Silverfish Bug Essay
HOW TO GET RID OF SILVERFISH NATURALLY
Silverfish are slivery bristletail insects that live in buildings and feed on starchy materials. These fairly harmless, serpentine creatures aren't pleasant to have around the house. They feed on books, dead skin cells, and thrive in dark, wet spaces.
Once you discover an infestation, you can get rid of the silverfish bugs by with insecticides or various methods you will learn about from this article.
Silverfish bugs are not harmful to humans. However, they can destroy your properties and belongings. These insects prefer a diet filled with sugars and carbohydrates, so they will eat down on everything from cereals and books to wallpaper, insulation and clothing. They also enjoy eating cardboard, tissue …show more content…
and newspaper.
WHAT ATTRACTS SILVERFISH BUGS
• Moisture
A moist region or area in your home can harbour silverfish. Silverfish are always on the lookout for somewhere with large moisture. This is why you’ll commonly find spiders, scorpions, and silverfish hanging around your bathroom or kitchen most of the time.
• Food
Silverfish like to feed on foods that are very high in sugars and starch. This gives them the drive to find their way into your pantry to munch on the cereals, oats, flour that you might have stored away.
• Dark and Temperate Spaces
Silverfish thrive under humid environments and temperatures, but they are actually quite averse to bright or hot environments. In warmer months, you are more likely to find these bugs in the darker spaces in your house. In the winter months, they enjoy living anywhere that has little or no light and little disturbance from predators (we humans).
Other things that may attract silverfish bugs include; sugars, leaky pipes, crevices, glue, etc.
SYMPTOMS
Silverfish hardly ever bite. This is because insects of this family have mouthparts that allow them consume food only by chewing tiny particles off of something. Silverfish bugs do not attack in self-defence; they prefer to try escaping.
Silverfish bugs usually bite their victims when they are asleep. It is at this moment the insect feels safe and not threatened and will probably bite a person’s skin in order to feed on him or her.
Some of the most common symptoms of silverfish bugs bite are listed below.
• Red linear marks on your skin. (This might be caused not from a bite but from contact with the insect)
• Seeing silverfish on you
• Nose inflammation.
• Respiratory allergy
• Sharp pain.
• Itch (usually remaining not more than a day)
HOW TO GET RID OF SILVERFISH NATURALLY
1.
Newspaper Trick
In reference to how to get rid of silverfish naturally, wet newspaper can do the trick.
• Steep some unused newspaper in water a roll it up with some dry newspaper.
• Place it around silverfish bugs infested areas.
• Leave overnight then dispose the next day.
• Few of the bugs will crawl in as a result of the damp conditions.
2. Make a Boric Acid Paste
Boric acid paste is an excellent home remedy on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. The silverfish bugs will ingest the boric acid when they come into contact. Eventually, they are killed from the boron that their bodies cannot excrete.
• Make a paste using flour, water, and boric acid.
• Place paste on the areas where there are silverfish bugs.
• Ensure the paste is far from young children and pets
3. Cinnamon
Making use of cinnamon is one of the popular methods on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. Silverfish bugs do not the smell that comes out of cinnamon.
Put pure cinnamon sticks in places where the silverfish bugs will most likely show up like basements, laundry rooms, closets, cupboards and under kitchen sinks. You can place the ground cinnamon in a small sachet if you don’t have cinnamon sticks.
4. Lavender …show more content…
Oil
Lavender has proven to be an effective method on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. It is a scented oil distilled from lavender flowers and is quite easy to use.
• Mix together one teaspoon of oil with one cup of water in a spray bottle.
• Spray this solution around walls, carpets, floors or spaces where silverfish are most likely to be.
• Ensure that you spray on a regular basis so the smell stays fresh.
• Lavender oil can be applied to some fabrics. However, it shouldn’t be sprayed on delicate items, as it can cause damage that might seem impossible to repair.
5. Citrus
Still on the topic of how to get rid of silverfish naturally, citrus sprays can be used as well. They are specifically manufactured to repel and kill silverfish.
