Silverfish
Causes and helpful home remedies
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Nobody likes silver fish in the kitchen, bathroom and cellar. Here you can find out where they come from and how you can get rid of them.
What are silverfish?
Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina = “sugar guest”) are silver-colored insects with six legs and five antennae. Silver fish are about an inch tall. they are photophobia, nocturnal and love humid and warm climate. They prefer an environment with a high room temperature and high humidity. Accordingly, they like to be in kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms.
The hiding places of the silverfish are Put, loose wallpaper and any Cracks. The silverfish particularly like to feed on starchy and proteinaceous substancessuch as B. textiles, hair, Dander, paper, House dust mites, Flour products, dead insects and molds. Accordingly, they can also be a sign that mold is present. Even if silverfish are not pests and are not harmful to health, we don’t like having them in our four walls. They can also get quite old: up to eight years!
Causes of a silverfish infestation
- House dust mites, hair and Dander in the apartment are the perfect food for silverfish.
- At a Room temperature from 20-30 degrees Celsius and a high one humidity from 80 to 90 percent silverfish feel particularly well.
- One or the other silver fish also gets through broken pipes or leaky joints into the flat.
- A Mold growth offers an optimal source of food for silverfish: the animals can reproduce quickly here.
Fight silverfish
Even if silverfish are not dangerous or harmful, we do not want the small insects to get stuck between our food and in cracks and surprise us again and again. Before we hire an exterminator, we can take steps to eliminate it ourselves. These home remedies help against silverfish infestation:
- A real all-rounder among home remedies: baking powder. Mix that up Baking powder with a little sugar and uses it as a lure for the silverfish. The animals die from the mixture.
- Affected rooms with a bowl full lemon, vinegar or lavender to fill. These Smells The silverfish don’t like it at all.
- Glue traps help against the silverfish. Put a paper with honey on the floor overnight. The next morning dispose of the trap and the insects. Or you can get sticky traps from the drugstore.
- Another silverfish trap: potatoes. They are also a good bait for fighting the silverfish. Place a sliced potato on an open plastic bag at night and the next day the fish in the bag can be released.
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Prevent silver fishing
- So that the silverfish are not offered a comfortable climate in the first place, they should be taken regularly ventilated will. Here you can find out what to watch out for: Ventilate properly. The silverfish do not feel comfortable in a dry indoor climate.
- the Heat in the home should be properly regulated be. Therefore, heating is also important. Silverfish become inactive when the temperature drops below ten degrees.
- Eliminate places of retreat by loose wallpaper attached and all cracks on floors and joints closed (e.g. with silicone or joint filler).
- Do not leave any food open and supplies are best stored in lockable jars with rubber seals.
- Vacuuming hair in the bathroom regularly and remove a damp wipe.
- Flush drains regularly.
- Examine the apartment for mold and treat the mold if necessary (You can find out which home remedies help here: cleaning joints).
Bed bugs are the animals that like to hide behind pictures, beds, wallpaper and cracks. How to get rid of them: Identifying and fighting bed bugs. And if you have problems with small rodent beetles, here’s how you can fight woodworms.
Sources used: br.de, stern.de