Repelling Silverfish Naturally

One curious bug living in homes is the silverfish. It’s not as prevalent as ants, roaches, or even spiders but nevertheless when they are found they conjure up a short “Oh my G-d” or at least a quick flinch backwards. After all, any critter with a bunch of little legs can make just about anyone jump.

But silverfish are more difficult to fight off completely because they don’t generally show themselves. Whereas roaches and ants operate in the open silverfish like dark moist places, humidity, and feed off of starches, grains, book glue and other substances. That said they can live up to one year without even eating!

You’ll generally find them under baseboards, in boxes, behind wall paper, hiding in cloths left on the floor, in cupboards, and in furniture.

Luckily they don’t bite but are simply annoying pests.

To repel silverfish the first line of defense is keeping the home clean and dry.

Once an infestation has occurred, and this could mean just a few sightings, then there are a number of other options:

• If you already have silverfish hiding in your home cucumber peels are a magnificent way to get them to leave. Peeling a cucumber and placing the skin wherever you know the silver fish are hanging out will show results. If the peel dries up and you still see them repeat the process.

• Cloves: Insects similar to silverfish don’t like whole cloves. Placing them in areas where the bug has been seen will help ward them off. They hate the smell and will take vacate the specific area once its everywhere.

• Fix any leaky pipes.

• Caulk holes in walls preventing their entry.

• Be careful what you bring in your home, even if you are just moving something into the garage or basement. There’s a good chance a silverfish is coming for the ride and will be glad to vacation in your home from there.