eggs daily, from which young insects hatch after 25 days. After three months they become adults and lay eggs again. To remove silverfish using homemade effective methods, you need to be patient - they take a long time. Before starting the fight against silverfish, drain all wet places in the house, and, if necessary, install a sewer system. To fight you will need:
- Boric acid.
- Red pepper, soda, tobacco.
- Alum.
- Insecticides.
Silverfish looks like a small fish
Habitats
Silverfish love damp and damp places, and if there is fungus and mold in the house, you can expect the appearance of woodlice. Even if you do not have fungus and mold, you are also not immune from insect attacks. Carefully check all dark and damp areas for moving inhabitants. If there are an incredibly large number of them, do not expect them to voluntarily leave the premises, you need to declare a fight against them. Typical habitat:
- Bathroom. The most appropriate place for the pest: damp and dark. It is recommended to always wipe the walls and floor after a bath and shower and leave them for ventilation. open doors. A faucet is dripping or pipes are leaking - solve the problem. Clean the ventilation shafts regularly to allow all moisture to escape. The bathroom must be dry. Increase air circulation, maybe an air conditioner or a fan. You can remove silverfish by getting rid of the reasons that attracted it to the house.
- Kitchen. Favorite kitchens are home to cockroaches, rodents and even silverfish. Unless you keep it clean and tidy, your kitchen will become a breeding ground for insects. There will be sugar crumbs and water for them here.
- Laundry rooms. This is a comfortable place and it would be strange if the silverfish refused to live here. Whenever possible, get rid of dirty and wet laundry: it will become a home for a family of insects.
- Cellars. If you don't clean out basements and attics and leave them unattended, don't be surprised if they become a veritable silverfish city.
Laundry room and kitchen are ideal for silverfish
Methods for controlling woodlice
Once you know where the insects are hiding in the house, you can begin to fight and begin to eliminate them. This is not an easy task, given the fact that they are small and have the great advantage of hiding in inaccessible places where the fighter cannot be found. Even small, unnoticeable cracks in a wall or any place protected from light will ideal home for them, in which it is comfortable to live and reproduce.
Silverfish are nocturnal insects, they go out hunting in search of food, when everyone goes to bed, it will be dark and quiet.
The help of insecticides is often required. But it is possible to remove it from books and prevent further damage to antiques without the use of any chemicals.
To get rid of insects:
- Dry and store valuables in plastic sealable bags or containers.
- Also place books with silverfish in plastic sealed bags. Squeeze out the air and close the bag completely.
- Place the sealed bags in freezer. Leave them for a few days.
- Take bags from the freezer, remove books and other things from them. If books are old and fragile and have been seriously damaged by silverworm activity, turn the pages carefully and carefully remove dead insects using tweezers.
- If the books are stable enough to be held open with the pages facing down, shake them gently to remove the silverfish.
- After that, store valuable books in airtight bags or containers. Use dehumidifiers in storage areas to reduce the likelihood of the pest reappearing.
When fighting insects, pay special attention to their possible habitats. These are the attic, sink, bathroom, basement and small and large cracks. The premises must be clean and tidy. If you deprive insects of a natural environment for life, the insects will move to another place that is comfortable for them.
One of the means of combating silverfish is an ordinary insect trap. Before you go to bed, place it in areas where insects are found.
Silverfish cause particular damage to books.
Traps and bait
Traps are a common form of getting rid of silverfish. The reason why they are so common: they are cheap and safe, and do not contain hazardous chemicals. Homeowners prefer this method of control.
- Wrap glass jar With outside ordinary braid.
- Place the bait inside. Let it be a piece of bread or sugar crumbs.
- Silverfish will climb in there to feed, but they won’t be able to get out, since they won’t be able to climb up the slippery glass.
Sprinkle the floor with diatomaceous earth (fossilized algae soil with low crystalline silicon content) where insects live. The sharp edges of the grains will penetrate the insects' body and kill them. A big advantage is the fact that this substance is not harmful to humans.
- Roll up damp newspaper.
- Sprinkle some powdered sugar.
- Tie with elastic band.
- Leave it overnight. This is the best bait that can attract many insects. The next morning you will see a pretty good catch.
- Burn the newspaper along with the insects.
- Repeat the procedure several nights in a row.
Dissolve 3 g red pepper and baking soda in one liter of water, add 3 g of crushed tobacco. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray all parts of the toilet and bathroom where woodlice may live. After eight hours, thoroughly rinse the walls and floor with water and bleach.
Take 500 ml of boiling water, dissolve 100 g of alum in it and stir thoroughly. Pour into a spray bottle and spray in areas where insects are common.
