Get Rid of Silverfish!

I've got a silversish problem. I need to get rid of the silverfish! They're simply eating up my paper: my notes and my books. It's annoying. So I'm doing a bit research as to how to get rid of these household pests! Of course the first stop is the Wikipedia page for silverfish. Geez, these guys have been around for 300 million years?!

Elimination of Silverfish

Non-lethal

By far the most effective way to be rid of silverfish for sure is to keep an area or room tidy, limiting the possible number of breeding grounds they have.
Ensuring showers, baths etc. are rinsed clean and free of any residual toiletries that may attract hungry silverfish.
Leaving the bathroom door open after a shower to lessen the humidity
To capture silverfish, trap in small glass containers -- silverfish cannot climb up the smooth inside walls.
Silverfish can also be caught by sprinkling plaster on a wet white cotton cloth put in a corner overnight, near the silverfish's hideout.

Lethal

It is important when filling crevices in which silverfish are living or may potentially live to use a filler material which is either toxic to insects, or does not contain materials which would supply the silverfish with a source of food.
A 1:1-ratio dispersion of borax or boric acid and sugar is a reliable bait to kill silverfish (relatively non-toxic to non-insects).
Adults can be killed by freezing, but it is difficult to kill the eggs.

Silverfish Control

The following steps are
effective in reducing populations of silverfish or firebrats over time:

Eliminating moisture
in the immediate vicinity of an infestation. Dry out an area and keep it
dry. Using desiccants such as silica gel in the microhabitat may accelerate
this drying process. Frequently the installation of moist wallboards in
new construction projects will introduce silverfish into an area.
Prevent access to food,
especially starch containing materials such as paper. Enclose in tightly
sealed containers if possible. Another method is to use sticky tape or
chalk barrier to prevent silverfish or firebrats from climbing up the legs
of equipment.
The use of heat, especially
for the common silverfish, and cold for the firebrat will reduce populations
significantly. By maintaining a room at a temperature consistently below
60 degrees F, both species will be discouraged from breeding.
If environmental conditions
cannot be altered, and they are ideal for firebrat development (warm temperature
and high moisture with lots of cracks and crevices) then a combination
of traps and baits may help reduce populations to acceptable levels.
It is always a good
idea to improve sanitation by picking up accumulated debris, drying out
the area and removing any potential sources of food.

The roof void and wall cavities should be treated with a synthetic pyrethroid dust using specialised "dust blower" equipment. Other areas, such as basements, storage rooms and the like can be treated with a synthetic pyrethroid spray. (Source)
Sources of any undue moisture, such as faulty plumbing
or condensation that provide the humidity favored by these pests should
be eliminated.
Dehumidifying reduces the moisture content of the
air that these insects find essential. Some methods for dehumidifying
include:

Mend leaking pipes.
Ventilate closed rooms and attics.
Eliminate standing water.
Use a dehumidifier an air conditioner.
Use silica gel which acts like a desiccant such as DRIONE
DUST.

Regularly vacuuming cracks and crevices with a narrow vacuum tip
also can be a good method to physically remove these insects from their
harborages.

Removal of food sources , stored in tight containers.

If you have a slight problem of silverfish inside your home, a good
residual perimeter treatment of:

DEMON
WP insecticide or TALSTAR
ONE insecticide

Talstar
One insecticide, sprayed around entry points and foundation
of the house would be sufficient.

Spray along the foundational wall, with a two or three foot band.

Demon WP or Talstar One One:

DEMON WP and Talstar One last for two to three months.

Both products are odorless. The wettable powder (WP) formulation in
the Demon WP will leave a slight film that can be seen against dark
surfaces. The Talstar One does not leave a film.

However if you have a more severe problem with silverfish , look
into stored boxes and the insulation in your attic. It is best to
dust or bait these areas for greater control.

When you use baits or dusts, you do want to get it as close as possible
to their habitats to be effective.
You never want to bait and dust in areas that are visible.
Dust needs to be in hidden areas such as :
Attics-Insulation
Behind Refrigerators and Ovens
Boxes
Light fixtures
Electrical outlets
Under siding .

A recommended dust for silverfish control would be <

DRIONE
DUST. It is a desiccant dust that last for 6 months.

It dries up insects has they pass through it. Apply it in the attic
in the insulation area in particular, under siding, in storage boxes,light
fixtures, electrical outlets.

Apply it to areas that can be kept dry. An easy way to apply DRIONE
DUST, if broadcasting in the insulation area would be the use of a duster

called the DUSTIN
MIZER,cranking out a large amount of dust at a time.

You will want one lb. of dust per 800-1000 sq. ft.

For smaller dust jobs the BULB
DUSTER or BELLOWS
8 OZ. DUSTER would work fine.

Another very effective way is the use of baits in the attic or on
the outside for silverfish control.

. NIBAN
OR INTICE GRANULAR BAITS works very well

against silverfish as well as roaches and crickets.

It can be sprinkled out in a self contained one lb. bag, in all the
areas you believe they are hiding.

You can also you a residual aerosol like

D-FORCE
HPX with a crack and crevice tip, enabling
you to get behind baseboards and corners of traveling paths of the silverfish.
This type of aerosol is very helpful in bathrooms where silverfish like
to eat the back of wallpaper.

SILVERFISH
PAKS are designed to go inside. These Paks destroy these
year-round pests that eat wool, paper, linen and cellulose materials.
Place odorless, wafer-thin packets under rugs, behind curtains, in closets
and dark hidden places . Place away from children and pets. Niban/Intice
and Silverfish Paks both are designed to attract the silverfish as they
eat, functioning as long term baits.

If you do not know the exact location of the habitat of the silverfish
and cannot treat it directly, baits are ideal for silverfish control.

Silverfish Shelf Liners
Ingredients:
* Sheets of brown paper or wrapping paper
* Glue (to make your own flour and water glue just add 1 cup flour to 1 cup boiling water)
* Boric acid

Mix 1 part glue to 1 part boric acid; wipe over paper then press another sheet down on it, be liberal with the glue mix and press well. Dry well.

Insert liners in between layers of important documents or use as drawer liners or to line bookshelves or behind framed posters.

You can also add ground cloves and ground cinnamon to the mix. This will repel silverfish to some extent and will certainly make the drawer smell good. If you add too many spices with the boric acid however it won't stick well...it's best to make two separate lots of liners, one perfumed to scent your drawers and the other to control silverfish.

What damage do Silverfish Cause?

The silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) and the firebrat (Thermobia domestica) cause damage in homes by eating foods and other materials that are high in starch, protein, or sugar. They feed on cereals, moist flour, any paper on which there is glue or paste, sizing in paper including wall paper and book bindings, starch in clothing and some fabrics. They eat holes in paper and may consume the paste that holds wallpaper to walls. Ragged edges on bindings of books may be a result of the feeding. On fabric there may be feeding marks on individual fibers, and yellowish stains, expecially on linens.

The favorite food of silverfish is any matter that contains starch or polysaccharides, such as dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings, paper, photos, sugar, hair, and dandruff. Silverfish can also cause damage to books, tapestries, and textiles. Silverfish will commonly graze in and around showers, baths, and sinks on the cellulose present in many shampoos, shaving foams and so on. Apart from these cases, the damage caused by silverfish is negligible and they have no direct effect on human health beyond psychological distress to those who are frightened or disgusted by their appearance.

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