Silverfish are wingless insects and get their name from their shiny, metallic sheen and their fish-like form and movement.
These insects are commonly found in humid areas of your home, such as attics, basements, and bathrooms, and while they aren’t harmful to humans, they can cause damage to homes and induce allergies in some people.
As more homes have LED lighting, you may wonder if LED lights attract silverfish? Silverfish have a nocturnal lifestyle, which means it is dark environments that attract silverfish. In our guide, you can get the low down on do LED light strips attract silverfish?
By the end, you’ll see there is more to know about silverfish. LED lights may not attract them, yet there are many other insects that area attracted to any light sources. You’ll also find out how to keep your home free of silverfish to avoid frequent cleaning all the time. (Learn How To Get Rid Of Chiggers In Yard)
What Are Silverfish?
Silverfish can be found hiding in dark places throughout your home, such as bathroom cracks and regions with high humidity like bathrooms or laundry rooms.
Silver insects have six legs and two antennae and have bodies that range in size from 12 to 19 millimeters. They are nocturnal insects, which means they are most active at night, thus they won’t be found near light bulbs, warm-colored LED lights, or other forms of LED lights.
Silverfish eat dead insects, as well as things containing sugar and starch, such as books, documents, hair, dandruff, soap, and clothing along with beef products.
Silverfish are shy, wingless insects that prefer hiding from humans and pose no harm to us.
However, since silverfish reproduce quickly infestations can quickly get out of hand.
Are Silverfish Attracted to LED Lights?
Do LED lights attract Silverfish? Silverfish are nocturnal insects that are not attracted to LED lights; nevertheless, they may be attracted to another light source due to the heat emitted in colder places, similar to how bugs are attracted to UV or LED lights.
Silverfish crawl down shake roofs through the insulation in the winter to look for cellulose and dead insects. Smaller wavelengths of light, such as UV or LED light, can attract silverfish because of the warmth they emit.
Because silverfish prefer to hide in dark spaces, such as ceiling and wall cracks, placing LED lights in these locations may be a smart approach to keep them away.
It’s also worth noting that if you spot one or two silverfish near incandescent bulbs, light strips, UV light, white light, or other lights, there’s a chance you’re missing hundreds more.
It is worth noting, LED lights emit hardly any UV light with no heat, thus the reason color LED lights are little use to silverfish. (Learn How To Keep Spiders Out Of Garage)
How Silverfish Damage Property
Like most bugs, silverfish can cause material and property damage to your home.
Because these silverfish feed on plants, they cause damage. Silverfish leave feces (yellow residue) on fabric, books, cardboard boxes, and paper wallpaper.
If you see yellow markings or damage to these items, you likely have a silverfish infestation, which thrives in dark and warm places.
Can Silverfish Harm Humans?
Silverfish aren’t hazardous to humans, but they can cause respiratory issues in allergy sufferers.
Silverfish molt as they age, leaving behind skin. These remaining skins might trigger allergy reactions in certain people when they collect dust.
Silverfish can infect pasta, oats, cereal, sugar, wheat, meat, and more.
They don’t crawl on your skin, but they can bite and irritate household pets.
A silverfish can lay up to 60 eggs in less than four months, therefore neglecting a silverfish infestation will quickly result in over 2000 silverfish in your home.
How to Get Rid of Silverfish?
Silverfish like warmth and moisture, as well as organic table scraps, especially sweet crumbs. Food scraps and food sources should be sealed in containers and not left in the kitchen or dining area.
Organic glues and dead insects lure silverfish who then attract bugs by their presence. They eat paper, devour toilet paper, and can go for up to a year without nourishment.
There are several methods you can use to get rid of silverfish for good.
Get Rid of Silverfish Naturally
Before using chemical silverfish removal treatments, consider one of the natural home solutions listed below. (Learn How Long Can Wasps Live Without Food)
Cedar Shavings
Silverfish hate the scent of cedar oil and shavings. After showering, sprinkle cedar shavings or oil in humid spaces to deter silverfish.
