Reasons for the appearance of silverfish in an apartment and methods of combating it

Silverfish
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Who is silverfish and is it dangerous?

• Appearance of silverfish
• Why is silverfish dangerous? What harm does it cause?
• Life cycle and lifestyle of silverfish
• How to get rid of silverfish?
• How to prevent silverfish from appearing in the house?

The common silverfish or sugar silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) is a small insect that lives in apartments or houses. Many people do not notice it until the number of insects reaches 100-150 individuals. This is justified by the fact that this pest is invisible, in addition, the damage from it is quite insignificant.

Common silverfish (sugar silverfish)

What does silverfish look like?

Before you start exterminating this type of insect, you should clarify that you are faced with silverfish. Who is a silverfish and what does it look like? This is a mostly silver, less often yellowish, larva with many small legs, similar in appearance to a centipede. But, unlike it, the silverfish has a more elongated body 0.8-2 cm long and long antennae on the front and back parts of the body.

You most likely will not be able to see this insect during the day, since they only come out at night. Silverfish are extremely mobile and can instantly disappear from view in any crevice. The color of the insect depends on the variety (white, silver, yellowish or greenish), most often you can find silver, sugar and common silverfish.

These small insects usually move around the floor of the apartment to find food, but they can also run along the walls. You can also find them under the bathtub, sink, baseboards, on bookshelves, windowsills, and they can also live in clothes and sofas. These insects feed mainly on paper, fabrics, mold, starch, as well as leftover food and sweets. Just because of the love for sweets, this insect is often called the “sugar” silverfish.

Interesting facts[edit | edit code]

• In real life, silverfish are small, wingless insects that often live in homes and food warehouses. They feed on plant foods, including wood and paper.
• The English name for silverfish, silverfish
  , also corresponds to the name of the ray-finned fish
  raiamas senegalensis
  .
• On the Peaceful difficulty level, only the animation of the destruction of the silverfish block is played, but no spawning occurs.
• The destruction time of an infected block is identical to the destruction time of a wool block.
• If you spawn a silverfish using a spawn egg, and there are fortress blocks nearby (stone bricks and its varieties), they are often replaced with a silverfish block.
• Silverfish stone never drops, even if it is a former simple stone.
• A pickaxe with a silk touch will not allow you to get an infected block.
• Moving along the sand of souls, the silverfish takes damage, since its height is less than the height of the slab, and it suffocates.

Is silverfish dangerous for humans?

Silverfish does not cause direct harm to the health of humans or animals, however, there are some reasons that will still make you think about how to destroy these insects. Firstly, for many, silverfish cause a feeling of disgust, and secondly, when they multiply, they can cause damage to your books or wardrobe. These insects can even eat through wallpaper, leaving small holes in it.

This genus of insects is very prolific. One female silverfish can lay up to 20 eggs, from which new offspring will appear within 25 days. How long does one silverfish live? Without food, this insect can live for 10 months, and the average lifespan is 3 years. If silverfish are discovered, you should immediately begin to destroy them.

Life cycle

Silverfish reproduce slowly, as a result of which only “families” of ten or more individuals pose a danger to human habitation—one accidentally crawling silverfish cannot breed in an entire apartment. The full development cycle at room temperature +18...20°C will take several months, but at +37°C this time will be reduced to 11 weeks. Without food, these insects can live up to 300 days, and at a temperature of +4°C they fall into a cold stupor.

Stages of development of silverfish:

• Egg. One clutch can contain up to 70 eggs, each no larger than 1 mm in size, the color is white, gradually darkening to brown. At +30°C the larva hatches after 25 days, and when the temperature drops to +20°C - only after 40 days.
• Larva. After hatching from the egg, it has no scales - they form only after two molts. In total, the larva molts on average 5 times and upon reaching puberty changes color from white to silver.
• Adult. The larva enters this stage after five molts. When this stage is reached, the insect is ready to reproduce - and therefore most unfavorable for humans.

Reasons for the appearance of silverfish in an apartment

Before you start exterminating silverfish, you should find out where the insect comes from. This will help protect the apartment from repeated pest invasions.

The main reason for the appearance of the pest in an apartment is humidity exceeding the norm (more than 75%), as well as temperature (more than 23 C) - such conditions are optimal for the life of insects, including silverfish. Uninvited guests prefer dark and damp places, so they most often settle in the bathroom, kitchen, basement, pantry, and also in the home library, since there is an abundance of food there for silverfish.

To get into a room, silverfish use ventilation, cracks near the door, and cracks in the floor. Thanks to its small size, you can also bring the pest with you along with paper products, things from the basement and new purchases. Once in a new environment, silverfish immediately hide in the dampest and darkest places.

