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Silverfish are tiny wingless insects with teardrop-shaped bodies and blue-silver scales. They measure around 20 mm in length. Despite this, they can harm plaster walls, books, paintings, photographs, and other household items containing cellulose due to their love of carbohydrates and starch.

How To Spot A Silverfish Infestation?

As rapid breeders, they can lay up to 20 eggs per day, which is enough to infest your home. Infestations of these creatures need to be identified and treated as soon as possible.

A silverfish infestation can be detected by small holes and scrapes in books, magazines, and paper products. You can watch them eat the paste and glue from the wallpaper. It is possible for silverfish to leave yellow stains on synthetic fibers. You may have a silverfish infestation if you see marks on your clothes.

What Attracts Silverfish To Our Homes?

Here are some conditions that will attract these tiny creatures.

Unhygienic Conditions: Silverfish eat dust and paper clutter. So homes with a lot of clutter are more likely to have their infestation. Homeowners can get rid of clutter by recycling, selling their items in garage sales, and keeping their homes clean and organized. 

Nocturnal Creatures: Silverfish prefer darkness. You will find them in the darker and damp places of the home, like the basement or garage. The parts where daylight is plenty and artificial lights are turned on at night are less attractive to them. Silverfish gather food at night and hide in small, dark, and warm places.

Carbohydrates: Silverfish love carbohydrates like flour, oats, and starches in the paper, book bindings, glue, and insulation. They also feed on proteins like dried beef and dead bugs. Sometimes they can go a year without eating. This means they can settle in the basement or attic, where clutter and dust are easily accessible.

Dampness: Silverfish are sensitive to moisture and thrive in high humidity to stay alive. They love to breed in moist, wet conditions. 

How To Prevent The Damage?

Having silverfish in homes is frightening because they often bring many problems. They mostly enter the homes through damaged spots. Homeowners should identify their infestation in its early stages to prevent them. 

• Silverfish eat paper and dust. Reducing clutter can keep them away. Maintain a dust-free, clutter-free house, so that these tiny insects are not attracted. 
• Carpeting tends to be the source of dust and mites, which makes it an ideal place for silverfish. Removing the carpet to clean the house will make the house less attractive for them. 
• Store your clothes in plastic boxes as they cannot penetrate hard material.
• Silverfish hide and lay eggs in cracks, so inspect areas of your rooms whenever you’re cleaning thoroughly. 
• Thorough vacuuming in ignored nooks and crannies will reduce the number of places where these insects can hide. 
• Dirty air ducts distribute dust around the house. Air duct cleaning services eliminate dust and help to keep the house cleaner.

It’s advisable to contact a professional exterminator in San Antonio, like Accurate Pest Control and save your home from the tiny irritating creatures.

The silverfish or fish moth is a fast-moving, tiny insect. The silvery-light-grey color insect is found all over the world. Like cockroaches, they can trigger allergic reactions in some individuals but don’t bite or spread pathogens that cause diseases. They are attracted to dark and moist places, including attics, basements, bathrooms, closets and laundry rooms. These critters love clutter and dust. Homes with lots of old books, cardboard boxes and an accumulation of dust is the favorite place for Silverfish. Starch is their best food, so cereals, flour, pasta, and pet foods will also invite these unwanted insects. When they breed and turn up in large numbers, they eat wallpapers and other belongings. Nevertheless, they can contaminate food, spoil paper goods, and stain clothing. 

Getting rid of Silverfish is easy. Here are a few tips to note. Dust and dirt are food sources for silverfish, so keeping your home clean and dust-free will eliminate this source. Keep your personal belongings in a dry area using bay leaves to repel silverfish. You can prevent them from entering your home by following a few prevention tips.

What Are The Effective Ways To Prevent Silverfish?

Here are some practical ways to keep Silverfish from becoming a nuisance in your home:

# Dusting will do wonders for your home. Silverfish love starchy foods, so this will keep them away from dust particles containing starches. They love items with adhesive, including stacks of paper, laundry, and cardboard boxes. Remove them all if you don’t need them.

# Clean up any left food particles in the kitchen. Use a good quality vacuum that will suck up the eggs of Silverfish and keep them from multiplying.

Cover cracks, holes, and openings to keep silverfish out. To prevent moisture from entering your cupboards, store all dry food in sealed containers.

# Seal up dry goods like cereal, pasta, quinoa, flour, sugar, and pet food in airtight containers from reaching these tempting food sources.

# Silverfish thrive in moist and humid environments. Use a dehumidifier in damp basements and ensure the bathroom is well-ventilated. You must keep moisture out by fixing faulty pipes and sealing up any cracks with sealant. 

# Keep the windows open for all rooms, including the bathroom or kitchen. 

#Diatomaceous earth is a white crumbly powder produced by fossilizing diatoms, which are algae. When Silverfish come in contact with DE, their waxy coating is destroyed, causing them to lose moisture. They eventually die. 

# There are natural repellants like bay leaves, cedar oil, and cinnamon, which helps to prevent silverfish infestations. 

The Best Pest Exterminator In Texas

Silverfish are nocturnal pests that can go for months without eating. This is why it is so hard to exterminate them. They have a waxy coating on their exoskeleton, which allows them to absorb moisture. If you spot silverfish, connect with the professionals at Accurate Pest Control. They have the perfect solution for silverfish removal in San Antonio.

A three-step procedure is followed by the professionals to exterminate silverfish and ensure that each corner is addressed.

• Find the right way and kill these bugs.
• Focus on their potential hiding spots. 
• Introduce a regulator protocol to stop the breeding process of these annoying pests.