It’s a messy natural pesticide, but you can clean and replenish it weekly.
Cucumber Peel
Cucumber peels are great natural repellants for crawling insects such as silverfish. The more bitter the cucumber, the better. Just keep a few food scraps handy to help deter silverfish and possibly other bugs.
Essential Oils
Lavender and citrus essential oils have a powerful scent that will repel silverfish and other insects while making your home smell nice. Bay leaves are another effective way to repel unwanted insects.
Jar Trap
Place starchy foods in a glass container and tape the exterior. The silverfish can get in but is trapped as the glass is too smooth to climb out.
Wet Newspaper Trap.
Wet a newspaper and roll it up to preserve it. Place it in areas where you suspect silverfish live.
Silverfish will invade the damp newspaper and make a home there, then just discard the damp paper after a few days.
Chemical Solutions to Get Rid of Silverfish
Chemical solutions are effective for insect control, yet you need to use them with caution.
Boric Acid
Boric acid is a widely used and versatile insecticide that can be placed underneath air vents or other entryways.
Find the silverfish in your home before employing boric acid. Inspect cracks, crevices, holes, and other areas where silverfish hide. Sprinkle or combine boric acid with water.
Diatomaceous Earth
Diatomaceous Earth is another known silverfish killer that is non-toxic. This all-natural powder is derived from fossilized algae remains and kills silverfish quickly.
Do LED Lights Attract Silverfish?
You may still wonder, are silverfish attracted to LED lights?
Silverfish are nocturnal creatures and terrified of light. Silverfish are small silver insects that also hide from human sight.
There is no such thing as a bug light or light source that actually works to keep bugs away.
Many bugs are drawn to visible light because they travel by light sources such as the moon or the sun. Bug lights work by producing light that is invisible or too dim for bugs and insects to see. (Read Do Praying Mantis Eat Plants)
If no bugs come to visit, the result is like an insect repellent.
Keep in mind that most insects cannot detect light in the 650 nm (yellow) range. Insects use ultraviolet and infrared light as bugs navigate by using light and to also find food.
Because of their high heat output, incandescent bug lights can attract insects, but they are effective in reducing the quantity of bugs because they block out the light that most insects use.
Even though various insects detect different wavelengths of light, and many insects are attracted to heat, bug lights are not 100 percent efficient.
For the same reason, bug lights do not attract insects. LED lights, especially the bulbs typically used in home lighting, emit very little UV light and produce very little heat.
A warmer color temperature bulb (which you should use for landscape lighting anyway) would also help, as a 2700K LED bulb contains less blue wavelength light than a 3500K LED bulb.
Using an LED light bulb is still inferior to the use of a bug light.
LED bug lights are unique from LED light bulbs (they both say bug light and have a yellow bulb, similar to incandescent bug lights, so it’s easy to tell the difference).
In comparison, LED bug lights outperform incandescent bug lights because when two bulbs emit the same wavelength of light, the bulb with the lower heat emission attracts fewer insects.
What Do Silverfish Despise?
Silverfish will not be attracted to a dry, clean flat with sufficient airflow. As a result, cleaning air vents and ventilation system components is necessary.
They dread any incandescent lights and love dark areas. Their natural enemies are spiders because they are a snack for the arachnids. Household pets like cats and dogs endanger them, and at 17 degrees or less, silverfish will not spread.
The presence of silverfish will attract bugs and spiders, so get rid of these, and you can get rid of other insects at the same time.
In addition, a yellow color light may keep insects away, so use these bug-repelling lights for external lighting.
Finally, lighting that gives off red light doesn’t attract any bugs, yet bugs are attracted to the blue light end of the scale and where you find UV lights.
Silverfish can go a long way to find suitable area. It has to be warm and humid for them to recognize a place. For example, moisture can go unnoticed in our warm bathrooms and kitchens because of poor ventilation.
Silverfish can enter a home or apartment through leaks, including wall gaps. You can have them readily distributed between neighbors in apartments.
Using all the above, you should be able to eradicate their presence once you deal with any damp areas you may have.
