Silverfish

Caporegime
Joined
22 Nov 2005
Posts
46,453
Anyone ever had any problems with silverfish?

There was a dead one in the bath when I moved in 2 months ago, I saw another running around in my kitchen a few days ago and today I killed one in my bathroom.
It's unlikely I have an infestation I hope or surely I would have seen many more of them? but clearly at least a few lodgers aren't paying any rent! I would like to evict them.
Whats a cheap and simple effective way of dealing with them? I'm pretty sure there are no leaks in the bathroom and I'm always careful water doesn't go flying everywhere when I take a shower, the kitchen was newly fitted and I cant see any moisture or anything under the sink.

So far I have stuck some crawling insect powder stuff around the doorways and any crevices they may be coming from but I have no idea if it is effective against them.

Websites always claim you need an exterminator bla bla bla.

but at my previous house I had a carpet beetle infestation where I would go around the house during the night and hoover up atleast 5-10 beetle larvae around the carpet edges and eventually I got rid of them all using the same crawling insect powder I'm using now.

I'm a firm believer in anything other than cockroaches you can easily handle yourself as long as you put the effort in.

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Silverfish love areas with high humidity, as you have already found out kitchens & bathrooms, plenty of ventilation is needed.

Remove the kickboards on the kitchen units if you can, & put some of your powder there, especially sink unit.

If you have a bath, again remove the side panel & sprinkle the powder under the bath.

Took me months in my last place to eradicate them, continual hoovering, I also used several tins of expanded foam to block their entry holes where water pipes, etc came in from the outside.

A pest controller friend of mine recommended using several cream crackers sprinkle with the silverfish powder placed here & there as the best way to get rid of them.
 
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how many did you find on like a daily basis?

I had 5 dead ones in the bathroom on the first day the powder was put down and a single small beetle the next day but nothing else in their since.

I just discovered a dead on in my pantry cupboard which is slightly worrying if they can climb walls and get to my food.

But I haven't seen any elsewhere, I Cant get my bath panel off because its sort of silicon sealed all around the edges and I don't think I could get it back on properly flush.

the only hole is where the radiator pipes go in so I tried to squirt loads of powder in there.

my bathroom never seems or smells moist/moldy so I doubt theres any leak or anything under the bath and all around the top edge of the bath is sealed properly so water cant get down the sides when I shower etc..

I think I will stick loads of power on my balcony now incase there getting into the pantry cupboard through an air brick :S

I just pray they aren't coming into the bathroom through the air vent but surely it wouldn't be moist enough for them to live in there anyway when there's constant air being pushed through the vents.

I think I will take your advice but use potatoes as they apparently eat them as well and I'm guessing they will stick any eggs or whatever on them as well.

I just hope my neighbours are as vigilant as me because i'm assuming one infested flat could have them travelling the whole block
 
still dealing with dirty ****** had none for about 3 days then today 3 dead ones on the kitchen floor, 2 large looking ones dead in the boiler cupboard that is in a small room inside the kitchen :( and also is directly behind the bathroom.
Guess the little ******** are coming from the boiler cupboard but the floor is covered in crawling insiect powder which seems to be really effective at killing them.
Guess I need to leave the boiler cupboard door open so it doesnt get humid and warm in there ARGHHHHH!

I'm going to have to talk to next door I guess because there bathroom is directly on the other side of mine and it's likely they will have an infestation and maybe it's where they are coming from.
I think it's an old couple so I'm assuming they wont be as vigilant when it comes to pests.

BTW for anyone who may stumble upon this via google or whatever the powder I'm using is for ant's and crawling insects the bottle says it contains 0.5% w/w permethrin (its toxic to cats and fish)
 
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