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One of the most common questions we get: how many traps do I actually need? Too few and you barely dent the population; too many and you have spent money you did not need to.
| Your situation | Traps needed | Best pack |
|---|---|---|
| Seen one or two, in one room | 1–3 | Starter pack |
| Regular sightings, several rooms | 6+ | Medium pack |
| Heavy infestation or whole house | 12+ | Standard pack |
| Housing association, school, office | 1–2 per room | Bulk packs |
Six well-placed traps beat twelve badly placed ones. Silverfish travel along edges, not across open floor — a trap in the middle of a room catches almost nothing.
The trap itself is reusable for years — only the catch cup with attractant is replaced. Each cup stays effective for at least 4 months, or roughly 100 catches. A small refill pack keeps 3 traps running for about a year; a large refill pack covers 12 traps.
Not sure where to begin? The starter pack covers a normal home and is backed by our catch guarantee.
See the starter packOne per affected room is the minimum, two to three per room where you see activity regularly. Most homes with a moderate problem start with 3 traps and add more if the catch numbers stay high.
Flat against skirting boards and walls, in corners, behind toilets, under sinks, in utility rooms and near cardboard storage. Silverfish travel along edges — traps in open floor space catch very little.
Not harmfully, but there are diminishing returns. Beyond about 2–3 traps per room you are better off improving placement and removing cardboard than adding more.
Each cup stays effective for at least 4 months, or until roughly 100 insects have been caught. Refill packs contain both cups and attractant.
Silverfish and grey silverfish look similar enough to be confused constantly — but they behave very differently, and knowing which one you have tells you how urgent the problem is.
| Common silverfish | Grey silverfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Latin name | Lepisma saccharina | Ctenolepisma longicaudatum |
| Size | Up to 10 mm | Up to 15 mm, plus long tails |
| Colour | Metallic silver, shiny | Browner, matte |
| Tails and antennae | Short | Noticeably long |
| Climbs walls | No | Yes |
| Where it lives | Damp: bathrooms, basements | Dry rooms, whole house |
| Eats paper | Rarely | Yes — books, wallpaper, documents |
| Spreads | Slowly | Quickly |
Common silverfish are mostly a nuisance and a signal that you have a humidity problem. Fix the damp and their numbers usually fall on their own.
Grey silverfish are a genuine pest. They digest cellulose, so they feed on paper, cardboard, book bindings and wallpaper — and they can damage documents, photographs and stored belongings. They breed faster, live longer, and spread through a building rather than staying in one damp room.
This is why new-build homes and recently renovated flats see them so often — and why the problem has nothing whatsoever to do with how clean your home is.
Both species climb the rough outer wall of a pitfall trap, drop into a catch cup holding an oil-based attractant, and cannot get out. No chemicals, safe with children and pets — and the catch cup tells you which species you are dealing with. