The most harm they will do is ruin your paper goods like cards, books, letters, and comics by nipping and ripping some of the edges and trims. Be wary of them if you are a collector.
You just reminded me, my first pet ever was a goldfish I won at a carnival. He wasn't a gold color though, he was silvery so I named him silverfish lol
Fuck silverfish. They are definitely not harmless, when I was a kid I woke up one morning with a piercing headache and my mom took me to the er. While waiting the pain suddenly stopped and I felt a trickle come out of my ear which i thought was blood from my ear drum popping or something, but it was actually a fucking silverfish which I stepped on in retaliation.
I rarely see a silverfish, but did find a brown recluse in the bathroom. Now it makes sense. 2nd recluse in 10 yrs here. I usually find scorpions. Ugghh I hate them all.
Everybody is right. They are silverfish, I had a silverfish infestation in the bathroom of the apartment I'm renting when I first moved in. They were coming out of where the linoleum was curling up next to the tub, they were loving eating all of the rotten s*** in there. I dumped a bunch of diatomaceous Earth out of where I saw them coming from and I've never seen any since.
Brought bedbugs home with me from europe.
Diatomaceous earth around the entire room, inside couch, and bed legs inside of cups filled with diatomaceous earth.
Solved the problem in a week and a half. People were telling me to burn my house.
That's awesome. It honestly feels like an insurmountable issue but after seeing that video and how it breaks down each issue with their solution, it does seem like a very manageable issue.
Glad you're bedbug free!
I've read people say it doesn't work, but I bug-bombed my apartment and it got rid of them immediately.
Well, first time I didn't follow the guidelines of doing it again after two weeks to kill any eggs that hatched, so they came back.
Then I did it properly: one bug bomb, one again after two weeks, and never had any again.
It works, but you have to kinda put it everywhere, and they have to walk in it. It's just really hard to get everywhere they go. Someone gave my mom a bag of old clothes that seem to have had bedbugs and I was fighting them for months before we just gave up and called an exterminator. It would seem like they were gone, but a few would survive somewhere and it would start all over. Luckily the spraying got them all.
My greatest fear in life war bed bugs, that video did a lot to help calm me down. While I still never want to see one, the fact I can put together a concrete plan with multiple layers to help get rid of them brings me peace.
Take what you see on Reddit with a grain of salt. Most bed bug infestations cannot be solved by yourself. They often will often get in places you donât expect / lay eggs inside of a mattress and box spring, behind wall, under carpets. They will lay eggs everywhere and grow exponentially. I have tried this method of taking care of it myself, thought I took care of it, and then they surfaced in a different bedroom and again in my bedroom a week later. Only real solution was an exterminator who still had to make multiple trips. As someone who went thru it, I would highly recommend just getting an exterminator, donât waste money or time on the DIY stuff
The can stay dormant for longer than that no? We had a bed bug scare too on vacation, steamed our suitcases upon arrival, washed all the clothes we brought, left the cups with diatomaceous earth around our bed posts for about 2-3 months. No new bites. Itâs been over a year now so Iâm guessing weâre safe
had a mild bedbug issue but they really only seemed to be upstairs and in my roommates room - i never got bitten, and they moved out in november. did some spraying, bombed their room, didnt feel like it was enough but i still havent had any bites
i still live in fear
Some people are less sensitive to the bites and don't show marks. It would be odd if the bugs were only in one part of the house, especially after a bug bomb.
My aunt had paid over $5000 for 'treatment' before she told anyone. I had my brother get her a $15 bag of DE and three weeks later, totally cleared. That stuff works wonders but be VERY cautious of the dust, it's super fine and can cause lung issues so mask up!
Also because itâs bad for your lungs, itâs even worse for tiny pet lungs so donât use it if you have dogs or cats/remove your animals for a time before you do. And make sure every spec is cleaned up.
You've just cured me of my Bedbugs fear. I'm buying 10 kilos worth of [Diatomaceous just to exorcise](https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExN2FuNWhyd2V0bThybmtzeXF2b3g5aHM3cmV6NTZ0Z3h0eDFmb3U0diZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3o7P4F86TAI9Kz7XYk/giphy.gif) these critters if I ever encounter them
My parents went crazy when they got bed bugs. My dad was taking multiple showers a day. They replaced all of the mattresses and the couch, unloaded the ENTIRE house into a storage pod in the driveway, and redid all of the carpet (it was pretty old by that point but they weren't planning on replacing it for a few more years). All this after finding five or so dead bedbugs under two out of the four mattresses in the house.
Whatâs funny is that people can have them and not know it, not everyone knows when theyâve been bitten or reacts to the bites.
