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.