Have You Checked Your Roof for this Nasty Houseguest?

Summer is the perfect time to have houseguests in your Chicagoland home. The weather is beautiful, and festivals, amusement parks, and zoos abound. Best of all, you can spend your evenings outdoors, reminiscing with family members and old friends about the “good ol’ days,” maybe even bringing out old photos. There’s another houseguest that also loves the old photos and books you have stored in your attic. This one, however, won’t return them. We’re talking about the silverfish – the 1-inch long, shiny silver critter with three tails and a taste for fabric, paper, and book bindings. You’re the most at risk for silverfish if you live in a home with a cedar shake roof, since these tend to hold more moisture, and the mold they accumulate is a tasty feast for silverfish. Eventually, they’ll move beyond your shingles and into your attic in search of an ideal climate, and often they’ll even end up in your kitchen or bathroom. Silverfish travel long distances to find a good food source, and when they find it, they tend to settle down for the duration of their two-year life span. Worse yet, a good food source means a healthy environment for egg-laying. Females lay year round and can lay up to 100 eggs in their lifetime.

If you have silverfish…

The first thing to do is eliminate humidity as much as possible inside your home, and move any important papers, books, photos, and fabric-based items from more humid spaces like your attic. If you have a cedar shake roof, it’s best to replace your shingles with a non-wood material. If you have a serious problem, the best course of action is to call in the professionals. At Pointe Pest Control, our experts will bait the silverfish out of their tricky hiding places and exterminate them safely and effectively. That means you get to keep your old photos – and your piece of mind – and instead enjoy your good friendships and long summer nights.