Silverfish Control

Neighborly Pest Control holds an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from 340 reviews.

Silverfish Pest Control Services in Santa Ana, CA

Serving Customers Across Southern California

Local Silverfish Extermination

New silverfish infestations usually start when they find their way into your home or business via cardboard boxes and other containers that were once stored in infested areas. They will also find their way in through cracks and access points in or around the foundation. They prefer to stay in areas that are warm and humid which is why they can be found in crawl spaces, subfloors, and basements. If you have seen silverfish scurrying around the floor when the lights are turned on, this may be a sign of a much bigger silverfish problem. Call Neighborly Pest Control to schedule a free inspection!

What are Silverfish?

Silverfish are small, thin insects with a silvery body that is longer than the head and then tapers off at the tail. They have 2 long antennas to indicate where the head is, but also have 3 hair-like spikes that extend from the tail. They can be found anywhere, but they are much more abundant in climates with high humidity. They are problematic because they can contaminate food sources and destroy clothing and furniture.

To learn more about our services, call us today at (949) 990-3851!

How to Treat Silverfish

Neighborly Pest Control utilizes an integrated pest management strategy that combines the unique benefits of several silverfish control methods.

Inspection

Identifying the severity of a silverfish problem is important because it allows our technicians to locate problematic areas and determine how to effectively treat an infestation.

Local Spot Treatment

Using chemical pesticides that are effective against silverfish helps keep silverfish populations under control. Residual pesticides can be targeted towards areas that have shown silverfish activity so that the bugs become infected when they come in contact with the local application.

Desiccant Dusting

Dusting can be an effective treatment option in hard-to-reach places like light fixtures, electrical outlets, and inside wall cavities. These dusts help dehydrate the silverfish, so they die of thirst.

Adhesive Traps

Just like glue traps used for other rodents and bugs, adhesive traps are also effective against silverfish. These won’t offer a full solution to your silverfish problem, but they are great to help identify high-traffic areas.

Exterior Perimeter Pesticide Application

An exterior perimeter spray will create a chemical barrier that silverfish won’t be able to cross without infecting themselves. This helps eliminate any silverfish once they have made it past that barrier into your home.

Exclusion

Another prevention strategy is to close up any access points that silverfish are using to get into your home. This can include using caulking to seal up cracks and crevices.

Silverfish Diet & Damages

Silverfish consume a blend of cotton, linen, paper, starch, grains, glue, sugar, proteins, and molds. This can be extremely problematic because large infestations of silverfish can cause significant damage to books, clothes, bedding, and furniture in addition to contaminating food sources.

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Why Choose Neighborly Pest Control?

Guaranteed Satisfaction
We stand behind our service with a 100% satisfaction guarantee, ensuring your peace of mind.
Comprehensive Protection
From general pests to termites and bed bugs, we offer complete solutions to keep your property safe.
Customer-First Approach
We prioritize your home or business with friendly, professional service and honest recommendations.
Trusted Expertise
Our licensed and trained technicians deliver reliable pest control solutions backed by years of experience.

How to Prevent Silverfish

The best ways to prevent silverfish would be to close any access points and use a chemical pesticide to lay a perimeter spray around the foundation of your home. These services are offered with Neighborly’s silverfish pest control treatment. In addition to prevention, you can also eliminate the things that silverfish look for in an environment they would want to infest. You can reduce humidity and moisture by checking for leaks, running the AC, eliminating standing water, and venting bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and basements. Eliminating available food is also important. You can do this by transferring things out of cardboard boxes into plastic containers, properly sealing grain/flours/cereals, sanitizing areas that contain mold, and keeping books/linens/clothing in areas that are not humid. The final step is to regularly vacuum your home and keep the exterior clear of clutter.

