Anyone know how to get rid of Silverfish?

[blankall]

So they decided to do a month long reconstuction of my bathroom in my apartment. They took out all the grout. This has created a bunch of cracks which are an ideal environment for silverfish. They have started to spread to the rest of the apartment.

These things are pretty gross and I found 4 or 5 yesterday alone. Anyone have a good idea on how to get rid of them?

[CaptainCrunch]

Hand grenades and teller mines.

[Yeah_Baby]

Tell your landlord and pray

[Jayems]

haha, I'd never heard of them before... I was thinking.. fish in the walls? what the hell?

[redforever]

Disgusting creatures, never heard of them.

I would get on my landlord, those look reportable to the health board. In the meantime, try bleach.

[Flash]

I hadn't heard of them either, until I just looked them up...and now realize I killed one a couple of weeks ago...glad it's been the only one I've found, they're disgusting.

Call your landlord and get him to get rid of them.

[Dion]

Gross!

Call the landlord or make silver fish soup

[Iowa_Flames_Fan]

I've never had silverfish, but I did rent a place in Philly that was full of those nasty house centipedes--the ones that look like this:


For them, the only thing that works is keeping your house dry and setting out glue traps--which might work for Silverfish too, if say, Raid doesn't do the trick.

[OBCT]

http://www.pestcontrolcanada.com/INSECTS/silverfish.htm

[metallicat]

Hmm, those pictures don't look like what I was expecting. Are you sure they are called silverfish? What I was thinking they were, were those bugs you find in cool, damp places outside, like underneath logs or sidewalk blocks. They look a little similar to those pics, but are more compact in an oval shape.

[Kerplunk]

Never heard of them before. Kinda looks like an earwig.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Hmm, those pictures don't look like what I was expecting. Are you sure they are called silverfish? What I was thinking they were, were those bugs you find in cool, damp places outside, like underneath logs or sidewalk blocks. They look a little similar to those pics, but are more compact in an oval shape.

The ones that role up into a ball? Those are called sow bugs, and are related to crabs and shrimp. Also very common, but don't actually live in your home, they just wander in sometimes but usually die once they get there due to a lack of moisture. I live in Vancouver, I don't think you would find many of these guys inside calgary due to the coldness and dryness.

These are definitely silverfish in my home. I took an entymology course in University. They are gross and ugly, but also extremely fragile. So stomping on them is no problem.

Anyways, it looks like my plan of attack will involve several jars turned into traps. Apparently they can climb up rough services but not smooth ones. So you take jars and cover the outside with masking tape and put bread crumbs inside. The silverfish fall into the jar but cant get out.

I also plan on buying a can of raid and spraying all their hiding spots. That means every corner and crevice in my apartment.

I think the major problem right now is that the bathroom has not been sealed yet, so it is basically a perfect environment for them. Once the work crew finally gets around to it, the problem will hopefully clear up. If it doesn't my landlord will be getting an earfull.

[Kerplunk]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Hmm, those pictures don't look like what I was expecting. Are you sure they are called silverfish? What I was thinking they were, were those bugs you find in cool, damp places outside, like underneath logs or sidewalk blocks. They look a little similar to those pics, but are more compact in an oval shape.

You might be thinking of pill bugs or sow bugs...kinda look like little armadillos.

[metallicat]

Yup, sow bugs are what I am talking about...sorry to derail the thread. But about sow bugs, those are the grossest things in the world if you ask me.

[ShaolinFlame]

Originally Posted by blankall

The ones that role up into a ball? Those are called sow bugs, and are related to crabs and shrimp. Also very common, but don't actually live in your home, they just wander in sometimes but usually die once they get there due to a lack of moisture. I live in Vancouver, I don't think you would find many of these guys inside calgary due to the coldness and dryness.

These are definitely silverfish in my home. I took an entymology course in University. They are gross and ugly, but also extremely fragile. So stomping on them is no problem.

Anyways, it looks like my plan of attack will involve several jars turned into traps. Apparently they can climb up rough services but not smooth ones. So you take jars and cover the outside with masking tape and put bread crumbs inside. The silverfish fall into the jar but cant get out.

I also plan on buying a can of raid and spraying all their hiding spots. That means every corner and crevice in my apartment.

I think the major problem right now is that the bathroom has not been sealed yet, so it is basically a perfect environment for them. Once the work crew finally gets around to it, the problem will hopefully clear up. If it doesn't my landlord will be getting an earfull.

They are [pretty much impossible to get rid of in a Vancouver apartment building. I find they do decrease in winter through. My mom told me they come up through the drainpipes, although I don't know if i believe her (i have caught a few in the tub/sink though)...

Either way, they aren't that annoying, you just have to make sure to stomp the big ones first, and keep under your fridge clean.

[vanisleflamesfan]

You want a good mix of Diatomaceous Earth LINK and Pyrethrum powder LINK.

The thing with silverfish is that they are a good indication that the Relative Humidity is too high. Control that first if you can with a dehumidifier.

However, a good mix of those two (natural and fairly safe) products above will act as a dessicant and should kill the bugs and help to control the moisture.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Yup, sow bugs are what I am talking about...sorry to derail the thread. But about sow bugs, those are the grossest things in the world if you ask me.

That was the problem in my old place. They would congregate outside the door to my basement suite. I would try to stomp as many as I could on the way in, because they had a habit of sqeezing beneath the door and ending up dried up in my apartment.

Originally Posted by ShaolinFlame

They are [pretty much impossible to get rid of in a Vancouver apartment building. I find they do decrease in winter through. My mom told me they come up through the drainpipes, although I don't know if i believe her (i have caught a few in the tub/sink though)...

Either way, they aren't that annoying, you just have to make sure to stomp the big ones first, and keep under your fridge clean.

I find them fairly often in the sink and tub. Apparently they go there for moisture but cant get out.

I've accepted the fact I will never permanently be able to get rid of them since they will probably find refuge in my neighbours apartments, but I hope to at least control their numbers so I don't have multiple run ins a day.

[metallicat]

Damn...I think I'd move if I had bug problems like that. Perhaps this should go in the confessions thread, but I seriously hate bugs.

[ShaolinFlame]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

Damn...I think I'd move if I had bug problems like that. Perhaps this should go in the confessions thread, but I seriously hate bugs.

People who have lived in the Prairies their whole life all seem to think the same (me included years back). Once I realized that places that aren't incredibly dry lead to these things, I accepted it.

I'm just thankful we don't get cockroaches. Silverfish I can handle, most of them are tiny anyways.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by ShaolinFlame

People who have lived in the Prairies their whole life all seem to think the same (me included years back). Once I realized that places that aren't incredibly dry lead to these things, I accepted it.

I'm just thankful we don't get cockroaches. Silverfish I can handle, most of them are tiny anyways.

Unless the previous tenants of your apartment brought them from overseas prior to you moving in.