Silver bugs (aka silverfish) are fast-moving insects that obtained their well-known name due to their color. They like to eat a wide range of things and are often found in moist environments. But they eat lots of stuff, including fabric.
What do you do when you find silver bugs in your bed? Eek!
- Silver bugs are not dangerous to humans, but they can cause potential damage to other items in a home.
- They can destroy a mattress in short order if they’ve infested it.
- You can get rid of silverfish in many ways, such as maintaining moisture levels in your home and ensuring deep cleaning of your mattress.
No matter what type of insects are present in your home, it can never be a good thing. But silver bugs, though all harmless to humans, can cause a lot of damage!
Do you need to toss your mattress? Maybe.
In this article, we’ll look at what to do if you’ve got silverfish in your bed.
What Are Silverfish?
There are many different bugs out there in the world, and plenty of them find their way into your home! One of the ones that find their way into homes most often are silverfish .
These bugs are wingless insects that move rapidly and are easily spotted due to their silver outer shell.
They are also known as bristle tails because of their tails.
Silver bugs are not harmful but a bit of a nuisance. Particularly when it comes to the destruction of your property and allergic reactions. They love humidity like many other insects and strive to find dark places.Â
Because of this, silverfish are most often found in places like kitchens and bathrooms. But they also often find their way into your bedroom. There they love to hide amongst bedding and even crawl into your bed.
Silverfish are most often found in places like kitchens and bathrooms. But they also often find their way into your bedroom. There they love to hide amongst bedding and even crawl into your bed.
Why Do Silver Bugs Like the Bed?
So of all the places to find insects, the bed is probably the most disgusting. You’re vulnerable in the bed, it’s a refuge where you’re supposed to be able to sleep and recover in peace. Often when you find a silverfish or roach in your room, it can be hard to sleep.
The bed is particularly tempting for silver bugs because it is a good spot for the females of the species to lay their eggs.
The bed is particularly tempting for silver bugs because it is a good spot for the females of the species to lay their eggs.
That means ensuring that your mattress is silver bug-free is important.
Unlike many other insects, they don’t move locations very easily.
Once they find a place they like, silverfish stay there and begin pulling in other silver bugs to join the community.
So why exactly do they like your bed?
Here are a few reasons:
- Silverfish eat almost anything, so your bedding in itself can be quite a delight! When dealing with silver bugs in your home, you can have a problem with them eating the leftovers of both your and your pet’s food. In particular, when it comes to the bedroom, they like the fabrics of your bed and bedding very much.
- Silver bugs love damp places and dark places. Because we lay on these beds and sweat, this makes them a little bit of a moist area than other places in the home. On top of that, it’s not as well ventilated as other places, creating a perfect environment for silver bugs to propagate.
- Lastly, the mattress has several different layers, which affords them places to hide easily. Along with this, our mattresses aren’t often cleaned as much, allowing for a perfect environment for laying eggs and building a nest.
Getting Rid of Silver Bugs in Your Bed
If you have to run into a silverfish problem in your bed, the next step after identifying them in your bed is to figure out ways to get rid of them.
Do you need to toss your mattress?
If you’ve got a significant infestation and your mattress isn’t super expensive, you may just want to toss it. You’ll have to make that decision after considering whether you’ll ever actually be able to sleep in the mattress once again, even if the infestation is controlled.
Often you don’t need to do that (silverfish aren’t as tenacious or gross as bed bugs), but this depends on your squickiness level and on the severity of infestation.
If you do decide to toss your mattress, it’s a good idea to wrap the mattress is a plastic bag before dragging it through the house and out the door. This way you won’t further spread the infestation through your house.
Below we’re going to go over a couple of the best ways to get rid of silverfish from your bed.
1. Clean the Mattress
Part of the reason mattresses are so enticing to silver bugs is that they are moist and house a lot of extra things that they would eat. One of the best ways to get rid of silver bugs is to do a deep clean of your bed as well as everything in your bedroom.
This means taking all of your sheets and putting them through a high-heat wash.Â
Vacuum everything you possibly can with a disposable bag, including the top and bottom of the mattress.
The key is to make sure that you hit all the seams and divots so that you make sure you get all of the dirt that could potentially draw those silver bugs in.
2. Control Moisture Levels
As we’ve already said, silverfish enjoy moist environments. So investing in a dehumidifier may help prevent the bugs from even coming into your home.
If they’ve already present, placing a dehumidifier in your bedroom can reduce the moisture levels and therefore make your bed less tempting for them to live in.
3. Diatomaceous Earth
You can also use diatomaceous earth in order to dehydrate the silver bugs. This powder can be generously distributed all around the baseboards and the bedposts of the mattress.
This should find its way into the silver bug nest and cause them to dehydrate, getting rid of them altogether.
4. Epsom Salt
If you have found yourself with a silver bug problem, you can also take Epsom salt and place it in the areas where you have found them.
Much like the other methods, this is intended to dehydrate and eliminate them.
5. Spices and Herbs
Most insects do not like very intense smells. So creating a natural spice and herb mixture and making sure to place it around the home could be a great way to discourage silver bugs from finding their way into your bedroom.
Conclusion
Silverfish are a very nasty and annoying problem, and if they have built up a significant infestation, they can be difficult to deal with. With luck, you’ll be able to get rid of them from your bedding by thoroughly cleaning it and controlling the silverfish population.
If it’s too far gone, treat the infestation and go ahead and order a new mattress.
Good luck!