Ensure that you do not use general cleaning solutions with citrus in them. This is because they do not repel bugs and will be of no help.
6. Spices
Silverfish bugs do not like pungent smell scents form spices like bay leaves, pepper and sage. All you need to do is put spices in a sachet and place where you see silverfish.
7. Cedar Shavings
Cedar oil is gotten from cedar, a tall coniferous tree that typically yields fragrant, durable wood. The smell from the cedar tree’s shavings is delightful and you will love the fragrance in your house.
Just place some cedar shavings at the silverfish infested areas in your home. You can also make up a cedar oil spray to apply to wall surfaces and behind kitchen cabinets.
8.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are another effective way on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. Cucumbers are long green-skinned fruit with watery flesh.
• Cut a cucumber into thick slices.
• Place them in infested zones.
• Ensure that you the cucumbers when they dry up as they will no longer be effective.
9. Table Salt
Table salt is another home remedy to get rid of silverfish naturally. It is available in almost every home due to its abundance in nature. This home remedy is quite effect as the silverfish bugs ingest the salt and die due to dehydration. However, it may take some time to work.
Ensure that you sprinkle enough salt around cracks and crevices where the silverfish are active.
10. Camphor Tree
Camphor plant is used as an insecticide and is another remedy on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. Camphor tree is the major natural source of camphor, a white volatile crystalline substance with an aromatic smell and bitter taste.
Grow a camphor tree in your garden, and use the dried leaves against the insects.
11. Homemade Trap
You can use a self-made home trap to get rid of silverfish. You can create this trap using a mason jar.
• Use a masking tape to wrap the Mason jar from the outside.
• The insects will climb up into the jar via the masking tape.
• Place a piece of wet paper, bread or cotton inside the Mason jar.
• The food will attract the silverfish bugs making them to climb into the jar.
• After a while the silverfish bug will be unable to escape the jar due to the lack of anchor.
12. Naphthalene Balls
Naphthalene balls will protect your clothes from a moth infestation but they surely work on silverfish. Naphthalene is a volatile white crystalline compound that I usually used in mothballs and for chemical manufacture. Place them in your closets and bookstores. Unlike citrus peel, naphthalene balls are more toxic to silverfish.
13. Silica gel
Silica gel is hydrated silica in a hard granular hygroscopic form used to absorb moisture from the air. Silica gel causes dehydration and it kills silverfish by absorbing the waxy coating on its body.
14. Whole Cloves
Cloves are dried flower buds of a tropical tree that is usually used as an aromatic spice. They contain Eugenol which is a natural insecticide and it is widely used to get rid of a variety of household pests.
You can use whole cloves to get rid of silverfish. All you need to do is to simply place the whole cloves near cracks, holes, and damp and dark places. These insects will see their end soon enough.
CONCLUSION
You can reduce the risk of attracting silverfish to your home or getting a silverfish bite by vacuuming your house often. Vacuuming sucks eggs out of the baseboards and carpets and also reduces their available food sources.
Check for signs of silverfish, either from the pepper-like faeces or damage to your items and get rid of anything that makes your home prone to infestations. Inspect and clean all your possessions and properties including old papers, old boxes, book shelves, wardrobes and cupboards. Also, ensure that you place food sources in air-tight containers.
Note that you should always treat silverfish infestation immediately you discover it.
REFERENCES https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/silverfish-how-to-get-rid-of-them-prevent-an-infestation-203055 https://www.dengarden.com/pest-control/How-to-get-rid-of-Silverfish-using-Lavender-Oil https://www.getridofthings.com/pests/bugs/get-rid-of-silverfish/ https://www.homeremedyhacks.com/13-helpful-home-remedies-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/ https://www.organiclesson.com/get-rid-of-silverfish-fish-moth/ http://www.pesthacks.com/how-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/ http://www.pestkilled.com/how-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/ https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/home/6-ways-to-get-rid-of-silverfish https://www.thesoftlanding.com/5-natural-ways-get-rid-silverfish/ https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Silverfish
Silverfish are slivery bristletail insects that live in buildings and feed on starchy materials. These fairly harmless, serpentine creatures aren't pleasant to have around the house. They feed on books, dead skin cells, and thrive in dark, wet spaces.