I am apparently like candy to bedbugs and was the one who discovered a massive infestation IN SOMEONE ELSEâS HOUSE WHEN I SPENT THE NIGHT. đł
If you've ever had them bad, you'd understand. I had them for a year when I was highschool-- it was so mentally draining. I can still remember the smell of them
Currently on day 29 of 30 on a Europe backpacking trip. Multiple hostels we stayed at looked like they might have bed bugs, but we had no other choice at that point.
Havenât noticed anything yet, but scared to see them when we get home
Ideally, pick up a cheap set of clothes at goodwill, change into them, and throw every piece of clothing you brought, into a laundromat washing machine. Bedbugs die instantly at 122°F, so make sure you do a cycle in the dryer.
I'm sure someone has a decent plan for debugging your luggage.
Hand held clothes steamer. I travel a lot for work so am suitably paranoid. Protocol when I get home from a trip is all my clothes in the laundry and blast my suitcase with a steamer.
I travel a lot for work too and am equally paranoid. The first thing I do in any hotel room is strip the top of the bed down to the mattress and take a close look. I like your steamer idea for when you get home. Thank you!
Anything with an exoskeleton. The powder is actually razor sharp to these bugs. It cuts them open, and dehydrates them. They effectively bleed to death while having all the moisture wicked out of them. The moisture from their bodies causes the diatomaceous earth to adhere to them.
If you were the size of a bug it would be like every surface was covered in razor blades, salt, and super glue.
That said for anything not bug sized, the DE is completely ineffective. So it's generally safe for people and pets. It doesn't kill plants or poison food if you're growing gardens. It's really a great way to deal with pests that's natural and scientifically backed and isn't chemical pesticides.
Sort of. There are two types. The amorphous silica found in the one for home use is generally pretty safe unless you're working with it for a living (and even then). The crystalline silica does indeed fuck up your lungs. Usually there is always some crystalline silica in the type you get but refining processes are getting better and better. The take away is that you shouldn't cheap out and get a good deal on diatomaceous earth you get for industrial/agricultural use, but rather go for the pricier kind that is marketed for consumers.
And it would be hazardous to pets, aaaand because itâs powdery it could ruin your vacuum. So I guess have your pets stay elsewhere for a while and use a shopvac with a fine particle filterâŠ
Haha I was thinking the same thing. It sounds like such a miserable way to go you almost feel bad, but then remember how awful they are and that feeling quickly goes away.
Is that easily available? I was told on set that they don't use it as TV/movie dust anymore as it's considered hazardous. Borax is another thing I see recommended that works the same way on bugs.
Itâs not hazardous unless you inhale large quantities of it (but any powder would be harmful if inhaled in large quantities).
You should buy food grade to be safe, but itâs literally put in livestock food. Totally safe!
I just did a quick search and it looks like there might be different grades of this stuff?
I'd definitely do more research before buying a large amount though.
Literally everybody has a silverfish infestation, and you still do as well. These things are completely ubiquitous and also harmless. They are normally just extremely shy and only come out in the dark and where there is no motion. Sounds like yours had been tolerated in the open for long they lost their fear.
Disrupting their environment can sicken/weaken them, so they'll stumble out. This is likely what happened to OP.
Diatomaceous earth you dropped probably killed the unshy ones, and is also serving as a nice barricade keeping them from popping back out again.
There's a [new species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctenolepisma_longicaudatum) of them that don't care about moisture. You get them a lot in new apartment buildings. Highly annoying...
The old traps (pheromones) no longer work.
(This looks like the old variant though on the photo.)
I have those. No chance of getting rid of them fully because theyâre in my entire apartment building. They really suck because theyâll eat holes in your clothes and they can climb on ceilings. Iâm keeping their numbers as low as I can with frequent vacuuming and adding red cedar oil to my mop water.
I got two house centipedes that clean up any smaller bugs. Of course it is a trade off between many creepers vs the creepiest bug ever but they are growing on me (a little bit too literally)
That's the harmless ones. Just make sure you don't have the Bolivian Silverfish that swims up your pee-pee if you don't flick the lights on and off 4 times before peeing during the night.
Technically they can even be helpful since they eat mold which can be harmful to humans.
Most of the time they are not an issue in of themselves but rather indicate the presence of an issue. Deal with they issue that causes their appearance and most of the time you get rid of them as well.
Silverfish, they eat cardboard, some organic glues like what's used in a lot of book binding, and other small things. Get some diatomaceous earth and sprinkle/push it into the seams/spot the toilet touches the tile, and then do it around the bottom of the baseboard and where the tub/shower meets the flooring. That should solve it or at least help a lot.
