If you’ve noticed odd signs of pest damage or have seen silvery insects in your home, especially at night, there is a good chance you have a silverfish infestation on your hands. Silverfish, also known as bristletails or paper fish, are a type of wingless insect that can be found all around the world and are known to inhabit gardens and places with high moisture, dirt, holes, gutters, leaves, and wood remnants. Getting rid of these pests on your own can be difficult, but with professional help from our team at Pied Piper Pest Control Inc, a pest infestation at your Greater New Orleans area home or business will be taken care of quickly and easily! Call today at (504) 366-1333 or fill out the contact form on our website!
How To Identify A Silverfish Infestation
Listed below are some telltale signs of a silverfish infestation:
Seeing Live Silverfish On Your Property
The most obvious sign of a silverfish infestation in your home is actually seeing the live silverfish crawling around. Silverfish are wingless insects with silver, grey, or metallic brown scales. Silverfish are typically somewhere between ½ inch and 1 inch in length with three pairs of limbs and a pair of antennae.
Silverfish love to eat through paper, boxes, photographs, books, documents, wallpaper, piles of leaves and wood, and grains. If you regularly discover these pests in or around your home, there is a good chance that you have an infestation.
Silverfish Droppings or Dead Skin
Silverfish droppings look like small, black peppercorns. These droppings are often found in cupboards, attics, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and any other place these pests might frequent in your home. Silverfish also shed or molt their skin as their growth progresses. These skin molts can be seen around the home as a transparent or silvery shell.
Silverfish Damage
One more clear sign of a silverfish infestation is discovering the damage they have done. If you notice holes in wallpaper, boxes, paper products, linens, clothing, and more, there is a good chance that silverfish are the culprit.
How To Treat A Silverfish Infestation
There are a few home remedies for silverfish infestations, but none have proven to be as effective as hiring a professional pest control service.
Clear Your Home Thoroughly
Cleaning out your home’s cabinets, wardrobes, closets, pantries, and bathrooms can help reduce the population of silverfish living in your house or apartment. Cleaning will help expose silverfish pests that may be hiding from plain sight. As you declutter your home’s interior, ensure you extend this cleaning service to the exterior of your home by clearing out piles of dead leaves, wood, and clogged gutters that may serve as a breeding spot for these pests.
Use Traps or Chemicals
For a non-toxic way of getting rid of silverfish, you can set up traps that will help get rid of the pests. This can be done by placing newspaper, flour, cereal, or other starchy materials in a jar. Once the insects make their way into the jar to eat the bait, they won’t be able to get back out.
Another DIY method for treating silverfish infestations is to use chemicals like Borax. Sprinkle a thin layer of Borax wherever you’ve frequently seen silverfish, like in cabinets, pantries, closets, and anywhere else they may frequent. This method is best for homes that do not have pets or children, as Borax can be toxic to them.
Contact a Professional
As with most pest infestations, contacting a pest control professional is the most effective way to solve a silverfish problem. Here at Pied Piper Pest Control, we have the knowledge and capabilities to quickly solve our client’s pest problems in the Greater New Orleans area!
Contact Pied Piper Pest Control!
If you have any questions about silverfish infestations or any other pest control problem in the Greater New Orleans area, contact Pied Piper Pest Control! We provide pest control solutions for various insects and other pests! Call us today at (504) 366-1333, or fill out the contact form on our website!