# The traveling silverfish **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049 "2006-07-18T18:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049/1 "2006-07-18T18:00:40Z")
Next month, I’m moving from a silverfish infested house (which I rent) to a non-silverfish infested house (which I’ll own), and I’d really prefer that the little guys not hitch a ride. Is this something I need to be worried about? How would I prevent it? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049/2 "2006-07-18T18:22:32Z")
Set off bug bombs– [list=A] [li]24 hours before you pack.[/li][li]12 hours before you leave.[/li][li]3 days after your arrive.[/li][li]1 month after you arrive.[/li][/list] ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2006, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049/3 "2006-07-18T19:32:22Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Set off bug bombs– > > [list=A] > [li]24 hours before you pack.[/li][li]12 hours before you leave.[/li][li]3 days after your arrive.[/li][li]1 month after you arrive.[/li][/list] Thanks for the advice. It might cause some logistical problems though. Coordinating bug bombing with roomates who aren’t moving. Packing has been a slow, steady process one month in the making already. [These](http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef643.htm) guys don’t seem to think bug bombs work very well against crawling insects. (Plus I remember that Mythbusters where they blew up a house with a couple of bug bombs and a stove pilot light) ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049/4 "2006-07-21T05:09:56Z")
How about if I change my question to: If I’m lazy and do nothing, how likely is it that the silverfish will be transferred to the new place? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049/5 "2006-07-21T11:23:31Z")
[QUOTE=Folly] How about if I change my question to: If I’m lazy and do nothing, how likely is it that the silverfish will be transferred to the new place? [/QUOTE] Your question really isn’t possible to answer with the level of detail provided. It might not be possible to answer with accuracy even with a lot of detail. Silverfish are likely to be disturbed a lot during the packing process, and many of them will fall off, run away, or die (they are very fragile). Anything that has been damp and is papery/woody/cardboardy they might ride along in. Use the moving process as an opportunity to make sure they don’t follow you. FTR lots of people say bug bombs don’t work against one insect or another (especially spiders), but my house, which due to being in a semi-woody area and having a wood roof has lots of crawling insects and spiders, had a complete and total cessation of insects of all types for more than maybe 9 months after I bombed it thoroughly. I mean, I went from killing 1-2 spiders a day and 2-3 silverfich to NOTHING until the next year. It’s definitely worth a try in the new house. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-traveling-silverfish/365049/6 "2006-07-21T12:37:03Z")
I’ve never said this before, but I can’t help it: Band Name!!!