Silverfish

George..

Have a problem in the house I'm renting with what I think are silverfish insects. I put down ant killer powder and found a few dead ones so it did seem to work, was a bit worried that sleeping in a room with this powder mightn't be good health wise so hoovered it up. Landlord got pest control in to spray the outside & some of the rooms inside the house but saw two more alive in my room last night

Has anyone used ant powder inside the home before? How long did you leave it down? Does anyone know if its safe to sleep/live in a room with this powder down all the time?

Sarn

You have to leave the powder down for long periods (as in weeks) in order to keep the silverfish away and catch any eggs that are yet to hatch. Permethrin is an effective pesticide. If that is what you are using then it doesn't pose a large risk to people, it could kill any cats that you might have though.

I have used it sparingly in my bedroom around potential silverfish hotspots, but would apply it early in the morning to give the room some time to air.

George..

So there is hope of getting rid of them completely?
Not sure exactly whats in the powder I used...was just a Homebase brand ant killer...have found one in my bed the other night so really eager to get rid of them now!!

Kaner2004

Just brush the powder in under the skirtings and just leave it there.
You wont have anymore silverfish.

George..

There is a residue on the floor from the spray the pest control guys used but now I'm finding baby ones on the walls

Will the same rules apply (giving four weeks notice to get deposit back) if I have to move out because of this? I just can't relax in this house anymore...constantly checking for these bloody things!!

Kaner2004

George.. wrote: »

There is a residue on the floor from the spray the pest control guys used but now I'm finding baby ones on the walls

Will the same rules apply (giving four weeks notice to get deposit back) if I have to move out because of this? I just can't relax in this house anymore...constantly checking for these bloody things!!

How many of them are there?

Unfortunately you will most likely bring them with you wherever you move to. You can be guaranteed that there are eggs in your clothes, soles of shoes, bags, food boxes etc, just waiting to hatch when they get somewhere nice and humid.
You may even have brought these ones from your last place you lived too.

Believe it or not there are silverfish in most people bathrooms. They just never see them as they tend to run and hide when the lights go on, Unless the floor is wet. They dont tend to run then, they just stay put. Anyone who goes looking for them will find them though.

Most pest infestations (if thats even what you have) are a result of something the person living in the house is doing. ie are you leaving the floor wet after a shower. Leaving wet towels against the skirtings. Do you wash the tiles with bleach every few days? That kind of thing.

I think its unlikely you will be let out of a lease for a few silverfish tbh.
Your landlord was very nice to even bother getting pest control in.
You would have been better off dealing with it yourself though. Try something like this site http://www.silverfishcontrol.com/

mrsdewinter

*bump*

Urgh. I live in an apartment and I finally identified the little critters I'd occasionally see scurrying across my bathroom floor as baby silverfish. So I've started making the bathroom a humidity-free zone (borrowed a dehumidifier) and making sure wet towels aren't lying around.
Today, when I removed the conical light shade to change the bulb, I found about a dozen dead silverfish insects, presumably fried, inside.
Are these fckn things actually coming from the flat upstairs?
I'm really mad. I thought the apartments (about 12 years old) were pretty solid and self-contained. I'd be really cross if I thought... stuff could go between the properties.

Ms Doubtfire1

[font=arial, sans-serif]No chemicals needed:[/font]

• Put out some cedar, or spray crevices with cedar oil. Silverfish reportedly don't like the stuff, and steer clear.
• Try sticky traps.
• Put something starchy (i.e. bread) in a jar wrapped with masking tape. The poor suckers will climb up to get the food, then won't be able to get out.

Parchment

I occasionally see one of these - if I go into the bathroom at night and switch the light on - I see them running. I try to block them out! they are hideous. Makes me feel better that they are a common occurrence.

I have only ever seen them in the bathroom at night and we have been there 5 years.

lee_baby_simms

Parchment wrote: »

I occasionally see one of these - if I go into the bathroom at night and switch the light on - I see them running. I try to block them out! they are hideous. Makes me feel better that they are a common occurrence.

I have only ever seen them in the bathroom at night and we have been there 5 years.

