Kentuckians, If You’ve Seen Silverfish in Your Home, Here’s How to Get Rid of Them

If you have a child that plays Minecraft, there's a chance they know exactly what silverfish are. However, they're swarming around in real too and they live all over the world including right here in Kentucky. Chances are that you have seen one (or many) inside your home. See, there's a lot of stuff in our houses they like to eat: sugar, cereal, starch and, oddly enough, glue. These little boogers can wreak havoc on pantry, bookshelves and clothing.

Here are some fun facts about them.  Well, okay! I'll concede that "fun" may not be the most applicable word.

I think the first time I ever saw a silverfish was when I living in Maine while I was in college. When they popped up at the Emerson's, they had a fool-proof way of getting rid of them as fast as they arrived. They use dried bay leaves.

Yes!  You know the ones that you can buy in the spice aisle at your local grocery store?

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Yeah. Those!

As it turns out, silverfish hate the the smell of bay leaves. They're repelled by the oil in them.

Apparently, bay leaves aren't the only scent that silverfish loathe. Pest Pointers has published a list of nine of them. That list includes bay leaves, cinnamon, peppermint, lavender and more.

And here's another remedy for silverfish that simply calls for a relatively common household item- Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda!

So, there you go! The next time you see silverfish roaming around your house, you know how to show them right back out the door.