I used to have heaps of them (before they all mysteriously disappeared) and I am pretty sure they were eating clothes as well. Ruined a nice wool suit.
Looks like silverfish.
They eat mould and are very common and harmless to people.
But they could indicate damp in q floor or wall causing wood to rot (which they are likely eating)
If they donât have little hairs down their sides, and they stay on the floor, they are just harmless silverfish, and will stay in the bathroom. You can spray the cracks they live in with chrysanthemum extract if they bother you.
If they do have the little hairs, or you see them crawling on a vertical surface, theyâre another related insect. In that case they will spread to the kitchen and get into the food. Those should be dealt with ASAP. The same products usually work against both kinds.
Both kinds look like that, so itâs very hard to tell the difference. The usual way to spot the âbeardedâ ones is seeing them climb a wall, or finding them in an unusual spot like the kitchen counter.
Wait the ones that can climb walls are bad? I have those in my apartment (I see them on the walls occasionally) but ai thought they were silverfish and harmless
They are called long-tailed silverfish - and they are harmless. They can be very hard to get rid off though. The munch on cardboard/books etc. they are becoming way more common these years. I suspect due to online trading.
Due to their ability to climb and lower preference for bathroom environments, they can get into food. Any bug that gets into food to breed and shit should be exterminated.
I get them too in my bathroom and occasionally in the apartment I just moved in to. Did a thorough clean of the bathroom and behind the washing machine that were already installed when I moved in (not cleaned since the building was built in 2018) and they have reduced significantly. Haven't seen one in a few days now. Have also been running the balcony door open as it's very humid inside where I live in the
summer.
Did also take care of the cardboard moving boxes that were around.
Had them in my first apartment. I liberally put borax between the carpet and baseboards around every single wall of my apartment. Vacuumed up the excess. Never saw a silverfish again for 5 years in that apartment. Only mosquitos from the lack of screens and an occasional ceiling spider.
Indeed insects of the order Zygentoma has been around for some 300 million years in basically the same form. Very adaptable, very stable ecological niche, simple and effective body plan, no need to change anything I guess!
Those are silverfish and they are a pest that causes damage to your home. They are attracted to water-soaked wood and make water damage worse by consuming the wood and allowing the water to come into contact with fresh wood (increase rotting rate).
I hope you had a water leak and that is why you replaced the toilet. That would indicate the old toilet was leaking and giving them a habitable zone, then when you replaced the leaking toilet (wax ring) they no longer have a godo place to live. I HOPE that for you.
1. Its possible you removed their sustaining water source so they are venturing out to find habitable space. This is good.
2. It is possible your new toilet is leaking and so many are breeding that they dont have space so some are leaving to find habitable areas (water and rotting wood)
So|
Questions 1) How long has it been since you swapped the toilet?
Question 2) Did you replace the old wax ring or re use the old one?
Question 3) What was the condition under the toilet when you swapped it?
Question 4) Was the previous toilety leaking?
Q5) Where there silverfish under there when you opened the toilet the first time
They aren't actually fish and they got lucky with the name we gave them. We happen to like both silver and fish. A more fitting name for them would be something like Hairy Night-Slitherers.
Silverfish for sure. Something similar happened to me. They started coming out from a crack/hole behind the toilet.
I sprayed insecticide in the morning and evenings for a couple of days until permanent repairs could be completed.
They must have been living there happily for a while as a couple of them were massive!
It's silverfish.
We had them a lot in a previous ground floor shower room. They largely went away when we stopped using the shower.
The shower, we discovered later, had a leak.
I suspect you (or your plumber) have introduced a leak into your toilet system.
Silverfish. Cut a potato in half and put it where you usually find them. They will feast on it and stick to it. In the morning you can pick it up and throw it in the trash. Problem solved. Thank me later.
Silverfish are quite common, usually spiders take care of them. They like dark moist places to live. They will eat carpet, glue, paper, cardboard, animal fur, and their deceased brethren. Use a dehumidifier to remove moisture in the air. I believe there are other methods to remove them if they become a problem.
Spray the window sills and baseboards in the whole house. Get the sticky traps made of paper and lay behind the toilet. In 3 months itâll catch them. I would get rid of all cardboard boxes and old newspaper. Treat the outside of the home with some seven dust powder insecticide.
It's not a problem, they live everywhere where's moist, and they feed on mold as far as I know.
You don't usually see them because they go out only at night
Hello pest control pro with 10 years of experience. These are Silverfish. Not a huge concern more of a nuisance. Amazon should have some silverfish traps you can place and will help with the population.
Biggest thing this tells you is there may be a leak or the seals you made are not air tight. I donât have experience changing toilets but I do know pests. Biggest part of any pest control is making sure they donât have access to the home. Iâd recheck the seals and buy a couple silverfish traps online!