Once you discover an infestation, you can get rid of the silverfish bugs by with insecticides or various methods you will learn about from this article.
Silverfish bugs are not harmful to humans. However, they can destroy your properties and belongings. These insects prefer a diet filled with sugars and carbohydrates, so they will eat down on everything from cereals and books to wallpaper, insulation and clothing. They also enjoy eating cardboard, tissue …show more content…
and newspaper.
WHAT ATTRACTS SILVERFISH BUGS
• Moisture
A moist region or area in your home can harbour silverfish. Silverfish are always on the lookout for somewhere with large moisture. This is why you’ll commonly find spiders, scorpions, and silverfish hanging around your bathroom or kitchen most of the time.
• Food
Silverfish like to feed on foods that are very high in sugars and starch. This gives them the drive to find their way into your pantry to munch on the cereals, oats, flour that you might have stored away.
• Dark and Temperate Spaces
Silverfish thrive under humid environments and temperatures, but they are actually quite averse to bright or hot environments. In warmer months, you are more likely to find these bugs in the darker spaces in your house. In the winter months, they enjoy living anywhere that has little or no light and little disturbance from predators (we humans).
Other things that may attract silverfish bugs include; sugars, leaky pipes, crevices, glue, etc.
SYMPTOMS
Silverfish hardly ever bite. This is because insects of this family have mouthparts that allow them consume food only by chewing tiny particles off of something. Silverfish bugs do not attack in self-defence; they prefer to try escaping.
Silverfish bugs usually bite their victims when they are asleep. It is at this moment the insect feels safe and not threatened and will probably bite a person’s skin in order to feed on him or her.
Some of the most common symptoms of silverfish bugs bite are listed below.
• Red linear marks on your skin. (This might be caused not from a bite but from contact with the insect)
• Seeing silverfish on you
• Nose inflammation.
• Respiratory allergy
• Sharp pain.
• Itch (usually remaining not more than a day)
HOW TO GET RID OF SILVERFISH NATURALLY
1.
Newspaper Trick
In reference to how to get rid of silverfish naturally, wet newspaper can do the trick.
• Steep some unused newspaper in water a roll it up with some dry newspaper.
• Place it around silverfish bugs infested areas.
• Leave overnight then dispose the next day.
• Few of the bugs will crawl in as a result of the damp conditions.
2. Make a Boric Acid Paste
Boric acid paste is an excellent home remedy on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. The silverfish bugs will ingest the boric acid when they come into contact. Eventually, they are killed from the boron that their bodies cannot excrete.
• Make a paste using flour, water, and boric acid.
• Place paste on the areas where there are silverfish bugs.
• Ensure the paste is far from young children and pets
3. Cinnamon
Making use of cinnamon is one of the popular methods on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. Silverfish bugs do not the smell that comes out of cinnamon.
Put pure cinnamon sticks in places where the silverfish bugs will most likely show up like basements, laundry rooms, closets, cupboards and under kitchen sinks. You can place the ground cinnamon in a small sachet if you don’t have cinnamon sticks.
4. Lavender …show more content…
Oil
Lavender has proven to be an effective method on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. It is a scented oil distilled from lavender flowers and is quite easy to use.
• Mix together one teaspoon of oil with one cup of water in a spray bottle.
• Spray this solution around walls, carpets, floors or spaces where silverfish are most likely to be.
• Ensure that you spray on a regular basis so the smell stays fresh.
• Lavender oil can be applied to some fabrics. However, it shouldn’t be sprayed on delicate items, as it can cause damage that might seem impossible to repair.
5. Citrus
Still on the topic of how to get rid of silverfish naturally, citrus sprays can be used as well. They are specifically manufactured to repel and kill silverfish.
Ensure that you do not use general cleaning solutions with citrus in them. This is because they do not repel bugs and will be of no help.