In the question of how to get rid of silverfish, sticky traps will be more useful. You can buy adhesive tapes at hardware stores.
Diatomaceous earth is safe for humans, but harmful to silverfish
Tools that are always at hand
Some people believe that the issue of exterminating insects should be entrusted to professionals. But if you have interesting and useful ideas to destroy them, when you can use the ingredients and tools available at home - you can fight on your own. With the help of readily available components that can be found in every home, it will be easy and safe to remove silverfish at home.
Spices. Some spices have a very strong odor and prevent silverfish from appearing and returning to the places where they lie. Destruction of silverfish and expulsion from your home can be done using: bay leaf, garlic, sage. This is the best natural way protect your kitchen from the invasion of silverfish and one of the ways to exterminate them.
Naphthalene. Silverfish cannot tolerate this smell. All you need to do is place a bag of mothballs in their habitats.
Lavender oil. From lavender oil make an aerosol and spray it in the places they visit. Silverfish will soon leave your home.
Cucumbers. These vegetables are not only good for your health. They are also an excellent killer for silverfish. All you need to do is place thin slices of cucumber where they spread or appear.
Cedar shavings. Good insect killer. Place a few pieces of cedar chips in areas where silverfish frequent and you will get rid of them for good.
Serebryanki do not tolerate cucumbers
Chemical products
Most people prefer to answer the question: how to get rid of silverfish in an apartment - chemicals. In this case, be prepared to pay a fair amount of money for the pesticide as they are quite expensive. In the same way, you can hire a professional exterminator who will use the same products, but with safety regulations and instructions.
An excellent woodlice repellent, boric acid is a natural form of pesticide. Its advantage is that it not only kills the insects themselves, but destroys their eggs. When treating with acid, you must remember that you should scatter the dispersing powder in a mask, since the chemical component can be very toxic. It is a fact that acid can damage the lungs. Do not sprinkle powder where children and pets are.
The bait “Ghetto” and “Mole” is used as an insecticide. Apply this product to the bathroom and toilet floors and leave for two days. Repeat the procedure after 3 - 4 days. With these products you can easily clear the area of house guests. It is necessary to apply the products wearing rubber gloves and a mask. If there are children and animals in the house, it is not advisable to use the drugs.
Today there are many sprays on our market with which you can quickly win the fight against insects. This is not as difficult as it seems at first, so you shouldn’t put up with silver “tenants”.
Liquid pyrethrin is most effective remedy to carry out the destruction of silverfish. You need to purchase a respirator and spray the drug. It effectively kills the entire adult population of insects, but has no effect on eggs. And soon a new generation will appear from them, which will also have to be destroyed by spraying pyrethrin.
Preparations for insect pests will help quickly solve the problem of silverfish
Reminder
Now there are many known means by which silverfish can be destroyed. On the other hand, I would like to remind you: chemical solutions are not recommended for use at home. This is a big risk for children and pets, who may be susceptible to poisoning. You must be very careful when using them. To protect yourself, better application Avoid chemicals.
Remember that silverfish do not like strong odors and are very sensitive to them. And sugar bait serves as a favorite treat.
An insect that has taken a fancy to the bathroom kitchen sink or other damp place in the apartment, often called woodlice. However, silverfish are only related to them by belonging to crawling creatures and their love for a humid environment. Excess moisture (for example, a puddle) can even kill silverfish. She is predominantly nocturnal, so if you meet her during the day, it means:
- that's not her;
- silverfish have grown in such numbers that they are looking for new places for their home;
- she was disturbed.
Distinctive features of the insect
Silverfish looks like a small, nimble, flat sausage. Its body is thick in front and equipped with long antennae sticking out in different sides. On the back and sides it has thin legs, also more like a mustache. Thanks to her antennae-like legs, she can move very quickly, hiding from danger in the cracks of the house.
Silverfish are distinguished from woodlice by size and color. The second is smaller and shines, as if plated with silver. It has no wings, and its body consists entirely of scales, for which it received such a name. You can see these scales, along with particles of excrement, during the day in the following places at home: in the bathroom, on bookshelves, on the tiles in the toilet. And the insect sheds often: up to fifty times a year.
Silver silverfish are also called sugar fish, but not for their attractive appearance, but for their love of sweets. In addition to sugar, she eats everything in the apartment that contains starch: paper books, wallpaper, clothes, flour. The insect does not bite and does not spread infection, but it can serve as a danger to what it considers edible. Therefore, it mainly affects surrounding things and food supplies.
Where did the attack come from in the apartment?
Within the confines of a private home, all kinds of creeping muck are often found. Where does it come from in the apartment? There are several ways for it to enter a home. For example, it can be carried along with any paper products: toilet paper, library books.