Since silverfish only come out at night, you can notice that there are guests in the house due to some other factors. You may find damaged books, wallpaper, some types of clothing - these traces indicate that parasites are living in your house. You can also find droppings of this insect. By itself, it is small grains similar to black pepper. Silverfish can lay eggs in absolutely any place, however, noticing them will be extremely problematic.

Description

Lepisma saccharina, or common silverfish, or sugar silverfish, is a wingless insect that, in addition to wild conditions, often appears in homes, buildings and warehouses. Her ancestors lived on Earth back in the Paleozoic era - about 300 million years ago!

Silverfish belong to the bristletail family, as eloquently evidenced by the processes located at the end of their triangular body. The insect's body length is from 0.8 to 1.9 cm, it is flat and when the larva reaches sexual maturity, it is completely covered with scales.

The bristles at the end of the body extend in different directions - one to the right, the second to the left and the third to the back. On the head there is a pair of long antennae that look forward.

Sugar silverfish, once in a human home, look for warm and humid places. If your house constantly maintains a dry microclimate and at the same time there is light in it, then such conditions for this insect will be unsuitable and it will probably not stay long, sneaking away to less clean neighbors. This parasite requires the following conditions for normal life:

• air temperature within +21…26°C;
• air humidity from 75 to 97%.

And such conditions, as is known, are created in the bathroom and toilet, which is why silverfish are most often found there. They are active at dusk and at night. And when the light suddenly appears, they try to leave the open area as quickly as possible. These insects run quite quickly and, when moving along the surface, make short stops from time to time.

Life cycle

Since silverfish reproduce rather slowly, for a good increase in numbers their “family” should initially consist of at least ten individuals. In this case, the offspring will appear with high frequency and populate other rooms in your house.

The development of these insects occurs as follows:

• One egg clutch can contain up to 70 eggs. They are oval in shape and painted white. The egg size is small and is no more than 1 mm. During the incubation period, the eggs darken and gradually acquire a brown color. The optimal air temperature for normal egg maturation is considered to be +30°C, and if this condition is met, the silverfish larva will appear after 25 days. When the temperature drops to +20°C, development will take about 40 days.
• A young insect that has just emerged from an egg does not have scales on its body. They begin to form only after the second molt. During its development, the larva changes its skin up to 5 times. But even after reaching maturity, silverfish can remain white without ever “dressing” in a silvery shell.
• After the fifth molt, the insect turns into an adult, which during its life also sometimes changes the old cover to a new one.

The full development cycle at temperature fluctuations within +18...20°C takes several months, and at +37°C this figure noticeably decreases and the development time is reduced to 11 weeks. If insects live in a heated room, then the development of one generation will take no more than a year; in the absence of heating, this process takes about 3 years. Without food, they can survive for no more than 300 days, and when the temperature drops to +4C°, the insects fall into a cold stupor.

When the number of these insects is small, then fighting them will not take much of your time - in most cases, a rolled-up newspaper is enough. But if there are silverfish in the bathroom and you notice that their development is intensive, then in this case it will be necessary to resort to the help of various poisons and chemicals.

How to get rid of silverfish forever: means of control and methods of prevention

If the pest invasion has not affected you, you can rejoice, but still, to prevent this from happening in the future, you should follow some simple rules:

• Regular cleaning. It is important to clean the apartment at least once a week. When cleaning, you should pay attention to hard-to-reach places in the bathroom and kitchen. If you carry out frequent wet cleaning, this will not only protect you from pests, but will also create a climate in your home that is favorable for human life.
• Regular ventilation. It is important to do this not only with the apartment itself, but also with the bathroom. This will help create optimal air humidity for comfortable human life and eradicate silverfish.
• Temperature. There is an old way to fight silverfish. Since this insect loves elevated temperatures, it can be destroyed by cooling the room. At what temperature do silverfish die? At temperatures below 10 C, all adult insects die, as well as all egg clutches. Now, in an apartment, it is problematic to create such conditions, but it is possible. You can, for example, ventilate the room in winter - this is a very good effect for preventing the appearance of pests.

What to do if an invasion of silverfish does come to you? How to remove and how to deal with them at home? Now there are a lot of pest control products, both chemical and folk.

Having noticed silverfish in their home, people often turn to specialists at the appropriate services to carry out disinfestation. You can use the services of professionals, but you should understand that the price for such services will not be small.

Carrying out independent treatment based on traditional methods will not be able to create the same result as the work of professionals in pest removal, although it also has a beneficial effect. This is due to the presence of special equipment that allows you to reach the most inaccessible places in the apartment. The main disadvantages of such an event are the significant price, as well as the need to leave the premises for some time after the procedures. But there are also advantages: complete elimination of silverfish forever, safety for humans. The services of qualified specialists should be resorted to only in extreme cases, when it is impossible to cope with silverfish in your own villages.