6. Spices
Silverfish bugs do not like pungent smell scents form spices like bay leaves, pepper and sage. All you need to do is put spices in a sachet and place where you see silverfish.
7. Cedar Shavings
Cedar oil is gotten from cedar, a tall coniferous tree that typically yields fragrant, durable wood. The smell from the cedar tree’s shavings is delightful and you will love the fragrance in your house.
Just place some cedar shavings at the silverfish infested areas in your home. You can also make up a cedar oil spray to apply to wall surfaces and behind kitchen cabinets.
8.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are another effective way on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. Cucumbers are long green-skinned fruit with watery flesh.
• Cut a cucumber into thick slices.
• Place them in infested zones.
• Ensure that you the cucumbers when they dry up as they will no longer be effective.
9. Table Salt
Table salt is another home remedy to get rid of silverfish naturally. It is available in almost every home due to its abundance in nature. This home remedy is quite effect as the silverfish bugs ingest the salt and die due to dehydration. However, it may take some time to work.
Ensure that you sprinkle enough salt around cracks and crevices where the silverfish are active.
10. Camphor Tree
Camphor plant is used as an insecticide and is another remedy on how to get rid of silverfish naturally. Camphor tree is the major natural source of camphor, a white volatile crystalline substance with an aromatic smell and bitter taste.
Grow a camphor tree in your garden, and use the dried leaves against the insects.
11. Homemade Trap
You can use a self-made home trap to get rid of silverfish. You can create this trap using a mason jar.
• Use a masking tape to wrap the Mason jar from the outside.
• The insects will climb up into the jar via the masking tape.
• Place a piece of wet paper, bread or cotton inside the Mason jar.
• The food will attract the silverfish bugs making them to climb into the jar.
• After a while the silverfish bug will be unable to escape the jar due to the lack of anchor.
12. Naphthalene Balls
Naphthalene balls will protect your clothes from a moth infestation but they surely work on silverfish. Naphthalene is a volatile white crystalline compound that I usually used in mothballs and for chemical manufacture. Place them in your closets and bookstores. Unlike citrus peel, naphthalene balls are more toxic to silverfish.
13. Silica gel
Silica gel is hydrated silica in a hard granular hygroscopic form used to absorb moisture from the air. Silica gel causes dehydration and it kills silverfish by absorbing the waxy coating on its body.
14. Whole Cloves
Cloves are dried flower buds of a tropical tree that is usually used as an aromatic spice. They contain Eugenol which is a natural insecticide and it is widely used to get rid of a variety of household pests.
You can use whole cloves to get rid of silverfish. All you need to do is to simply place the whole cloves near cracks, holes, and damp and dark places. These insects will see their end soon enough.
CONCLUSION
You can reduce the risk of attracting silverfish to your home or getting a silverfish bite by vacuuming your house often. Vacuuming sucks eggs out of the baseboards and carpets and also reduces their available food sources.
Check for signs of silverfish, either from the pepper-like faeces or damage to your items and get rid of anything that makes your home prone to infestations. Inspect and clean all your possessions and properties including old papers, old boxes, book shelves, wardrobes and cupboards. Also, ensure that you place food sources in air-tight containers.
Note that you should always treat silverfish infestation immediately you discover it.
REFERENCES https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/silverfish-how-to-get-rid-of-them-prevent-an-infestation-203055 https://www.dengarden.com/pest-control/How-to-get-rid-of-Silverfish-using-Lavender-Oil https://www.getridofthings.com/pests/bugs/get-rid-of-silverfish/ https://www.homeremedyhacks.com/13-helpful-home-remedies-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/ https://www.organiclesson.com/get-rid-of-silverfish-fish-moth/ http://www.pesthacks.com/how-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/ http://www.pestkilled.com/how-to-get-rid-of-silverfish/ https://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/home/6-ways-to-get-rid-of-silverfish https://www.thesoftlanding.com/5-natural-ways-get-rid-silverfish/ https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Silverfish