People deal with this fear in many different ways. There’s the classic fight or flight response. However, when something you don’t know much about is invading your home, flight isn’t really an option. The more you understand about the silverfish that plague Plano homes, the more effectively you’ll be able to fight them.
Silverfish: A Peculiar Pest
While silverfish are a common problem in Plano, they are anything but common-looking. They actually look more like a silver lobster, only shrunken down by about 99%. Most silverfish are a grey/off-white color, but they have a shiny outer shell that gives them more of a silver appearance. With two antennae protruding from their heads and a three-pronged appendage attached to a long tail, they could easily be a cousin to the tasty crustacean.
Silverfish love damp conditions, which attracts them to many Plano homes that lack moisture control practices. You’ll find them mostly in attics, crawlspaces, under appliances in the kitchen, or in the bathroom. These places attract them because of their moisture as well as what silverfish enjoy eating, which is starchy-type foods. In the kitchen, they may eat your stored, dried foods, while they’ll feed on carcasses of dead insects in your basement and crawl spaces. Another staple in their diet is human hair, so you'll likely encounter one in the bathroom at night.
While that may be a horrifying experience, silverfish are not threatening to humans. They don’t bite or spread diseases, but you don’t want to let an infestation linger in your home. Silverfish will damage a variety of items in your home, from ripping up carpets and furniture fibers to tearing into poorly-stored foods in your pantry. They’ll even attack the books on bookshelves before eating right through the wallpaper, in search of your linen closet (or for them, dessert). Tears in your linens and any sort of paper like magazines and books lying around is the best way to spot a silverfish infestation.
Proper Preventative Measures
Silverfish are very speedy and slender, which gives them the ability to avoid capture and slip through the cracks in your home’s foundation. That makes them very difficult to keep out. It’s probably a better plan if you simply limit the factors in your home that will attract an infestation.
Your first priority when limiting the attraction should be to maintain good moisture control habits. Start with a dehumidifier in your attic, crawlspaces, and basement. Too much humidity, which is easily achieved in Plano, will attract all sorts of pests to your crawl spaces. You’ll also want to check for leaking pipes under counters and in the basement.
Another attraction limiter will be proper food and trash storage. If silverfish can get into your dried goods easily, then they’ll come from miles around to make your house their home. Try to store goods like cereal and rice in plastic containers rather than cardboard boxes.
Even if you can avoid silverfish infestation using these measures, it can, unfortunately, happen at any moment. To avoid these unsightly pests crawling through your house, you’ll want to consider professional help. The best way to get rid of silverfish and keep them out for good is with assistance from the professionals: All-Safe Pest & Termite. That will be one call you’ll be glad you made.