An Item From Your Fruit Bowl Is All You Need To Keep Silverfish At Bay

Silverfish are not as cute as their name might imply. They're nuisance bugs and even though they won't bite and they don't carry diseases like mosquitoes, they can do damage, especially when there's an infestation. If you've seen a couple of these silvery, slightly worm-like creatures with long antennas, get ready to pounce into action. Unlike bugs with a lifespan of a few hours or days, these suckers can live up to eight years, so the sooner you can give them an exit strategy, the better. We love a home remedy, so how about reaching into your fruit bowl for a lemon? Yup, any citrus fruit will help repel silverfish from your home and give you some peace of mind.

Silverfish like dark, damp, humid environments, so you might see them in utility or cutlery drawers, crawling in cabinets, and near pipes in the bathroom or kitchen. They also eat paper, so if you have piles of paper clutter, that's another place they might like to congregate. They like starch too, so these mini carb fiends might infiltrate the cardboard boxes of oatmeal and cereal sitting in your cupboard. This can work in your favor — you can rid yourself of silverfish and make these pests a thing of the past with a sneaky oatmeal trap. Since you don't want them contaminating your food or eating your dissertation, now that you know where they hang out, it's time to act.

What do you have on hand? Whether it's oranges, grapefruits, lemons, or limes, it's time to peel a few of them. Take a couple of fruits, whatever you have, and peel them by hand, tearing the skin into tiny pieces. You might want to store your now-naked fruits in sealed glassware in the fridge to use later. We suggest you place the citrus peels wherever you've spotted any silverfish and especially in the places we've mentioned that they're likely to scavenge. Replace the peels after they've completely dried out.

To supercharge your efforts, we encourage you to use two pest-repelling options at the same time. While a delightful scent of spring for humans, the smell of citrus is a horrific nightmare to silverfish. In addition to the peels, juice a lemon or lime and swirl it with some water in a clean spray bottle. Spritz inside your cupboard, drawers, cabinets, and near your pipes. Similarly, you can also take lemon essential oil and do the same thing — add the oil to water and liberally spray it around. Pro tip: Pour your oatmeal and cereals out of their cardboard boxes and into separate airtight plastic storage containers. There are at least eight other ways to get rid of silverfish, but in the unfortunate case that you've spotted an ungodly amount of these pests, call an exterminator.