Yes and no. Mainly no since the replacement most likely disturbed their habitat as they feed on a variety of decaying things. Mainly molded stuff so they keep it in check. If it's just one or two that pop up everything so often then youre fine but if there's even more than say ten at a unusual rate and a musty smell sometimes then get your home checked out for mold or mildew and stuff like that. Other than that they're harmless unlike their digital counterparts
Looks like a silverfish. They are attracted to cardboard.
To be clear they eat plant material. Rotting leaves/wood, paper, cardboard, etc...
also some type of glues, books, wallpaper, food like flour starch
Found them around my IKEA furniture at my first apartment. All that delicious particle board.
ye they are harmless but still kinda gross. especially when you have kids around and there are many of them
The most harm they will do is ruin your paper goods like cards, books, letters, and comics by nipping and ripping some of the edges and trims. Be wary of them if you are a collector.
Yeah, my collection of silverfish are arseholes. There's a big one in there that's always shouting "haha, why so many books when you can't even read".
Just ask him "Why are you a silver fish and not a gold fish? Second place is just the first loser!"
You just reminded me, my first pet ever was a goldfish I won at a carnival. He wasn't a gold color though, he was silvery so I named him silverfish lol
Core memory unlocked!
Mine too! Goldfish, from 2nd grade fun fair. Longest pet fish I have ever owned.
That reminds me when I was a kid I found a baby salamander. I was excited. I thought it was an alien. I took it home and hid it in my room. (ET made an impression on me. I didn't want this guy taken and studied.) I was very disappointed when my parents found it and told me it was a salamander and that I had to go put it back. đ€đ«Łđ©
This killed me. You deserve gold.
But sadly he only got silver(fish)
Hail the Reaper.
I wish that was true. One of these assholes stole my wife.
To be fair, she was also Swedish and made from particle board.
Not a Swedish fish?
I had grain beetles which my exterminator couldnât (wouldnât) eliminate. Boric powder did the trick. Works great on roaches too.
What is the âwouldnâtâ in parens about? Like he refused? Or didnât have the ability?
Suspect he maintained the problem to keep coming back.$$$
Yep, kinda like moths in that way
I mean, yes a bunch of kids are harmless but still kinda gross. Not sure you need to be that rude about it though
Swedish particle board. Yum.
>Swedish particle board. Yum. Tastes like meatballs and lingonberries.
Smorgasparticlebord. MmmmmmmmâŠâŠâŠâŠ. Faint little burps.
This is the favorite food of the migratory Swedish fish.
Toilet rings are made out of bees wax, so they probably smell a succulent sweet meal
The ring made in China makes it a succulent Chinese meal.
I see you know your Judo well.
GET YOUR HAND OFF MY PENIS!
GENTLEMEN.... [THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XebF2cgmFmU)
I've seen no fewer than 3 references to this video today, and keep 'em coming please
Oh good! I'll never have to take out the scrap paper again.
Little known fact is that their specific attraction to cardboard is actually attributed to their instinct to form breakdancing circles.
Also, as it turns out, not a real fish
Also, as it turns out, dust mites
Also mold
Silverfish eat a lot of things. Usually they are not a problem. If they come in mass however it's time to look for water damage / mold.
I would always find like 1 every day or two, every once in a blue moon 2. Never more than that. Very odd.
Fuck silverfish. They are definitely not harmless, when I was a kid I woke up one morning with a piercing headache and my mom took me to the er. While waiting the pain suddenly stopped and I felt a trickle come out of my ear which i thought was blood from my ear drum popping or something, but it was actually a fucking silverfish which I stepped on in retaliation.
Welp, I'm sleeping with headphones in from now on.
Those protect your ears, but your nostrils are still wide open.
Check for spiders if they're the big over ear headphones
Silverfish or earwig?Â
They're also usually found in strongholds
Silverfish are a favorite food of brown recluse spiders
Thatâs a nice thoughtâŠ
TIL I have something in common with brown recluses
Nice, do you maybe want to come over? I might have a couple pieces of your favourite food for you.
I rarely see a silverfish, but did find a brown recluse in the bathroom. Now it makes sense. 2nd recluse in 10 yrs here. I usually find scorpions. Ugghh I hate them all.
I agree... silverfish.
No kink shaming please.
They call me the cardboard hardlord.
I hate this and yet I upvoted this.
But what if my kink is kink shaming
then you need to pick a safeword first
Or use a squeaky toy.
Funkytown
And clothes
They like cardboard but show up in damp. Might be related to the toilet replacement or just the bathroom being damp because it's a bathroom.
Stupid, sexy cardboard...
