Silverfish live in many houses and apartments. We explain how to combat the causes and how to use home remedies - without any poison.
Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) belong to the ancient order of fishes (zygentoma), which has been walking our planet for about 300 million years. But even if the little fish were there first, they shouldn't live in our houses. As pronounced followers of culture, they are only too happy to do so. We present home remedies that you can use to get rid of the small, shy animals. Combating the causes should not be neglected, as you will soon find out.
We explain why silverfish feel at home in our living spaces and how you can fight both the causes and the fish themselves. We present you with effective home remedies and our Plantura ant remedy as a good alternative.
Causes of silverfish in the house or apartment
The silverfish feels comfortable in high humidity and heat. For this reason, it likes to settle in our houses and develops splendidly there. Typical living spaces in the apartment are bathrooms, kitchens and warm laundry rooms. Silverfish also feel particularly comfortable under refrigerators. When it is cold and dry, it is not possible for a real plague to multiply and develop. The diet of the little animals is varied: house dust mites, hair, mold, plant fibres, cotton and textiles are on their menu. But they can also survive several months without a crumb of food.
They are attracted to everything that contains sugar or starch - which is why the silverfish is also called sugar guest. Luckily for him, the little fish is missing only one thing: a dark crack to hide. Because the nimble, shiny insects are extremely light-shy and therefore hide themselves during the day. From their lifestyle and diet, we can derive the causes of their presence in the house and thus take preventive measures. In the following table we have summarized all causes with countermeasures for you.
| Cause | Measure |
| High relative humidity (70 - 90%) | Regular airing in the morning and evening |
| Damp walls (mold formation) | Regular heating and ventilation, improving the insulation of the house wall, fighting mould |
| High temperature (25 - 30 °C) | Reduce the temperature in your living quarters as this inhibits the development of new eggs and larvae |
| Food sources available | Clean the floor regularly, keep food locked up |
| Hidden places available | Close cracks etc., e.g. repoint tiles, seal baseboards with silicone, stick wallpaper again,… |
By avoiding giving the silverfish a comfortable home, you have already gained a lot. But what should you do if your house is already inhabited by large numbers of the little animals? You certainly don't want to wait a few months for the extremely long-lived insects to die of their own accord. A silverfish can and will live up to eight years if it occasionally finds a bit of hair or dander to eat.
Tip: In addition to silverfish there are also ghost fish (Ctenolepisma calva), firebrats (Thermobia domestica ) and paperfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudata) in our homes. With our Plantura ant repellent, you can effectively fight all little fish without endangering yourself or your pets if used correctly.
Fighting silverfish with home remedies
As mentioned above, the causes must be found and combated. Damp rooms and walls are not a condition that can simply be left as is. Even water damage could be behind the moisture. Once the cause of the moisture has been clarified and eliminated, you can use the following home remedies to do something about the nimble silverfish - because most homeowners are much more comfortable in their four walls without the use of poisons. In addition, a large number of fish is not only unpleasant, but can also damage papers and books or textiles. Note that all of these home remedies will definitely need multiple uses to catch all the silverfish.
Potato trap against silverfish
Half a raw, unpeeled potato. Hollow both sideslittle and trim the cutting edge somewhat irregularly. If the potato halves stand on the cut surface, a silverfish must be able to get underneath. Place each potato halves on a piece of paper. Since silverfish are nocturnal, traps should be installed in the evening and discarded in the morning.
Sticky tape trap against silverfish
Use the duct tape trap to find out where the fish are hiding. Stick double-sided tape along a skirting board in the evening and sprinkle with sugar. The following morning you can see where most of the animals emerged from the skirting board. You can then place the next trap where the silverfish are hiding. Instead of sugar, you can use other sweets as bait.
Honey trap against silverfish
The honey trap basically works like the tape trap, except that the honey is the glue and the lure all in one. Smear some honey on a piece of paper and place it where you think the silverfish hide.
Baking powder and sugar against silverfish
Baking powder and sugar are especially useful if you have no idea where the fish are coming from. Mix the two ingredients together in equal parts and sprinkle it either in every crack you find or in areas where you suspect the retreat. The baking soda drastically increases the acidity in the critters' digestive tract, causing them to die.
Lavender vs. Silverfish
They love the smell of moldy wallpaper, but the smell of lavender makes them flee. If you want to prevent the silverfish from spreading all over your home or entering certain areas - for example the children's room - then distribute lavender as a sachet or oil at the entrances to these areas.
Vinegar against silverfish
Vinegar has a similar effect on animals as lavender. If you want to protect a room or area, you can use mop water with vinegar cleaner or lots of vinegar.
Tip: From their favorite spot, silverfish like to roam the whole house in search of food and new hiding places. If you use a home remedy, you should do this in all of your living spaces if possible.
Effectively combating silverfish
If you don't want to bother crafting traps, we recommend our Plantura ant remedy. Just like a home remedy, the active ingredient is correctIt is not dangerous for bees and pets. It can also be used against ants (Formicidae) and woodlice (Porcellio scaber). The application is very simple and the effectiveness is so convincing that organic farming also likes to use the active ingredient (diatomaceous earth).
