It's a super quick, gross and irritating little bugger that feeds on starches like drops of sugar and rice and rags and carpets. At our condo, I think they were living off the new jib-rock in the walls. Apparently they like eating it while it's still a bit damp. Previoiusly, the only bugs I had to get use to were iddy biddy spiders. Now, we got these buggers, our old spiders and house centipedes from the garage *SHIVER*.
I'm not as concerned about the centipedes because they more or less stay in the garage and as I've researched thoroughly, aside from being creepy crawlies, are actually quite good for the home insect ecosystem as they are at the absolute top of the food chain for creepy crawlies and don't touch human food or things. I'm not as concerned about the spiders either for the same reason, though I do find that their cobwebs make our place look dirty. But I appreciate their efforts in combating the other population of bugs that end up sneaking into our home.
The Silverfish though- I HATE! If I leave the kitchen un-vacuumed for a longer period of time then a week, I'll start noticing one or two racing across our tiles between the cracks. At first, I wasn't sure if there was something wrong with my eyes but upon focusing, I'm sure it's them and they're feasting on the minute pieces of starch stuck in the grout that our broom misses in our nightly sweeps. In our bathroom, I've pinpointed their food source to the towel that we throw on the floor to catch water from our wet feet after our showers. Apparently, dirty towel is just delicious.
The proper way to get rid of these unwanted guests is to find their nesting area. Unfortunately, that could be anywhere. I'd have to empty every single starchy container in every nook and cranny of our place THOUGH. I have a very strong feeling where they are coming from already because it's the only other place that we've seen them.... But I dare not embark on my mother's room. Not just to avoid the world war III that I'd have to endure but she has so many cardboard boxes and textile-y things that are not in plastic containers, I don't even know where to start. Currently, she is combating them with moth balls which I also hate because it's just not healthy for PEOPLE either............. but again, not embarking on world war III.
SO. I guess nothing left to do but to keep clean habits. I try to vacuum the kitchen every week on top of sweeping nightly to ensure that ALL pieces of starch are made UNAVAILABLE to these brats, hang our damp towel in the bathroom after each use (which we should do anyway!) and when my mother's not looking, vacuum her room as well.
I know I sound a wee bit nuts but I really am a total wuss when it comes to creepy crawlies. It's taken me forever to get use to spiders and if I see a centipede, I still give a yelp and run out of the garage asap. So even though I know that those two aren't the worst of house mates to have, I'd still rather not have them overrun our place. Which is why I did some thorough researching on how we can live peacefully with each other and here are my findings-
- limit food source for silverfish and one can manage their population. And hopefully just enough for the centipedes and spiders to manage the rest. I really love my Miele vacuum for this reason, it's the best sucker of all things.
- peppermint oil well placed in living areas of basement to deter spiders and centipedes. And a good vacuum of floor and ceilings for cobwebs once a week. I once saw a centipede in hunting action with it's prey, the spider. It's really quite fascinating! One second the spider is there, the next it's gone and I see a centipede flashing across the wall.
- fill every tiny hole in wall and flooring in basement especially those walls connected to the garage to deter centipedes from entering.
- get rid of the damn cobwebs in the garage once a season to manage the spider population which manages the centipede population.
All in all- It comes down to keeping a clean household. and a really good vacuum. Miele, I swear by it.
One day, I see the value in hiring a good maid with green products.
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