Silverfish
Size: 1/2 to 1 inch (12.7mm – 25.4mm)
Colour: Brown or silver-grey
Silverfish are not often seen by homeowners, because they are nocturnal and can run quickly. Silverfish will feed on almost anything. A short list includes dried beef, flour, starch, paper, gum, glue, cotton, linen, rayon, silk, sugar, molds and breakfast cereals.
Santitation alone will not eliminate an infestation, although it may prevent new ones from starting. A large infestation usually means the house has been infested for some time.
Residual insecticides (use an aerosol) will help to control these pests. Removing old papers, boxes, and clothes from the attic to basement will help remove food and hiding places. Moth crystals placed in boxes in the attic will also help.
Spiders
Spdiers are considered unpleasant by some people, but the ones that are indigenous to Britain are all harmless and are not considered a pest.
The species most likely to be seen is the common house spider. This is one of the largest spiders found in Europe. The body alone can be 1cm long and the long legs can give a span of 5-6cm. This spider can be found in all sorts of places where there is sufficient humidity, such as bathrooms and outhouses. It also occurs under the eaves of houses and in stone walls.
Spiders feed on insects, and in doing so, play an extremely important part in keeping the population of certain insects down to a reasonable level.
Physical control if spiders by collection and removal or web destruction should prove sufficient.
Earwigs
They are brown in colour, 12-20mm long with prominent pincers, usually living outside by may venture inside homes during cold weather. Occasionally they can become a nuisance, however they do not cause any damage and proofing of entry points should be sufficient means of control.
Woodlice
Slate grey in colour, 15mm long, body made up of flattened overlapping plates, with distinctive large antennae. They live outside, occasionally venturing indoors during cold weather. They are harmless and will not breed indoors. Control therefore by cleaning and removal.
Slugs and Snails
Both slugs and snails are harmless and will only remain indoors where very damp conditions prevail.
Clearing outside vegetation and debris away from walls and around doors, etc., and the use of slug pellets in these areas may provide some relief, but adequate heating and ventilation of buildings is the only long term solution to any problems.
Centipedes
Occasionally coming indoors, they do no harm whatsoever and thoroughly cleaning will eliminate them.
Garden Beetles
They are 10-12mm long with shiny black body often with a metallic sheen (sometimes mistaken for cockroaches). They are harmless, and are indeed beneficial garden insects controlling many garden pests. They do occasionally migrate indoors in numbers in the autumn. Proofing the exterior structure of buildings is usually sufficient to overcome any problem.
