The Key To Getting Silverfish Out Of Your Dallas Home Once And For All

Are you dealing with silverfish getting into your Dallas home? Are you finding them crawling around on your bathroom floor, in the storage areas of your home, or in your basement? If so, there are a few things you should know about these insects. Let's take a look at what silverfish are doing inside your Dallas home because understanding this is key to getting rid of them once and for all.

Moisture And Silverfish Go Together

If you have silverfish, you have moisture issues. It is as simple as that. Moisture attracts these pests to your exterior. Moisture dampens wood and makes it more susceptible to wood-destroying pests. And silverfish could have gotten into your home through a hole created by a wood-destroying pest. If so, you have more important problems than silverfish.

Exterior Moisture

When you reduce the moisture near your home, you reduce silverfish. Some of the ways you can reduce moisture may not be immediately obvious. Here are a few suggestions:

• Fixed damaged gutters, splash guards, and downspouts.
• Clean your gutter system of obstructions.
• Trim tree branches that block the sun and create dampness near your home.
• Water your landscaping in the morning so that the water has time to dry before evening.
• Put spacing between the plants in your landscaping. This provides better airflow, which will help to quickly dry topsoil after watering.
• Rake leaves away from your exterior and bag them up.
• Move objects away from your home that blocks the sun and provides dark, damp areas underneath for silverfish and other pests to flourish.

Entry Points

Silverfish don't directly damage the wood of your home. They have to use holes created by other pests or find some other opening. If you want to keep silverfish out of your home, you have to find these openings and seal them up. Here are a few places to look:

• Examine the wood on the exterior of your home, such as visible sole plates, visible wood siding, wood that touches the soil, and exterior structures. If you see wood rot or holes created by pests, a caulking gun can help you temporarily seal those holes and keep pests out.
• Examine your doors thoroughly. Silverfish can get in through gaps in the rubber seal around your doors, damaged seals around the frames, holes created by wood-destroying pests, and damaged door sweeps.
• Examine your windows thoroughly. Silverfish can get in through damaged screens, damaged frames, broken seals, and broken window panes. It is usually a combination of these that allows silverfish to enter. Broken seals around window frames or holes created by wood-destroying pests are the ways silverfish will find direct entry into wall voids.
• Examine your foundation walls. If you find cracks in the concrete, gaps around pipes, openings around wire conduit, or other openings, seal them up.

Interior Moisture

Silverfish won't do well inside your home if it is dry. These insects get dehydrated easily. There are a few ways you can dry these pests out.

• Use fans to vent humidity out of bathrooms.
• If your home has a basement or cellar, use a dehumidifier to reduce humidity levels.
• Lay down diatomaceous earth in areas where children and pets won't get into it. As silverfish walk across diatomaceous earth, it cuts their exoskeletons and they dehydrate more quickly.

Food Sources

It is nearly impossible to remove food options from your home. Silverfish eat a wide variety of things, including wallpaper. But you can remove or limit desirable food sources like damp cardboard, paper, and books. If you're storing these items in a room that is humid or damp, consider putting them in plastic totes. This will not only reduce them as an attractant for silverfish, but it will also protect them from being damaged.

How All-Safe Pest & Termite Can Help

When it comes to controlling pests, the best course of action is ongoing pest control for your Dallas home. Routine visits from a licensed and experienced pest professional will give your exterior the protection it needs to repel and eliminate pests. Plus, a trained pest professional can properly diagnose pest problems and let you know if you have something more serious than a silverfish infestation, such as a termite or carpenter ant problem. Don't wait till pests destroy your property. Reach out to All-Safe today and get your protection in place.