I see then at night too, amazing how fast they move!

Parchment

lee_baby_simms wrote: »

I see then at night too, amazing how fast they move!

Stop!! i'm getting shivers now thinking about them.

They seem to be much more active in the summer than winter.

You need more spiders and earwigs to eat the silverfish.

rameire

silverfish, i hate the little f***ers.

we got a batch of them in a delivery a few years ago and have had them with us taking free bed and board.

I was able to be away for a few weeks during cold weather so I made sure there was no heating on and doused the house in ant killer powder. that seemed to have culled the population.

they love cardboard and boxes, if you have any gather them up without agitating them and bring them outside and clean them outside, this will help reduce the amount you have.
small steps.
I also found getting in a cleaner every two weeks helps.

rameire

mrsdewinter wrote: »

*bump*

Urgh. I live in an apartment and I finally identified the little critters I'd occasionally see scurrying across my bathroom floor as baby silverfish. So I've started making the bathroom a humidity-free zone (borrowed a dehumidifier) and making sure wet towels aren't lying around.
Today, when I removed the conical light shade to change the bulb, I found about a dozen dead silverfish insects, presumably fried, inside.
Are these fckn things actually coming from the flat upstairs?
I'm really mad. I thought the apartments (about 12 years old) were pretty solid and self-contained. I'd be really cross if I thought... stuff could go between the properties.

they dont need much space to crawl through, there are many pipes cables and joists between rooms and buildings and apartments that are their highways.

as for the dead ones in the light, they are there as they have died from starvation and start to shrivel up and dry out, they will eventually turn to dust.

beauf

Generally they are attracted by damp. Make sure there is no leak anywhere no matter how small. Weeping radiator etc. Very hard to remove.

yenom

I think I have these fellas in a wooden shelving structure attached to a wall. They seems to hid under things and pop run away when the lights come on. I assume they're harmless?

_Dara_

We're having a huge problem with these currently. When confined to the bathroom, they're OK but we now have them in our kitchen, scurrying across the countertops. Will try the advise in this thread.

Paulw

I've had them before. Some insect powder, like this, does the job. Many DIY stores sell similar (Woodies, B&Q, etc).

Put the powder down around corners and areas of access. Should clear them in a few days.

__..__

Most houses have these guys. The less spiders you have the more of these you have.
A dehumidifier cuts the numbers down so much you will hardly see them ever again.
Drying clothes on a clothes horse or on rads will ensure you get these guys in the house. And then youll just have to get used to them everywhere you live in future because 100% they will move with you.

_Dara_

I have a huge spider phobia so we clear the house of them. I did notice that we had less silverfish when we had more spiders.

Staplor

I had them in the downstairs toilet. They sometimes ventured to the hallway. I sealed around the bottom of the toilet with Tec 7 and the problem seems to have stopped. There's the odd one every couple of months, but I haven't seen one for months now.

__..__

Sticky traps are great. They catch silverfish, and then the spiders go in for an easy meal and then they are caught too. Dual population control.

hawkwind23

I dont mind them , apparently they are pre-historic , so always find that fascinating.
You get them in bathrooms mostly , simple bug powder will decimate the numbers but something thats lived for so long will be tougher than us mere humans.
Dont think its fair to try and totally exterminate them , they are pretty harmless

imme

Where does one buy sticky traps

Lia_lia

I often see these in the bathrooms at work. It's weird because it's a very fancy new building where everything gets cleaned multiple times a day. Just goes to show how common they are. Never see them at home. But then again we have a lot of cellar spiders that I don't bother killing. They don't bother me. I'm sure they eat them.

TanyGray

You can buy traps for them. Totally solves the problem. Dehumidifiers too work wonders at getting rid of these guys.

crby

TanyGray wrote: »

You can buy traps for them. Totally solves the problem. Dehumidifiers too work wonders at getting rid of these guys.

i second this..i had a silverfish problem before xmas which i think was down to my apartment being damp but drying clothes indoors. I initially put down powder to kill them and bought a dehumidifier and the dehumidifier seems to have made a massive difference. I haven't spotted a live silverfish since plus helps to dry the clothes too!