Firebrats Control & Removal Guide
(Hot silverfish, Kitchen bristletail)*Thermobia domestica*
How They Get In
- Indoor migration: they spread from boiler rooms, laundry rooms, and other high-heat, high-humidity areas along pipes and crevices to other rooms.
- Cardboard boxes and old books: purchased used books and cardboard boxes from second-hand stores may carry firebrats or their eggs.
- Building gaps: firebrats spread between rooms through wall cracks and pipe chases.
How to Get Rid of Them
- Environmental Dehumidification: Like common silverfish, firebrats require high humidity. Use dehumidifiers to reduce humidity in boiler rooms, laundry rooms, and storage areas below 50%. Repair all leaking pipes and faucets. Improve ventilation.;
- Clean and Declutter: Clear accumulated paper, cardboard boxes, old books, and clutter from around boiler rooms and laundry areas. Regularly vacuum crevices around water heaters and behind dryers, firebrat hiding spots. Store food in sealed containers.;
- Physical Trapping: Place sticky traps along firebrat travel routes (along wall corners and around water heaters). Apply diatomaceous earth along baseboards and cracks, firebrats crawling over it suffer cuticle abrasion and die from desiccation (more effective in dry conditions).;
- Crevice Treatment: Apply boric acid dust or pyrethroid-based residual surface treatment to baseboards, wall corner crevices, and cracks around pipes. Avoid application near food and dish surfaces.;
- Long-Term Control: Firebrat populations, once established, are slow to get rid of due to their 2-3 year lifespan. Core strategy: reduce humidity and declutter, in dry environments, firebrat activity gradually decreases until they die. Regularly inspect high-heat, high-humidity zones for firebrat activity.
Prevention & Follow-Up
Use a dehumidifier to bring humidity below 50% in boiler rooms and laundry rooms. Clear away paper, cardboard boxes, and clutter from around the water heater. Dust diatomaceous earth along baseboards and cracks. Check hot, humid areas regularly.