Silverfish problem?

cazs

Hi,

I was in the kitchen yesterday at about 10pm and noticed a creature on the kitchen worktop.

From looking it up on the internet, I am pretty sure it was a silverfish. I squished it and binned it but...

I am worried now.

Does seeing one mean there's more?

What shall I do to prevent an outbreak if it hasn't already happened.

I live in a 10 year old 3rd floor flat (moved in 4 months ago) and clean it every week.

simple_but_sweet

maybe i'm completely wrong but i always thought silverfish were from dampness. i've only ever heard of them when theres been a leak left for a long time under vinyl.

fwor

In the overall scheme of things, silverfish are pretty harmless.

But I'd be concerned that it may indicate other problems in a 3rd floor flat, as they do indeed need damp conditions to survive. It would be worth checking things like gutters and any flashing for signs of damage/leakage.

Seeing one or two isn't a sign that you will get lots - we used to see them occasionally in our old house and in 30 years they never caused a problem (we just let them get on with their minor nibbling of the carpets!).

s_b

we have a minor problem with them in the bathroom where i made it all victorian ish
i dont like them but without ripping everything out ive learnt to live with them
reminds me when i was a kid we had them on the old sideboard all the time but you only got to see them if you turned the lights on on a night and caught them

Hintza

They won't cause you any problems, but could be worth finding out what is causing the dampness.

s_b

Hintza wrote: »

They won't cause you any problems, but could be worth finding out what is causing the dampness.

they are leather jackets
not silver fish:p

Blackpool_Saver

that's a woodlouse isn't it? correction, they are woodlice

s_b

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

that's a woodlouse isn't it? correction, they are woodlice

yes
but i was brung up to call them leather jackets
or maybe i made it up myself as a kid

Itismehonest

Leather jackets are the larvae(?) of crane flies - daddy longlegs.

Ben84

I usually associate silverfish with damp, so would look for any sources of damp in the house that might need removing and drying out. Condensation or a leaking pipe/window frame for example.

As for the silverfish themselves, I don't believe they're harmful as they're not known to spread diseases or bite people, they just might get in to food which of course puts people off eating it.

I try to put food in jars and tins to avoid bugs in the kitchen anyway, because all it takes is a bag of flour with insects bought in one day and you can end up with a kitchen full of bugs you didn't want. Sealing gaps with silicone helps remove hiding places too.

So, remove the water, food and hiding places and you should hopefully find any insects that turn up in your kitchen don't manage to multiply and live there.

Valli

We have silverfish at work. They are what people in Lancashire call 'wick' - quick moving.
My colleague had a cereal bar, left half of it and ate it later and thought it tasted odd - then a couple of silverfish shot out!
I used to see the odd one in the bathroom - mind you, when we first moved in we had centipedes in there - and they are carnivorous!

Oh my! apparently there are such things as house centipedes...looks like I was right about what 'mine' were munching.

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