The female insect likes to lay eggs in crevices and cracks, at joints cardboard boxes. Therefore, any move or lifting of things from the basement packed in this material can serve as a source of infestation with nimble silverfish. A young individual is practically indistinguishable from an adult and can go without food for a very long time. If the conditions in your apartment are favorable for her, she will not fail to settle in it.
What should be the situation (environmental conditions) for its residence and reproduction? The silverfish is a heat-loving insect. For her, the best climate is a humid environment (from 75%) combined with warmth (from 23 C). And, of course, she will not live where there are no “delicacies” for her - paper, fabric, sugary substances.
Methods of elimination and prevention
Once you find out where the nasty insects are hiding, you can begin to fight them. There are several methods of control: scaring, poisoning and trapping.
Scaring away.
Etching (the most effective methods).
To eliminate silverfish, any “cockroach” control methods are also suitable. After the insects disappear, it is better to make some changes in the apartment. For example, reduce the humidity level: thoroughly wipe the floor after yourself after bathing, install a dehumidifier. It is also recommended to eliminate all possible pipe leaks and seal the cracks.
Among other lovers of moisture, silverfish are the most common, since such insects are not picky about living conditions and usually settle in houses for a long time.
By appearance The silverfish is a small insect with an oblong body and numerous legs. The presence of several limbs does not prevent it from actively moving; individuals crawl very quickly, so they often run away from the inhabitants of the apartment who notice them. The silverfish has elongated antennae in the front and back of the body.
There are several types of silverfish, the main difference between them is the color of the body - it can be silver, yellowish, transparent and greenish. The most common type, the silver silverfish, is particularly prolific, so the fight against it should begin from the first days of the appearance of insects in the house.
How to eliminate silverfish in the bathroom on your own?
In order to get rid of harmful insects, it is not at all necessary to invite specialists, since modern chemistry for the home, it fully justifies its price and effectively fights unwanted living creatures.
To disinfect the premises we will need:
- chlorine cleaner;
- copper sulfate;
- insect repellent aerosols;
- heat - you can use a fan, fireplace, hot radiators and other heat sources; for small corners and individual interior items, a regular hairdryer is suitable.
First, you should clean the bathroom of all unnecessary objects, get rid of accumulated garbage and organize access to all isolated areas of the room (corners, bottom of the sink and bathtub, etc.). High-quality cleaning includes treating all elements of the room with cleaning agents containing chlorine, after which a solution is applied to the dried areas copper sulfate and dry thoroughly. Secluded corners and the area under the bathroom require additional drying; a standard fan heater or portable fireplace is suitable for this.
There are also several proven folk recipes, which anyone can apply, since such methods do not require financial costs and a lot of time:
- glass traps – you will need a regular can; the outside should be wrapped with paper, window tape or electrical tape. Place a small piece of bread or an apple core inside the jar and leave the bait in the bathroom overnight. The insects will climb into the trap, attracted by the smell of the treat, but will not be able to get out. In the morning you will have to destroy them in any way;
- wet newspaper trap – involves using a roll of any wet paper, an old newspaper will do. Wet it a little and leave it on the bathroom floor. Since silverfish love moisture, most of them will take advantage of the opportunity and settle in comfortable house. In the morning, you should throw away the newspaper without unrolling it (it is best to burn the paper to accurately destroy pests). If you unroll the roll, some insects will be able to escape, because they are quite agile.
How exactly is up to you to decide, but first you should try traditional harmless methods, and only then resort to expensive modern drugs household chemicals. This will help you not only save a lot of money, but also maintain your health.
Preventing the occurrence of silverfish in residential areas
As a preventive action, the most effective would be timely cleaning and maintaining the cleanliness and hygiene of the rooms, for which at least once a week you should carry out a comprehensive cleaning of the bathroom, treating all walls, floors, ceilings and secluded places.
Since ancient times, cold has been used to get rid of small pests in baths and steam rooms. This method is very relevant in winter time of the year. It is enough to open all the doors and windows in the room for 1-2 hours so that frosty air fills the room. It is advisable to go for a walk at this time or lock yourself in another heated room so as not to catch a cold. At temperatures below 10 degrees, not only adult silverfish die, but also all egg clutches that the insects could manage to create. After cooling the room, you should carry out a superficial cleaning of the walls and floor, since condensation will form on them, you should also sweep away all dead insects and remove egg clutches.
Such simple methods will help you prevent a massive invasion of insects, but if you notice 1-2 insects in the bathroom, do not panic and start cleaning the room as soon as possible. By taking action in a timely manner, you will win very quickly.
