Silverfish are small, fast, and quiet, and when they show up in apartment buildings, silverfish spread quickly than most people expect. If you’ve ever spotted one in your bathroom or near a storage closet, chances are there are more hiding nearby. These insects love moisture, darkness, and clutter, which makes multi-unit buildings the perfect environment for them.
Here’s why silverfish move through apartment buildings so quickly and why it’s important to deal with them as soon as possible.
1. They Travel Through Shared Walls and Plumbing Lines
In apartments, units are connected by pipes, vents, electrical lines, and tiny gaps inside the walls. Silverfish take advantage of these pathways, easily moving from one unit to another without being noticed.
If one neighbour has an infestation, it often spreads before anyone realizes what’s happening.
2. Moisture Problems Are Common in Multi-Unit Buildings
Silverfish thrive in damp spaces. Bathrooms without good ventilation, leaking pipes, humid storage rooms, and basement-level suites all create the perfect conditions.
Apartment buildings tend to have more shared moisture issues, such as:
- High humidity in hallways
- Laundry rooms with poor ventilation
- Slow leaks behind walls
- Damp basements
When moisture builds up, silverfish quickly settle in and multiply.
3. Clutter Makes It Easy for Them to Hide
Silverfish love cluttered areas, especially when they include paper, cardboard, or old clothing. Apartment storage lockers, closets, and shared storage rooms often become hiding spots.
Once they find a food source, books, boxes, or packaging, the infestation becomes harder to control.
4. They Reproduce Fast and Stay Hidden
Silverfish are extremely good at staying out of sight. They hide during the day and come out at night, which is why people usually don’t notice them until the population grows.
A small infestation can turn into a building-wide problem because:
- They move quickly
- They breed steadily
- They hide in cracks that are hard to access
Without proper treatment, silverfish can spread to every floor of a building.
5. DIY Fixes Usually Don’t Work in Apartment Settings
Home remedies like traps, sprays, or cleaning the bathroom may help in a single-family home, but in apartments, these methods rarely solve the issue.
Even if you eliminate them in your unit, silverfish from neighbouring suites can easily come back. Professional inspections are usually needed to identify:
- Hidden moisture sources
- Entry points behind walls
- How far the infestation has spread
A building-wide approach is the most effective way to break the cycle.
Protect Your Apartment From Silverfish with Phantom Pest Control in Vancouver
Silverfish can spread fast, but they’re also easy to control when the problem is caught early. At Phantom Pest Control, we offer reliable silverfish control services for apartment buildings across Metro Vancouver, including Downtown Vancouver, Burnaby, and North Vancouver.
If your building is dealing with silverfish, or you want to prevent them from spreading, we’re here to help. Contact Phantom Pest Control today and keep your property safe, clean, and pest-free.