You can carry out disinfestation yourself. In order to accomplish this, you will need:

• Copper sulfate;
• Insect spray;
• Chlorine based cleaner;
• Hair dryer.

It is important to ensure accessibility to problem areas in the apartment, so it is advisable to clear the room of furniture. The empty room must be treated with a cleaning agent containing chlorine. As soon as the room dries out after treatment with chlorine, you should treat the room again, but with copper sulfate. Areas of greatest accumulation of moisture should be dried with a hairdryer. The dried area should be treated with insect repellent spray. It is better to use products that contain toxic substances, since plant components will not be able to fully help in controlling pests. To consolidate the result, spray treatment should be carried out once a week for a month. Most often, after 2 weeks, silverfish disappear from the apartment, but for prevention it is recommended to repeat the treatment.

You should remember the toxicity of such products and protect yourself from possible harm: ventilate, clean more often, and try to stay away from the apartment for some time after using chemicals.

If you are wondering how to destroy silverfish, folk methods at home can come to the rescue, allowing you to reduce the number of pests in the house without possible harm to humans. You can use traps for silverfish throughout the apartment:

• Jar trap. To make such a trap you need a glass jar. The device of the trap is very simple: you should wrap the outer part of the jar with electrical tape so that the silverfish can climb inside, where the bait in the form of sugar or bread lies. Silverfish will not be able to get out of the jar due to the smooth walls of the jar.
• Newspaper trap. A very simple and effective trap. You should roll up the unnecessary newspaper and tie it tightly so that it cannot unwind. The newspaper should be moistened with water (you can also add sugar to the water for greater effect) and placed in places where you encounter insects most often. Overnight the insects will crawl into the newspaper. All you have to do is throw it away or burn it. For best effect, such traps should be installed several times.
• Shop trap. You can find a variety of pest control products at the store. Typically, traps are Velcro with bait. They are often not aimed specifically at silverfish, but are universal, combating various types of insects.

According to reviews from users who have already encountered the problem of silverfish appearing in their apartments, among the wide variety of different means that help get rid of pests forever, some stand out:

• Karbofos;
• Raptor;
• Liquid pyrethrin;
• Naphthalene;
• Diatonite.

Fighting methods

Some tips for fighting:

• dry the premises, since dryness and heat do not make it possible to survive, humidity should be no more than 30%;
• Using a solution of water with cloves, citrus, and lavender will help. Spray from a spray bottle once every 7 days;
• chemicals used include boric acid, pyrethrin, bleach, and copper sulfate;
• set traps in the form of a glass jar, wet paper, mechanical devices to catch cockroaches; leftover food is suitable for bait.

Silverfish in the toilet and bathroom

Depending on where exactly the silverfish live inside the apartment, different methods should be used. Almost all methods can be used for the bathroom and toilet. The most important point to get rid of pests for good is to keep your bathroom dry. This is often not so easy to do, but you should install good ventilation, ventilate the room from time to time and try to get rid of silverfish yourself.

If you have the opportunity to wash elsewhere, you can treat the bathroom with toxic substances. With them, pests will disappear much faster. However, you should not forget about precautions.

To control pests, you can use a mixture of boric acid and chalk. How to use boric acid? It is important to maintain the proportions 1:4. Apply the resulting mixture to insect habitats. After a week, clean up, removing the remaining powder with dead silverfish. After cleaning, re-treat the room, leaving the powder for a week.

Criterias of choice

Before you start fighting household pests, you need to decide on the choice of disinfestation method. Here the emphasis is on what type of insect is annoying in the apartment, what its number is and how long it has been parasitizing. The safety level of the insecticide should be determined and whether it has an unpleasant odor.

Human safety

All pesticides are divided into highly toxic, moderate and weak. Before using aerosols or insecticide concentrates, you should read the instructions for use of the product. The procedure for treating the premises takes place when the household members leave the apartment. Boric acid, borax, and plants with a strong odor for repelling are safer and more environmentally friendly. But care must be taken to ensure that children do not try these substances or the bitter herb.

Having an unpleasant odor

Many insect repellents have an unpleasant odor. It will make you dizzy if you stay in the house during treatment. With aerosols, the smell quickly disappears. Gels are available with a pleasant aroma or odorless. The plant smells strongly of wormwood, which is often used to repel cockroaches and fleas.

