Wednesday, August 10, 2005

New Developments on the Silverfish Defense Front


Silverfish
Lespisma sacchrina

Ugh!! I have been battling these insects since we moved in here in 2003, and by battling, I mostly mean waging war when we come into contact with each other. I tend to not like to kill things, in the event that some larger swarm of family might come to avenge their death.

I am reading some pretty disturbing and disgusting facts about these most creepy of bugs.
They are silvery brown and wingless, and covered in scales from head to toe.
They are called living fossils, because they are basically pre-insect, which usually tend to have wings.

Charming!

Apparently they are classed as "chewing insects", meaning that they literally are sucking and rasping their little hearts out in my house. In the dark. At night. At which time the light exposes them, and they try to slither away.
They move FAST!

They are everywhere.
And I am FORCED to co-exist with them.
I have been reluctant to use any toxic product, as I am phobic of chemicals, but I have a fantastic tip that might rid me of a few million of them.
So before you go to bed, roll up a newspaper,wet it, and leave it out somewhere where you've seen them slithering.
In the morning...and I would suggest to move fast and be ready.
You just grab the newspaper and dispose of it into a plastic bag and be rid of it.

This should draw hoards and hoards of them out from their hiding places.
It sounds heinous to even suggest doing such a thing, but they are such a nuisance, that it must be done.
I can imagine how the ink draws them out, because I've seen them scuttle out of the freshly printed paper that might have been lying on the floor for a time.
It's gross.
I even had one pass over the next page in my hardcover that was in bed with me.

I EVEN have a bad flashback to the time I found one on little e's back in bed with me.
It was reminiscent of something from David Cronenburg.
shudder

Wish me luck...

3 comments:

Jeremy Stevens said...

RAID.

Insecticide is not a crime. I think I would last about thirty seconds in sufferage of those insideous beasts.

And before you judge me, I am the type to collect a spider and put it outside, instead of smashing it into a small paste. Those Silverfish are pests. You serve no one by allowing them to propogate. Kill them, and be done with it. Your neighbors will thank you.

kntgrl said...

My neighbours probably have mice.
we'll see.....

Claire Nixon said...

Paper attracts them... they are an interesting pest. Best to be rid of them... before they take over your home...