Silverfish are an extremely common pest in homes all across the United States. Like cockroaches, these insects are attracted to the food and moisture in your home. This can be a particularly big problem during the Frisco, TX summer when heat and drought drive these bugs to increasing lengths to access the water they need to survive. Let’s take a look at some things that attract these pests to your home and what you can do to prevent them.
What Are Silverfish Anyway?
Silverfish get their name from their minnow-like appearance. They’re small – usually around a half-inch to an inch in length – elongated, shiny, and silver in color. Their abdomen tapers at the end, and they also even have a set of cerci and a terminal filament at the rear of their abdomen that looks like fins.
These insects are nocturnal, so you’ll see them scurrying around mostly at night. However, you might find them hanging out in places with a lot of moisture during the day. They love to slide their flattened bodies into cracks and crevices. It’s also common to find them hanging out in the bottom of your empty bathtub. Anywhere it’s dark and moist is a prime spot for silverfish.
What Attracts Silverfish To My House?
Silverfish can survive in less-than-ideal temperatures, but they prefer to avoid extreme heat and extreme cold. Depending on the season, we can experience both here in North Texas. To top it off, silverfish don’t hibernate. That means you could find a silverfish in your house pretty much any time of year if undesirable temperatures are driving them to seek shelter.
Silverfish also need moisture to survive. If we’re in a drought, these insects might enter your home looking for water no matter what shape your plumbing is in. However, if you have clogged drains or gutters, plumbing leaks, or other moisture problems, then your home could be a beacon for silverfish.
Besides, silverfish have a serious carb addiction. That doesn’t just include cookies and pasta. It can be things you wouldn’t even think have carbohydrates in them – like paper, organic fabrics, glue, soap, shampoo, laundry additives, and anything else that might have fiber, cellulose, starch, or sugar in it. Needless to say, with silverfish eating practically anything in your house, they can do a ton of damage if left to their own devices.
How Can I Prevent Silverfish?
Silverfish have lots of reasons to enter your home. It’s warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It’s full of food and water. And it’s often a safe shelter from predators. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to keep silverfish at bay:
- Unclog gutters and drains
- Fix leaky plumbing
- Use dehumidifiers in basements and crawlspaces
- Seal off possible entry points like cracks and holes in your home’s exterior
- Tightly cover trash and pantry food containers to make them inaccessible
The bad news is silverfish are motivated to get into your home no matter what prevention measures you take, so they will often do whatever is necessary to get around them. The good news is, that help is at the other end of the phone! Here at All-Safe Pest & Termite, we’ve been offering safe, effective home pest control to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for over three decades! Our certified technicians have the best technologies and know all the tricks of the trade to get those fishy pests gone for good. So give us a call at (972) 945-9226 or visit our contact page to schedule your service today!