Ewww! Icky Icky Silver Fish!

[TaraF]

Please someone tell me how to get rid of these ICKY things! First we rent in an apartment building. I noticed them in the bathroom around the sink and on the walls (like one at a time not a huge army of them or anything) lol and I'd squish them. We plug the drains when we aren't using them and hadn't really seen any for weeks. THEN tonight my kitty was playing with something on the rug (it's carpeted everywhere but the bathroom and kitchen) and my husband leaned down and said "well it's dead already but it's a silverfish". UGHHHH. GROSSSSS!!!! Is this something we should complain to the managers about? Or is this common in an apartment? Also, how do you get rid of them?! I read about pouring bleach down the drains like 50/50 bleach to water but anything else? I'm most definitely vacuuming every day now! lol ICKY!

[Lynn49]

Oh, crap, Tara.....now what??!!!
Sorry I don't have any advice...carpeting is the culprit, I'm thinking...too bad you can't get rid of it...
And YES absolutely I'd complain to the manager!!!
I hope you can rid yourself of those and the sooner the better!!!

[Kitty77]

Oh, Tara, what next? Just what you need, try vacuuming all the baseboards, try some Raid, but think you would have to make sure Kitty is outside for awhile. Sure hope you are well enough to do all this cleaning.
Take care and hope you get rid of the darn bugs!!

[Natalka]

Ew and ick.... apparently there are a wide variety of options to try get rid of them.
Most say Borax is the best - put some in muffin cups and put all over the place.
Your place has to be quite humid and very warm - get a dehumidifier and keep your temp down.

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

http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pe...of-silverfish/

http://voices.yahoo.com/how-rid-silv...938.html?cat=6


If it were our home, I'd be totally using this

[hollyquaiscer]

You will definitely be doing a lot of cleaning for sure, but please take it easy and do a bit at a time. The Borax is the best I would think, it kills almost any insect. You'll need to clean every cupboard, closet and nook and cranny. I would definitely be contacting the landlord as well, they need to steam clean every single room where there is carpet. Just check to ensure it won't ruin the carpets, but if it's ok, I would sprinkle Borax on all the carpeted areas the morning the carpet cleaners are coming, and keep kitty in the kennel until the carpets have been done. Also, don't get the carpets done until you have cleaned every inch of the house or they may return to the carpet from a cupboard or something. Please, please ensure that all your food is in containers that they can't get into. If the place is older, hopefully the landlord will just re-carpet, and . . . I think the landlord should be paying for someone to clean the place and fumigate too. You should be in a clean, pest free apartment, not one that has bugs. Worth checking out anyways. I wish you luck Tara as your plate is so full right now, this is not something you need to deal with, what a pain in the @ss

[roseofblack25]

I'm afraid to google what these are...but did anyway and EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW it's those nasty things!
I would be using the flamethrower idea mentioned...
We get them a lot at my parents place because there is no real basement and the place sits low to the ground so they get into the house...Thankfully we don't have carpet anywhere there, but still we would yell at mom to kill them and never walk around in bare feet at night! LOL!

[TaraF]

Thanks for the ideas guys! I think I prefer the flamethrower method but I'm not sure insurance would cover the damages lol and being renters I don't think it would be too appreciated My moms house had the odd once because she had no basement, just a crawl space but it was all hardwood so when they did come in they were easy to spot and kill. Of course out freaking carpet here HAS to be a blue/grey too! All but one room that is beige. UGH. Borax.... with a kitty and a puppy around (who try to eat everything) I guess I could put them in small dishes behind the sofas where they can't get. I'll try that.

[Minou]

I don't think I would freak out about silverfish -- they're not like bedbugs. Your landlord should be able to call a pest control company to get rid of them.

[Scottishgal]

Always amazes me how quickly everyone helps with ideas on here. My Mom said Borax as well. Good Luck to you

[abbasgirl]

I had them in my apartment too for awhile. They aren't a health hazard, but they're definitely gross and they can be destructive - they eat things like book bindings and some fabrics. I don't think the carpets are the issue because I don't have any.
I got rid of them completey by sealing the cracks in the bathroom where they were hanging out with caulk (between baseboards and walls, etc.) and sprinkling diatomaceous earth in cracks and crevices. What really did the trick for me was when I sprinkled it around the edges of the balcony next to the wall - I guess that's where they were coming in. I used to see 1 or 2 every day, but I haven't seen any in several months. Diatomaceous earth works by drying them out when they crawl through it. It's not toxic, but you should avoid breathing it in or having the cat in the room when you're sprinkling it. Borax would work in a similar way, although I personally didn't find it as effective.

[abbasgirl]

Don't bother putting the borax (or diatomaceous earth) in dishes. It's not a bait. You want them to crawl through it and get it on them. You only need a thin, barely visible layer - not enough to be dangerous to pets.