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| Silverfish fight in homes and flats / Remove |
Silverfish are not very popular among people, although they are generally considered beneficial. However, they have apartments or houses selected for their own habitat, so should the reasons for their occurrence are found and eliminated. Otherwise the danger is that you have to expect a few months later with a new volume.
Read this article, which causes homely trigger the emergence of silverfish and what you can do against these unwelcome guests.
What are silverfish ?
Silverfish are insects - they belong to the order of fish. They owe their name to their appearance, because they have a streamlined, silvery body with a length of about 1 cm.
An adult silverfish can be two to eight years old. The metallic luster of their silvery scales they developed after its third moult. The eighth molt they are sexually mature.
The female lays from 20 to 100 eggs, usually in cracks or gaps, because these animals are very sensitive to light.
Conditions conducive for silverfish
Silverfish are nocturnal. They love the darkness and are therefore to be found in cellars or pantries.
For their propagation, they need a temperature between 25 and 30 degrees with a relative (temporal) humidity of 80 to 90%. They survive, but even at cooler temperatures.
Your favorite foods are carbohydrates such as starchy materials (potatoes) and sugar. Therefore, they are sometimes called sugar guest. But that's not all. According to Wikipedia, they eat also of adhesives and glue, book bindings, paper, photos, dander, dust mites. Even before cotton, linen, silk, leather and synthetic fibers, they do not stop. Dead insects or their own off skin are also part of their diet.
Through their diet can silverfish holes in fabric, wallpaper books or bottle up or scrape. They are also able to survive for several months without food.
Occurrences in their homes
They will show up anywhere (and often only at night or in the dark come to light), where it is moist and warm, preferably in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, pantries. Since they have a very broad food spectrum, it may also be involved basements.
They also prefer areas where they can hide during the day in cracks and crevices, such as under or behind the fridge, in floor tiles or joints (if these cracks), under loose wallpaper, abrasives or baseboards.
Silverfish are beneficial or harmful ?
In principle, it is useful animals because they do not clean their surroundings. The animals themselves are not regarded as disease carriers, but are completely harmless to humans (as of May 2012). Therefore, according to scientific view of combat is not necessary, not even in terms of hygiene.
The occurrence of silverfish may (but need not) indicate that, in certain living spaces are molds, especially if it is a large number.
They feed on mold, but are not the cause! Therefore, anyone who silverfish in his apartment frequently observed, see exactly if and where it is damp or moldy.
In addition to any scuffing a sporadic occurrence of silverfish is classified as harmless. Heaped in dimensions however, the causes are removed.
How can one fight removed silverfish ?
Regularly clean up
Since feed the animals including dust mites, dander and hair, it is recommended especially in places of their occurrence, to ensure absolute cleanliness. In order to take them away an essential nutrients. Mix in the cleaning water vinegar or lemon extract. This did not smell like the animals.
Inventories close
The animals are in the kitchen at home, you should close your supplies well. However bags with stickers are not a good idea. Use well-closed container, such as glass or cans.
Ventilate
Especially in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms should be provided not only by the showering, cooking or washing ensure that humidity can deduct. If it is a windowless room, might help a swipe when the windows of other rooms and doors are left open. But it is advisable to think about installing a fan (or a repair ;-)). The investment is worth it in any case, because the silverfish are not the problem, but the mold or damp spots. Wet areas should generally be aired several times a day.
Cracks and crevices close
Depending on where the animals have taken up their quarters in your home, you should crack and crevice - close up - for example, with spackle or joint cement. Lose wallpapers must again be glued, fixed abrasives and cover strips or renewed, grouted cracks and crevices or smeared etc.
Who takes the silverfish their habitat, they will permanently loose. With a larger and more regular occurrence, there are additional methods to get rid of them promptly and efficiently.
How does one go short silverfish ?
The only known enemy of Silverfish is the common earwig. Spiders are only limited enemies, for they have with their hunting in the dark only moderate success. Since there is hardly a person who wants to use earwigs, can fall back on proven home remedies.
Potato method
On a piece of paper 1-2 grated potatoes. Animals love this food and will crawl under the potato particles. Wait a few hours or a day, then you can take the animals out and dismissed.
The same works with a halved potato, which is interpreted. Here, too, collect the animals and can be taken outside. This method has been tested several times, but only recommended if it is a moderate number of silverfish.
The potato method is likely to be next fragrance methods animal friendly method, provided the animals are then taken outside and left alive. They have earned it.
As an alternative to potato lure course, you can also use sugar or honey.
Gypsum method
Spread a wet cotton cloth with plaster. There, too, collect the animals and can be disposed of outside.
Sugar and baking powder
Mix the sugar and baking powder and add this mixture 1:1 in cracks and crevices. The baking soda will swell by the moisture and helps not only against ants. This method is very sustainable and long lasting effect.
Fragrances used
Lavender or lemon oil do not like the animals. Perfuming the appropriate places.
A word on another scent method "Salmiakwasser": It is recommended more often and seems to work very well. It is situated just in the affected areas. But ammonia is also not safe for humans, therefore, rather, other methods may be used.
Treat runoff
Drains are always wet. If you suspect that reside there, the animals, pour several times a day in hot water and then seal them. Keep closed at night suspicious outflows.
Pesticides from the shop
Who with the success of the home remedies can not be satisfied, of course, acquire various resources at the hardware store or specialty stores.
You can buy bait boxes whose contents kills the greedy eating silverfish and sometimes wiping out their entire brood, as the bait to be carried into the nest.
Recommended are biological bait boxes. Products based on silica or plankton dry, although the insects but are toxic to humans, children and pets desired. Avoid - your family and to protect the environment - chemical insecticide bait boxes or even sprays. Because then you're taking a totally unnecessary health risk. However, this applies generally for insect control.
A non-toxic variant are also sticky traps. They can be bought in drug stores or hardware stores. Sticky traps contain scents that attract the animals and stick to the adhesive surface. Read the instructions carefully. Good luck with removing silverfish!
If you want to know if any silverfish have been crawling around your dishes or cutlery at night while you sleep, set up a silverfish trap.
Please refer yourself to our main page to get your hands on a complete guide on silverfish insects and how to get rid of silverfish permanently
