SILVERFISH does lavender oil work

[addictedtolatte]

I have got silverfish in my home and can't concentrate on anything except abolishing these slippery monsters. I don't want to use the pesticide as I have children who are fingers in pies type of ones :-) I have been told lavender oil deters these. Does anyone have any success stories of eradicating silverfish.

My house is now covered in lavender oil and I am hoping for a miracle.

Just googled silverfish and realised they are living in my bathroom coming out at night. Watching thread for tips

you can take the bath panel out, and spray "ant and crawling insect killer" under the bath. Then put the bath panel back and the treatment will be out of reach of children and pets.

Otherwise, you can use the sprays behind WC or basin pedestals, and around the skirting board. It dries to a hard film which poisons insects through their feet, so there is no free powder or liquid, though I suppose a determined child could lick it. Clean and wet-mop the surfaces first. Next time you wet-mop or wash down the hard surfaces, you will clean it away.

I think they come out of cracks in the walls don't they? So see if you have any obvious places where they could be. I also have children like that (is lavender oil any better for them?) and spray stuff (we have ants at the moment) as soon as they have gone to bed so it has overnight to dissipate and they are not around when it is fresh. Would that be an option?

Thanks both for your good advice. I've put the powder behind the bath panel like you suggested. Also had dehumidifier on all night and put some lavender oil in the Hooveron kitchen roll in the Hoover bags to let out the vapor. I may have a house full of silverfish but at least it will smell nice lol

As an alternative to the hard-surface sprays, if they are living in an enclosed area, such as under the bath which is closed in by a panel, you could try moth-killing hangers which contain Transfluthrin.

They emit a tiny quantity of a low-persistency insecticide which kills moths larvae and eggs, and also kills mosquitoes and cockroaches, so I suppose it would probably work with silverfish.

The moth hangers are unusual because they emit such a tiny quantity of vapour that they only work inside closed wardrobes and drawers, the vapour breaks down in sunlight or rain and is dispersed in fresh air, so it will be not hanging around inside your house, and will be away from children and pets. However they work for three to six months (read the label). I usually get mine from Robert Dyas.

I am especially looking for treatments which are unlikely to be touched by children and pets. There are other similar brands.

Flea spray kills the buggers.