How to Kill Silver Bugs

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Silver beetles (or silver moths) are harmless insects, but it won’t be pleasant if these slender silver-gray creatures are around your home. They eat books, dead skin cells, adhesives, powders and prefer to live in humid environments. When you find silver bugs in your home, you can get rid of them by setting traps, preventing and keeping your home cool. Read the instructions below to learn how to get rid of silver bugs.

Table of Contents

Using Home Solutions

If you are facing a silver bug infestation, you can deal with the problem without calling for help, using things you already have in your home:

Use a glass jar , duct tape , and bread to make a simple trap.
Use old newspapers as a quick and cheap trap.
Sprinkle diatomite to kill silver bugs.
Use cedar shavings to repel silver beetles.
Use herb bags to keep bugs out of the cupboard.
Spray lavender or orange essential oil to deter silver bugs.

Silver Bug Trap

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Find their hiding place. Since silver beetles are nocturnal, you are unlikely to see them during the day. But you will be able to know where they are thanks to the tracks they leave. Look for a moist, dark spot, with small pepper-like stools. Small holes, yellow stains on clothes, walls, cereal boxes, or cloth or cardboard utensils will indicate their hiding places. Silver beetles often molt, so you can find small pieces of carcasses in bathrooms, basements, and other places where you suspect silver bugs live. ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Set traps with homemade glass jars. Get a large glass jar or any other glass jar. Wrap the tape on the outside of the jar. Put a piece of bread inside. Place the jar where you suspect the silver beetle lives. Remember to wrap the tape to the top of the jar. Silver bugs will get into the jar to eat the bread, but they can’t crawl out because the jar is too slippery.

Set traps at night, the time when silver beetles start to feed.

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Make a trap out of newspaper. Roll up the newspaper, tie it with an elastic band, and moisten it. Before you go to bed, put the newspaper in a place where silver beetles often appear. When it’s morning, the silver beetles have come in to eat the newspaper because this is the food and warm environment you have provided for them. Throw the newspapers away (do not open them) or burn them. Do this several times until no more silver bugs appear. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Set up as many traps as needed to trap silver bugs in your home. Depending on the extent of the infestation, you may end up setting traps for several nights in a row.

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Use store-bought traps. If you don’t want to use a glass jar to trap, you can buy special traps to catch silver bugs that are sold at hardware stores. Any kind of sticky trap will do. Buy a box of cockroach traps or other small traps and place them around the house to kill bugs. Use breadcrumbs or starchy foods to lure them in. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Using Bedbugs and Insecticides

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Sprinkle diatomaceous earth in drawers and dark places. This is an additive used to kill insects. This substance is made from exposed fossil material, with sharp fine particles that can pierce the skin or outer shell of insects, causing them to die but not causing harm to people or pets.

Sprinkle powder on drawers, baseboards, and anywhere before going to bed. In the morning, use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the diatomaceous earth (along with silver bugs).
Wear a mask when sprinkled with powder, as they can cause an allergic reaction to your lungs.

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Use boric acid. This is a naturally occurring substance that can kill silver bugs and their eggs. Sprinkle powder along baseboard cracks, under bathtubs, and where there are signs of silver bugs. Because boric acid powder can be harmful to the lungs, use it with care. Avoid sprinkling powder where pets can go.

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Buy pyrethin spray. Spray along the crevices, base of walls and hiding places of bugs to kill them. Do not use in kitchen cabinets, food storage areas, places accessible to children and pets, as this is toxic. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Stop the Silver Bugs from Returning

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Keep your home dry. Since silver beetles love damp places, keeping your home dry is an effective way to prevent them from returning. Buy a dehumidifier to reduce humidity in your home. You should turn on the air conditioner or at least the fan if you don’t want to use a dehumidifier.

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Fill all cracks or crevices where silver beetles can lay eggs. If your home has a lot of dark, damp cracks, seal them all to prevent silver bugs. Buy sealants and fill cracks in baseboards, inside cracks, and holes in walls and floors. Kitchens, bathrooms and basements are special places that need sealing.

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Eliminate the silver beetle’s food source. Keep floors clean, free of food crumbs to reduce their numbers. Do not leave stacks of books on the floor, always wash dirty clothes, do not leave them in one place for too long. In addition to the main food sources above, you should consider the following factors:

Cardboard box. Store cardboard boxes on shelves rather than on the floor, which makes them susceptible to moisture.
Food box. Store food in sealed plastic containers instead of regular containers.
Wallpaper. If the wallpaper in your home is old, you should consider repainting or replacing the wallpaper with a new one.
Old clothes. If you store old clothes in the basement or in a dark closet, put them in a plastic bag to prevent silver bugs.

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Vacuum regularly. Vacuuming helps reduce food sources as well as removing bug eggs from carpets and baseboard cracks. Vacuum at least once a week. If necessary, you can sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and let it dry for a few hours, then vacuum the carpet. Carpet drying will dry the eggs and you can vacuum them out easily.

Advice

Keep the plumbing tidy so as not to create a humid environment.
Silver beetles like to live in places they consider safe. That means they will live in damp, messy places, lots of hiding places, and lots of paper. Therefore, keeping the house tidy is a good way to keep silver bugs out. Regularly arrange furniture in the house, this will be a nuisance for bugs.
Create an open space. Silver beetles will probably crawl out to find food. Try placing a delicious book on the floor to lure them in. Kill them when they appear.
Check the basement and attic first. Stacks of paper and wood are always excellent food sources for silver beetles.

Warning

Be careful when using chemicals, some of which can be harmful to your family and pets if ingested or inhaled. Read the user manual carefully before use and follow the instructions exactly.