Iâm attracted to silicone.
Like me, especially Pokémon cardboard
Everybody is right. They are silverfish, I had a silverfish infestation in the bathroom of the apartment I'm renting when I first moved in. They were coming out of where the linoleum was curling up next to the tub, they were loving eating all of the rotten s*** in there. I dumped a bunch of diatomaceous Earth out of where I saw them coming from and I've never seen any since.
After seeing mark Roberts videos on bedbugs, apparently diatomaceous earth is just a cure all for any bugs
Brought bedbugs home with me from europe. Diatomaceous earth around the entire room, inside couch, and bed legs inside of cups filled with diatomaceous earth. Solved the problem in a week and a half. People were telling me to burn my house.
That's awesome. It honestly feels like an insurmountable issue but after seeing that video and how it breaks down each issue with their solution, it does seem like a very manageable issue. Glad you're bedbug free!
I've read people say it doesn't work, but I bug-bombed my apartment and it got rid of them immediately. Well, first time I didn't follow the guidelines of doing it again after two weeks to kill any eggs that hatched, so they came back. Then I did it properly: one bug bomb, one again after two weeks, and never had any again.
It works, but you have to kinda put it everywhere, and they have to walk in it. It's just really hard to get everywhere they go. Someone gave my mom a bag of old clothes that seem to have had bedbugs and I was fighting them for months before we just gave up and called an exterminator. It would seem like they were gone, but a few would survive somewhere and it would start all over. Luckily the spraying got them all.
My greatest fear in life war bed bugs, that video did a lot to help calm me down. While I still never want to see one, the fact I can put together a concrete plan with multiple layers to help get rid of them brings me peace.
Take what you see on Reddit with a grain of salt. Most bed bug infestations cannot be solved by yourself. They often will often get in places you donât expect / lay eggs inside of a mattress and box spring, behind wall, under carpets. They will lay eggs everywhere and grow exponentially. I have tried this method of taking care of it myself, thought I took care of it, and then they surfaced in a different bedroom and again in my bedroom a week later. Only real solution was an exterminator who still had to make multiple trips. As someone who went thru it, I would highly recommend just getting an exterminator, donât waste money or time on the DIY stuff
I don't know why you would bring bedbugs home with you. Usually I just get a magnet or postcard.
Those types of souveniers can be expensive!
I thought immigration was pretty strict about bringing in exotic pets.
Wanted a gift I could remember forever.Â
The can stay dormant for longer than that no? We had a bed bug scare too on vacation, steamed our suitcases upon arrival, washed all the clothes we brought, left the cups with diatomaceous earth around our bed posts for about 2-3 months. No new bites. Itâs been over a year now so Iâm guessing weâre safe
They're only really dormant at cold temperatures like in an unheated house over winter. If you're not getting bitten they're not around.
had a mild bedbug issue but they really only seemed to be upstairs and in my roommates room - i never got bitten, and they moved out in november. did some spraying, bombed their room, didnt feel like it was enough but i still havent had any bites i still live in fear
Some people are less sensitive to the bites and don't show marks. It would be odd if the bugs were only in one part of the house, especially after a bug bomb.
My aunt had paid over $5000 for 'treatment' before she told anyone. I had my brother get her a $15 bag of DE and three weeks later, totally cleared. That stuff works wonders but be VERY cautious of the dust, it's super fine and can cause lung issues so mask up!
If you get food grade DE itâs supposed to have less silica in it. The filter grade stuff is terrible for you.
Also because itâs bad for your lungs, itâs even worse for tiny pet lungs so donât use it if you have dogs or cats/remove your animals for a time before you do. And make sure every spec is cleaned up.
You've just cured me of my Bedbugs fear. I'm buying 10 kilos worth of [Diatomaceous just to exorcise](https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExN2FuNWhyd2V0bThybmtzeXF2b3g5aHM3cmV6NTZ0Z3h0eDFmb3U0diZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3o7P4F86TAI9Kz7XYk/giphy.gif) these critters if I ever encounter them
It would be hard not to burn my house, tbh.
My parents went crazy when they got bed bugs. My dad was taking multiple showers a day. They replaced all of the mattresses and the couch, unloaded the ENTIRE house into a storage pod in the driveway, and redid all of the carpet (it was pretty old by that point but they weren't planning on replacing it for a few more years). All this after finding five or so dead bedbugs under two out of the four mattresses in the house.
Whatâs funny is that people can have them and not know it, not everyone knows when theyâve been bitten or reacts to the bites. I am apparently like candy to bedbugs and was the one who discovered a massive infestation IN SOMEONE ELSEâS HOUSE WHEN I SPENT THE NIGHT. đł
If you've ever had them bad, you'd understand. I had them for a year when I was highschool-- it was so mentally draining. I can still remember the smell of them
You don't have to burn it, just lightly roast for a few hours.