Signs of Silverfish Infestation

There are several common signs of a silverfish infestation:

Visable Insects: Silverfish are known to come out in the dark, so they can sometimes be seen in bathrooms and kitchens when the lights are turned on. They will scurry to get somewhere hidden and out of sight, so they won’t be visible for long.
Holes in Paper, Books, and Wallpaper: Silverfish like to feed on glue and paper, so they will often find paper to feed on in places like in decorative wallpaper, in books kept in storage, in cardboard boxes, etc. If you notice that the paper has started to weaken, disintegrate, or has holes, then it is likely a sign that you are dealing with silverfish or some other paper-consuming insect.
Small Black Specks: Dark grains of what look like pepper flakes can be signs of silverfish poop. They won’t be in high concentrations like other insects, which could make this more difficult to identify.
Fabric with Holes: Silverfish will also consume cotton and other fabric materials. If you notice holes in clothing, linens, bedding, and upholstery, it could be a sign of a silverfish infestation.

How to Contain Silverfish

Taking on a severe silverfish infestation can be difficult to deal with and contain. If they are pervasive, they will be in different areas of your home or business. To try and keep them localized, not to have them spread to new locations, it is important to:

Dry: Ensuring that silverfish do not have a humid harborage place where they can thrive is critical to minimizing silverfish populations.
Seal: Anything that could be a source of food for silverfish should be properly sealed in containers that can’t be breached.
Separate: Other items like books and clothing should be stored in dressers and shelves that have double-sided tape on the footing to catch any silverfish crawling towards a potential meal. This should also be done for any furniture with upholstery to prevent damage.
Eliminate: Discard any food sources that are already contaminated. Also, get rid of unneeded magazines, mail, newspapers, and cardboard boxes.
Exterminate: Use a residual pesticide that will be effective for some time, which can infect silverfish on contact.

Contact Neighborly Pest Control

If you have noticed silverfish in your bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, it is time to have your house inspected by a professional pest control expert. Our licensed silverfish exterminators can come out to provide an inspection to identify any problematic areas so we can create a custom treatment plan. Call Neighborly Pest Control now to schedule an inspection.

Get started with ant control services today by giving us a call at (949) 990-3851!

Quick Facts About Silverfish

Habits

Silverfish usually enter a structure through insulation during construction. They eat a wide variety of foods containing starches and carbohydrates such as rolled oats, dried beef, flour, starch, paper, cotton, some synthetic fibers, sugar, beef extract, dead insects, glue, paste, and linen. They can also feed on surface molds in damp areas. They can live long periods of time without food. Eggs are laid in protected areas, such as behind baseboards, and hatch in from 20 to 40 day,s depending on temperature and humidity.

Habitat

Silverfish prefer temperatures of 70 to 80°F, moist situations, and can be found most anywhere in a house. They are commonly found in attics, especially if there are boxes of books.

Threats

They can do considerable damage to some natural and synthetic fibers, books, and other paper products. Their feeding marks are irregular, and surface etching often appears that may not even penetrate paper. They may also leave yellow stains, especially on linens.

Prevention

Silverfish are unable to reproduce or even to survive in buildings where winter heating and moisture loss result in low relative humidity. Airtight houses with efficient humidifiers that keep the relative humidity above 50% year-round can develop silverfish infestations that are very difficult to control using typical insecticide applications. To achieve control under those conditions, the relative humidity will need to be reduced. Besides cthe leanup of clutter and other food items that may be supporting the infestation, insecticide applications are required for silverfish management.

Silverfish FAQs

How serious is a silverfish infestation?

A silverfish infestation can cause some damage to furniture upholstery, clothing, books, wallpaper, and stored grains. While they aren’t extremely problematic like some other bugs, they are definitely a nuisance pest that should be exterminated. Luckily, Neighborly Pest Control’s ongoing treatment services will help keep silverfish from becoming an issue.

What are the signs of a silverfish infestation?

The most common signs of silverfish infestations are the silverfish themselves. Silverfish prefer to travel while hidden, but will wander out in the open when the lights are off. When the lights are first turned on, silverfish will freeze for a moment before running away to hide. In addition, their excrement and damage to paper and fabrics are also good indicators of silverfish.

How can I prevent silverfish?

Silverfish can be prevented by enlisting the professionals at Neighborly Pest Control. We will use a combination of an exterior spray as well as sealing any potential access points to help prevent silverfish.

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