Finding a silverfish in your home can be a difficult experience. These small bugs look like gray or white-ish worms with antennae on their heads, six legs, and three long bristles at the end. These little critters can do a lot of damage inside a home, including eating through books and infesting your pantry. As a home or business owner in any area, you should familiarize yourself with what they look like so that you can quickly identify and stop any problems. Usually, by the time you’ve found one silverfish in your kitchen or bookshelf, the damage has been done and can be difficult to remediate without professional help. 

Why Silverfish End up In Your Home

If you find a silverfish infestation in your home, it is because the conditions were right for them to thrive. Silverfish, like most insects, are looking for food, darkness, and moisture. Humid areas of the country find themselves with a plethora of silverfish. Now that you know that, you can attempt to prevent infestations to the best of your ability. Sometimes, insects get in through broken screens and holes around the windows. If you have rarely used parts of the house that may be damp and dark, like a basement, that may be a perfect home for bugs like silverfish. The best thing you can do is try to prevent moisture by tending to any leaky pipes or faucets, wiping down surfaces after rain or floods, and investing in a dehumidifier when necessary. You should also periodically check and caulk any holes, especially around windows and doors, as that will prevent bugs from getting in. Repair and replace your window screens when they have holes. 

Where to Look for Silverfish in Your Home

You may have found a stray silverfish or a handful of them. Or, you opened up your favorite old book to find holes in the pages. Silverfish can damage a number of items including books, photos, wallpaper, clothing, and food items in the pantry. This damage can be expensive, or at the very least affect some items that are sentimental. The good news is that they don’t carry diseases, like roaches and mosquitos. 

The first place to check for silverfish is underneath any sinks, or in the cabinets that surround the piping in your kitchen and bathrooms. They need water and darkness. Silverfish are nocturnal, so they are difficult to spot during the day. You should conduct your search at night, after turning out the lights in several rooms. Professionals know where to look for their nests, but as an untrained person, your best bet to find the silverfish chewing your books or food is late at night. 

Silverfish are not only common in homes, but in large buildings and office structures. They tend to flourish if there is no regular exterminator or a cleaning crew that regularly checks for bugs around the water pipes. Communal work kitchens and bathrooms are more difficult to maintain, which is why commercial spaces must rely on regular visits from an exterminator. 

Call in a Professional

Even if you find that you have a large silverfish infestation, it can be difficult to locate their nests. In the Virginia area, the best thing you can do is call Eagle Pest Services at 1-888-616-8739, and have a professional locate and eradicate the infestation at the source. Store-bought pesticides may be harmful to you, children, or any house pets, as well as not being totally effective. An exterminator has the best products and can make sure that everyone in the house stays safe (except those pesky silverfish!).