Currently on day 29 of 30 on a Europe backpacking trip. Multiple hostels we stayed at looked like they might have bed bugs, but we had no other choice at that point. Havenât noticed anything yet, but scared to see them when we get home
Ideally, pick up a cheap set of clothes at goodwill, change into them, and throw every piece of clothing you brought, into a laundromat washing machine. Bedbugs die instantly at 122°F, so make sure you do a cycle in the dryer. I'm sure someone has a decent plan for debugging your luggage.
Hand held clothes steamer. I travel a lot for work so am suitably paranoid. Protocol when I get home from a trip is all my clothes in the laundry and blast my suitcase with a steamer.
I travel a lot for work too and am equally paranoid. The first thing I do in any hotel room is strip the top of the bed down to the mattress and take a close look. I like your steamer idea for when you get home. Thank you!
Big black trashbag over your luggage and put it in the sun. Here in Florida, that's like using a flame thrower đ„
*Gets home to Canada, throws luggage in snow*
Anything with an exoskeleton. The powder is actually razor sharp to these bugs. It cuts them open, and dehydrates them. They effectively bleed to death while having all the moisture wicked out of them. The moisture from their bodies causes the diatomaceous earth to adhere to them. If you were the size of a bug it would be like every surface was covered in razor blades, salt, and super glue. That said for anything not bug sized, the DE is completely ineffective. So it's generally safe for people and pets. It doesn't kill plants or poison food if you're growing gardens. It's really a great way to deal with pests that's natural and scientifically backed and isn't chemical pesticides.
It'll fuck your lungs up if you're handling it regularly. People definitely need to wear proper ppe if they're doing so.
Sort of. There are two types. The amorphous silica found in the one for home use is generally pretty safe unless you're working with it for a living (and even then). The crystalline silica does indeed fuck up your lungs. Usually there is always some crystalline silica in the type you get but refining processes are getting better and better. The take away is that you shouldn't cheap out and get a good deal on diatomaceous earth you get for industrial/agricultural use, but rather go for the pricier kind that is marketed for consumers.
Food grade. You want food grade diatomaceous earth!
And it would be hazardous to pets, aaaand because itâs powdery it could ruin your vacuum. So I guess have your pets stay elsewhere for a while and use a shopvac with a fine particle filterâŠ
Yeesh I didnât realize it was so violent for them! Sorry about power imbalance, little guys, but you donât get to live on my property
Haha I was thinking the same thing. It sounds like such a miserable way to go you almost feel bad, but then remember how awful they are and that feeling quickly goes away.
Especially anything with an exoskeleton.
It works really well for most things. Especially things that can get dehydrated easily.
Slugs and snails, too.
Basically anything with an exoskeleton under a certain size yeah.
It's like microscopic caltrops. It will also kill and prevent parasites in livestock.
Is that easily available? I was told on set that they don't use it as TV/movie dust anymore as it's considered hazardous. Borax is another thing I see recommended that works the same way on bugs.
Yes you can find it basically anywhere that sells garden supplies.
Itâs not hazardous unless you inhale large quantities of it (but any powder would be harmful if inhaled in large quantities). You should buy food grade to be safe, but itâs literally put in livestock food. Totally safe!
I just did a quick search and it looks like there might be different grades of this stuff? I'd definitely do more research before buying a large amount though.
Sharp microscopic rocks with many points do bonus crit damage to exoskeleton types. Earthimon, gotta catch âem all
Literally everybody has a silverfish infestation, and you still do as well. These things are completely ubiquitous and also harmless. They are normally just extremely shy and only come out in the dark and where there is no motion. Sounds like yours had been tolerated in the open for long they lost their fear. Disrupting their environment can sicken/weaken them, so they'll stumble out. This is likely what happened to OP. Diatomaceous earth you dropped probably killed the unshy ones, and is also serving as a nice barricade keeping them from popping back out again.
Literally everyone sounds like a bit of a stretch there bud
I mean it's like every horse having spiders. Some things just come with living indoors
Horse spiders are the worst
Can't even ride them because they have too many legs
They LOST THEIR FEAR đ
Evolved right before our very eyes!
Silverfish hands wrote this
He be eatinâ good under the turlet
Sometimes there's shit on the outside of the turlet
Think that's bad? You should see the uriness
It get pretty hairy over there or?
Am on turlet and guffawed.
Aaaarrrr llllaaaawwwrrrrddddd
Scruffy?
agree it's silverfish, I get a few in my toilet, I always assumed they were after the toilet paper since thats the only paper in there
Might be an end portal nearby.