Ease of use

Carrying out pest control in an apartment yourself requires the use of products that are convenient to apply to surfaces. It is not for nothing that sprays in aerosol packages are chosen. They also give preference to ultrasonic devices, which they plug into the network and that’s it.

Silverfish in the kitchen and living area of ​​the house

The issue of combating such insects in rooms where it is difficult to use toxic cleaning agents is extremely relevant. The way out of this situation is to use traps and some harmless substances that also repel silverfish. The smell of citruses, various spices and lavender oil has this effect. The most important thing is that they do not bring any harm to humans. It is important that the smell is strong enough for the effect to be stronger. Common silverfish habitats should be treated. In the kitchen you can use cloves and cinnamon.

Damage caused

Many people perceive silverfish as creatures that accidentally found their way into an apartment, completely unaware of how they are harmful to humans. Despite the fact that insects are not carriers of dangerous diseases, they can cause serious harm to the inhabitants of the home.

Silverfish are active in the dark, leaving their shelters and going in search of food. The insect's diet includes flour and sugar (which is why the pest is called the sugar silverfish), as well as starch and bone glue. Unpleasant-looking individuals can even satisfy their hunger with fabric made from natural fibers, books, magazines and newspapers. This love for paper products is explained by the presence of organic substances in book binding glue. Therefore, the presence of insects in the apartment, which are highly fertile, is fraught with damage to both food and things.

Common silverfish

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to note that the best way to prevent insect infestations is to prevent them from appearing. To do this, it’s enough to keep an eye on the house and follow some rules:

• Wipe off dust;
• Maintain the humidity level in the apartment within normal limits. Dry rooms;
• Make sure that there are no targets or cracks in the house, as silverfish can lay eggs there;
• Ventilate the apartment as often as possible. At least twice a day;
• Do not leave food out in the open;
• Make sure that paper products are not placed near places where the humidity is outside the normal range.

Simple enough actions will save you from the invasion of silverfish. Monitor your apartment and its condition, take preventive measures that will help you avoid the appearance of insects such as silverfish. Everyone is capable of destroying them, however, one should begin to solve this problem as soon as it appears, or better yet, earlier.

Types of insects

Sugar silverfish

There are more than 600 species of silverfish all over the world, about 10 species live in Russia. They differ from each other mainly in color and habitat. For example, the following types of described insects are found in houses and apartments:

• Silver silverfish (also called sugar fish);
• A common variety of the described insect;
• Home thermobia.

Thermobia

But the last type of silverfish differs from the other two varieties described above in the characteristic color of the body, which is variegated gray-brown.

The silverfish, this is another type of described insect, lives in soil saturated with limestone. The combed silverfish lives on the southern coast of Crimea in places saturated with water vapor.

Comb type of silverfish

Preventive measures

Once a week it is necessary to thoroughly clean the bathroom

It is important to thoroughly clean hard-to-reach places and treat the ceiling, walls, and floor under the bathroom. With the onset of cold weather, you should regularly ventilate the room. To do this, you need to open the windows in the apartment for several hours so that cold air can penetrate even into the bathroom.

After airing, it is necessary to wipe surfaces and furniture to remove condensation. This method is ideal for country houses.

If you find silverfish in your bathroom, you should not be upset. Such an insect is harmless to human health. However, you need to get rid of it, otherwise it will ruin books, photographs and some interior items. Both traditional recipes and chemical preparations are suitable for this purpose.

Ways to combat silverfish

What to do after disinfection

The house should be closed for 60 - 120 minutes. Then ventilate for an hour. It is advisable not to perform wet cleaning for 1 – 2 weeks; and the surfaces you come into contact with must be wiped immediately. Clothes splashed with insecticide are washed.

Treatment of 1 room apartment

Prevention

Prevention of the appearance of silverfish consists of maintaining cleanliness and order in the house:

1. Wet items should not be stored in the bathroom. Dampness is unacceptable as it promotes the proliferation of parasites.
2. Periodically, the bathroom is dried using radiators.
3. The premises are regularly ventilated.
4. The cracks and holes are sealed to prevent silverfish from laying eggs in them.
5. The toilet, bathroom and kitchen are washed regularly with chemicals or chlorine.
6. For cleaning, you can use a vacuum cleaner to get into remote nooks and crannies.
7. Ventilation holes are regularly treated with insecticides.
8. A ventilation system is being installed in the bathroom. Dry air is the key to safety.
9. Bulk foods in the kitchen are stored in sealed containers or bags.
10. Spices are placed in bookcases to help repel parasites.

Silverfish appear only in rooms with disturbed climatic conditions. To prevent their occurrence, it is enough to carry out regular cleaning, maintaining cleanliness. Any dirt and mold are a guarantee of the appearance of unpleasant parasites.