Silverfish

[MuddyMoose]

Posting for traffic! Any advice on how to get rid of silverfish?
The house is regularly cleaned & hoovered. Not particularly damp. Not in the country (not sure if that's even relevant as I'm not entirely sure what encourages them??)
Every so often they disappear then suddenly reappear again. Can they bite?

I have these. Never managed to completely get rid but they are very few and far between now. We steamed all the skirting boards and then sprayed with this, reapplying every 4 weeks.
Used silicone sealant on all the inside shelves in kitchen cupboards and tried the rolled up newspaper trick which got rid of more of them.
Don’t think they bite but they can ruin books as they eat the glue and paper. m.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Silverfish?amp=1#Trapping_Silverfish_sub

It took me a year to get rid of a really bad infestation in an barn with thick walls that was empty for two years previously.

I didn't want to use chemicals so basically I put damp bath towels down around the edges of the rooms; this encourages them from out under the skirting in a dark damp environment. Turned the lights off and wait.

Rolled the towels back starting from the skirting towards the centre of the room and squashed them.

Over 100 most nights, took 8 weeks.

I felt bad at first but then it was war.

Fortunately we were living next door so I could pop back in a few times over an evening.

Heating is on now and I haven't seen one for over a year... there are now however mice in the roof so tips needed there.

This stuff from Amazon. It really does seem to work.

I must be odd. We have a little colony in our utility room. I love them! I think they're so pretty. Big ones, medium ones and then little cute baby ones. It's not a very big colony and never seems to get worse otherwise I expect I'd feel differently.

So I'm no help on how to get rid of them but can confirm I have never been bitten by one!

Stay I've had no mice since getting a cat. I liked the mice too but not in my kitchen cupboards so must admit the cat performs a useful service.

Silverfish hate the smell of cinnamon. Buy some cinnamon essential oil, dilute it in a spray bottle and spray around the places they come in twice a day. They will never return.

Far better than poisoning your house with dangerous chemicals.

Ha ha, when I saw this thread the one above was called Easter roast. I was hoping you were giving suggestions for the meal!

Try a product like those mentioned by PPs or just keep sweeping them up or squashing them. Earwigs, spiders and house centipedes like to eat them, so if you'd prefer those then invite them in for a snack. I have never heard of them biting either.

Thank you all for very useful replies. I have a very active 2 year old who gets himself into almost everything so I think I'll try the cinnamon first then use the actual chemical products as a last resort.

We also have kids and the product says that it's safe once it's dry. OH sprays it on a night when we all go upstairs to bed.

aren't they one of the oldest surviving species on the planet?

Antibles, your not alone. We have a family of them living under the bath, I chat to them if they come out when I'm sitting on the loo!

I used R.I.P. Fleas spray and finally got rid of them after 4 years of trying.

Oddly enough, 7 years later, I saw one n the kitchen today, so gong to buy another can and get ready for war.