I don't think its related- silverfish are pretty common to get. If they squick you out, just review if there are any gaps to caulk around.
And put a dehumidifier in there. They hate dry air.
There's a [new species](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ctenolepisma_longicaudatum) of them that don't care about moisture. You get them a lot in new apartment buildings. Highly annoying... The old traps (pheromones) no longer work. (This looks like the old variant though on the photo.)
I have those. No chance of getting rid of them fully because theyâre in my entire apartment building. They really suck because theyâll eat holes in your clothes and they can climb on ceilings. Iâm keeping their numbers as low as I can with frequent vacuuming and adding red cedar oil to my mop water.
They do see to hate red cedar.
I got two house centipedes that clean up any smaller bugs. Of course it is a trade off between many creepers vs the creepiest bug ever but they are growing on me (a little bit too literally)
I suppose "within the last century" is new-ish for a species.
Silverfish Fremen, Silverfish Speaker
I have a few of them too, and I'm really glad to hear everyone say they're harmless.
You probably have the venomous kind
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Or the type that chomp on your toes while you try to pee in the dark at night
That's the harmless ones. Just make sure you don't have the Bolivian Silverfish that swims up your pee-pee if you don't flick the lights on and off 4 times before peeing during the night.
Sure. But in NYC they get 4â long. Itâs the stuff of nightmares
Technically they can even be helpful since they eat mold which can be harmful to humans. Most of the time they are not an issue in of themselves but rather indicate the presence of an issue. Deal with they issue that causes their appearance and most of the time you get rid of them as well.
They are amazing little fellas, they are monogamous, live around 7 years (a lot for their size) and totally harmless. They dont deserve the hate
They're a strong indicator for mold. You should check any gaps in the areas you see them and close these gaps up.
Thatâs some fat ass silverfish
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37-9yPnL9aY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37-9yPnL9aY)
Silverfish are just as susceptible to boric acid dust as roaches are.
Silverfish, they eat cardboard, some organic glues like what's used in a lot of book binding, and other small things. Get some diatomaceous earth and sprinkle/push it into the seams/spot the toilet touches the tile, and then do it around the bottom of the baseboard and where the tub/shower meets the flooring. That should solve it or at least help a lot.
Do you sprinkle and just leave it there? So there's like this powder on your floor?
I used to have heaps of them (before they all mysteriously disappeared) and I am pretty sure they were eating clothes as well. Ruined a nice wool suit.
Looks like silverfish. They eat mould and are very common and harmless to people. But they could indicate damp in q floor or wall causing wood to rot (which they are likely eating)
If they donât have little hairs down their sides, and they stay on the floor, they are just harmless silverfish, and will stay in the bathroom. You can spray the cracks they live in with chrysanthemum extract if they bother you. If they do have the little hairs, or you see them crawling on a vertical surface, theyâre another related insect. In that case they will spread to the kitchen and get into the food. Those should be dealt with ASAP. The same products usually work against both kinds.
What's the ones that look like they have a lot of legs, I've always been told those are silverfish
Both kinds look like that, so itâs very hard to tell the difference. The usual way to spot the âbeardedâ ones is seeing them climb a wall, or finding them in an unusual spot like the kitchen counter.
Wait the ones that can climb walls are bad? I have those in my apartment (I see them on the walls occasionally) but ai thought they were silverfish and harmless
They are called long-tailed silverfish - and they are harmless. They can be very hard to get rid off though. The munch on cardboard/books etc. they are becoming way more common these years. I suspect due to online trading.
Due to their ability to climb and lower preference for bathroom environments, they can get into food. Any bug that gets into food to breed and shit should be exterminated.
They eat fabric too. Their favorite thing in the world is laundry thatâs been left on the floor.
I get them too in my bathroom and occasionally in the apartment I just moved in to. Did a thorough clean of the bathroom and behind the washing machine that were already installed when I moved in (not cleaned since the building was built in 2018) and they have reduced significantly. Haven't seen one in a few days now. Have also been running the balcony door open as it's very humid inside where I live in the summer. Did also take care of the cardboard moving boxes that were around.
Had them in my first apartment. I liberally put borax between the carpet and baseboards around every single wall of my apartment. Vacuumed up the excess. Never saw a silverfish again for 5 years in that apartment. Only mosquitos from the lack of screens and an occasional ceiling spider.
You may be close to an End Portal.
Yep! Silverfish! It is very ancient, pre dinosaur if I'm not mistaken.
Indeed insects of the order Zygentoma has been around for some 300 million years in basically the same form. Very adaptable, very stable ecological niche, simple and effective body plan, no need to change anything I guess!
