They’re also one of the oldest insects on earth, predating the dinosaurs, and that long history shows in how hardy they are. A silverfish can live for two to three years and survive for months without food, which is a big part of why casual DIY efforts so often fall short.

• Live sightings at night, most often in bathrooms, laundries, and kitchens
• Irregular holes and grazed patches on paper, book bindings, cardboard, and wallpaper, where they’ve fed on the starch and glue
• Yellow stains on fabric or paper, left behind as they feed
• Tiny black droppings that look like ground pepper, in drawers, on shelves, and along skirting boards
• Shed skins, since silverfish moult throughout their lives and leave delicate translucent casings behind

Because one female lays up to a hundred eggs in cracks and crevices, a few sightings usually mean a larger population out of view.

1. Cut the humidity

This is the single most effective move. Run exhaust fans during and after showers, fix dripping taps and leaking pipes, improve airflow in cellars and subfloors, and use a dehumidifier or moisture absorbers in problem rooms and wardrobes. Silverfish need humidity above roughly 75 per cent to breed well, so drying out their habitat slows the population at its source.

2. Remove their food and shelter

Get cardboard boxes out of humid areas and switch to sealed plastic tubs, especially in the shed, garage, and roof void. Cull old newspapers and magazines, store pantry starches in airtight containers, and vacuum carpet edges, skirting boards, and behind furniture regularly to pick up eggs and food debris.

3. Seal their hiding spots

Silverfish tuck themselves and their eggs into cracks. Seal gaps along skirting boards, around pipes, and in wall junctions, and fit door seals where daylight shows underneath. In older Adelaide homes, cellar doors and original floorboards deserve particular attention.

4. Trap the stragglers

Sticky traps placed along skirting boards and inside cupboards catch roaming silverfish and tell you where activity is concentrated. A simple homemade version works too: a glass jar wrapped in masking tape with a spoonful of flour inside lets silverfish climb in but not out.

Surface sprays from the supermarket kill the silverfish you see, and that’s about all. The eggs stay safe in cracks, the rest of the population stays hidden, and new adults appear within weeks. Natural deterrents like cedar and lavender may discourage silverfish from a specific drawer but won’t shift an established population.

Professional silverfish treatment works differently. A licensed technician identifies where silverfish are harbouring and breeding, then applies targeted treatments to those cracks, voids, and humid zones, including dusting in roof voids and wall cavities that home products can’t reach. Treating the source rather than the sightings is what actually brings numbers down and keeps them down.

Acting now means you’re dealing with pests at their weakest point. A sealed gap in July keeps out the ants of October. A cleared woodpile in August removes the shelter that spiders and cockroaches would have bred under through summer. And because winter is the quieter season for the industry, booking a pest inspection in Adelaide is easier, with more choice of appointment times than you’ll find in the spring rush.

Seal entry points while pests are inactive

Walk the outside of your home on a dry winter day and check for gaps around doors, windows, pipes, cables, weep holes, and the roofline. Fill small cracks with sealant, fit door seals and brush strips, and cover weep holes and vents with fine mesh that still allows airflow. Adelaide’s older stone and villa homes collect gaps over decades, so give extra attention to original timber floors, verandah junctions, and cellar vents. Sealing in winter means the work is done before ants, spiders, and cockroaches start probing for a way in.

Fix moisture problems

Moisture draws almost every pest species. Over winter, clear gutters and downpipes, fix dripping taps and leaking irrigation, and check that air conditioner overflow and hot water system runoff drain away from the house. Subfloor ventilation matters too, since damp subfloors attract termites and cockroaches alike. Winter rain makes leaks easy to spot, which is another reason this job belongs in the colder months.

Tidy the garden before growth takes off

Cut back vegetation touching walls and the roofline, since branches work as bridges for ants, spiders, and rodents. Move firewood piles, sleepers, and stored timber away from external walls and up off the ground. Rake up leaf litter and remove garden debris where pests shelter. Doing this in August, before spring growth accelerates, keeps the perimeter of your home clear right through the season.

Declutter storage areas

Garages, sheds, and roof spaces fill with undisturbed boxes over winter, and undisturbed is exactly what spiders and cockroaches want. Store items in sealed plastic tubs rather than cardboard, keep boxes off the floor, and clear out anything you no longer need

The cockroaches you see in December bred somewhere warm through winter, usually around hot water systems, fridge motors, dishwashers, and roof voids. Over the colder months, vacuum and wipe down these harbourage zones, fix leaking taps that supply drinking water, and move to sealed containers for pantry goods and pet food.

German cockroaches in particular breed indoors year-round once established, so any winter sightings are worth acting on straight away rather than waiting for spring. Professional cockroach control treatments from $440 including GST reach the harbourage points that surface sprays miss.

Termites feed year-round in Adelaide, but colonies push hardest through spring and summer, and mature colonies release their winged swarmers from October. Winter is the ideal window for a professional termite inspection, for two reasons. First, booking is easier outside the peak season. Second, any activity found in winter can be managed before the colony’s busiest months.

Around the home, keep timber out of ground contact, store firewood away from walls, and deal with the moisture issues covered above, since damp soil against footings is a standing invitation. CSIRO research supports an annual inspection for Australian homes, carried out to AS 4349.3-2010, and winter is as good a time as any to get yours done. Allstate’s detailed termite inspection starts from $275 including GST, with a free assessment and proposal available where treatment is needed. These steps support your home’s defence against termites and reduce the chance of damage, which is a far better position than discovering activity in January.

Preparation cuts both ways. The rodents that moved in over autumn are still in Adelaide roof voids and wall cavities through winter, and they won’t leave on their own just because spring arrives. Sealing entry points helps here too, but an established population needs baiting or trapping to clear. If you’re hearing scratching at night, deal with it now through professional rat and mice treatment from $440 including GST, so you enter spring with an empty roof void rather than a breeding one.

Book in August or early September, before the spring rush fills technician schedules. That timing means your treatment is in place as pest activity begins rather than weeks after it, and any termite inspection findings can be acted on before colonies hit their summer stride. Allstate Pest Control services all suburbs of greater Adelaide and South Australia, with safe treatments for your family, pets, and the environment, and emergency service available when something can’t wait.