Silverfish

Silverfish are slender, wingless insects, shiny silver in appearance, approximately 10mm long with three, long bristletails at the end of their body. They can be found in moist places such as kitchens and bathrooms, underneath floors, sinks, in cupboards, and along pipes where they hide during the day and feed during the night. They are extremely fast runners and are sometimes seen trapped in wash hand basins or baths where they are unable to climb out. Silverfish are scavengers and can cause damage in the home by eating materials such as wallpaper, or books and other materials that are high in protein, sugar, starch, cereals. They are easily controlled with sprays.

Best Methods for Controlling your Pest

DIY or The Professionals?

You will usually be able to deal with silverfish on a DIY basis

First:

deal with the dampness and humidity problems that have caused silverfish to take up residence
remove all habitat from the area that silverfish love to live in, boxes, papers etc.
use a vacum cleaner to remove all debris from the area

Non-chemical treatment:

where there are dry conditions behind skirting, under floorboards etc. dust lightly with a silica type dust
where the conditions are too damp to use a dust, use a non-chemical spray

Chemical treatment:

where there are dry conditions behind skirting, under floorboards etc. dust lightly with an isecticidal dust
where the conditions are to damp to use a dust, use a non-chemical spray

Use pesticides safely and always read and understand the label