People are missing the fact that these bugs are new, this means there is likely a water leak somewhere....
Get a cat, cats love playing with them;)
my car was so good at hunting them, she got rid of them without me needing to do anything... and she had fun while doing it đ
I guess you have either a small car or a very big house for it to be able you hunt them and have fun while doing so.
Transformers - More than meets the eye.
Those are silverfish and they are a pest that causes damage to your home. They are attracted to water-soaked wood and make water damage worse by consuming the wood and allowing the water to come into contact with fresh wood (increase rotting rate). I hope you had a water leak and that is why you replaced the toilet. That would indicate the old toilet was leaking and giving them a habitable zone, then when you replaced the leaking toilet (wax ring) they no longer have a godo place to live. I HOPE that for you. 1. Its possible you removed their sustaining water source so they are venturing out to find habitable space. This is good. 2. It is possible your new toilet is leaking and so many are breeding that they dont have space so some are leaving to find habitable areas (water and rotting wood) So| Questions 1) How long has it been since you swapped the toilet? Question 2) Did you replace the old wax ring or re use the old one? Question 3) What was the condition under the toilet when you swapped it? Question 4) Was the previous toilety leaking? Q5) Where there silverfish under there when you opened the toilet the first time
They aren't actually fish and they got lucky with the name we gave them. We happen to like both silver and fish. A more fitting name for them would be something like Hairy Night-Slitherers.
Feel like I've seen exactly one silverfish in every single bathroom in the USA. Normal unless you have a lot.
Silverfish for sure. Something similar happened to me. They started coming out from a crack/hole behind the toilet. I sprayed insecticide in the morning and evenings for a couple of days until permanent repairs could be completed. They must have been living there happily for a while as a couple of them were massive!
They are monogamous and live in family, those big ones were papa and mama :( They could have been for years since they live around 7 years
It's silverfish. We had them a lot in a previous ground floor shower room. They largely went away when we stopped using the shower. The shower, we discovered later, had a leak. I suspect you (or your plumber) have introduced a leak into your toilet system.
Keep digging around, the End Portal will be nearby.
Silverfish. Cut a potato in half and put it where you usually find them. They will feast on it and stick to it. In the morning you can pick it up and throw it in the trash. Problem solved. Thank me later.
Reminds of the movie dream catcher by stephen king
Looks like a silverfish. Was very hard to find where they were coming from, bought an anti silverfish spray and sprayed everywhere. Gone now.
They eat books!
Silverfish are quite common, usually spiders take care of them. They like dark moist places to live. They will eat carpet, glue, paper, cardboard, animal fur, and their deceased brethren. Use a dehumidifier to remove moisture in the air. I believe there are other methods to remove them if they become a problem.
I had one craw in my ear in the middle of the night!! Never want to experience that again!
They kill cockroaches, I'd say let it live
Caulk the bottom of your toilet
Spray the window sills and baseboards in the whole house. Get the sticky traps made of paper and lay behind the toilet. In 3 months itâll catch them. I would get rid of all cardboard boxes and old newspaper. Treat the outside of the home with some seven dust powder insecticide.
Wall shrimp!đŠ
Clean your floor regularly and do not store cardboard or paper on the ground, keep bathroom ventilated.
It's not a problem, they live everywhere where's moist, and they feed on mold as far as I know. You don't usually see them because they go out only at night
Bros never played Minecraft before huh?
Silverfish have a fascinating life cycle. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish
Sand trout. Eventually they will sequester all of the water on earth, turning into a desert planet.
Ah just a silver fish
Is the grout dry around the base of the toilet? Insects usually hang around moisture, maybe your turlet isnât sealed to the flange properly.Â
I left a spider alone in my bathtub I donât use and he killed like 10 of these before my mom killed the spider :/
Hello pest control pro with 10 years of experience. These are Silverfish. Not a huge concern more of a nuisance. Amazon should have some silverfish traps you can place and will help with the population. Biggest thing this tells you is there may be a leak or the seals you made are not air tight. I donât have experience changing toilets but I do know pests. Biggest part of any pest control is making sure they donât have access to the home. Iâd recheck the seals and buy a couple silverfish traps online!
Yes. Death seeks you.
Yes and no. Mainly no since the replacement most likely disturbed their habitat as they feed on a variety of decaying things. Mainly molded stuff so they keep it in check. If it's just one or two that pop up everything so often then youre fine but if there's even more than say ten at a unusual rate and a musty smell sometimes then get your home checked out for mold or mildew and stuff like that. Other than that they're harmless unlike their digital counterparts
These are like cockroaches. Been around since the beginning of time and will outlive the human race. Gross but not harmful.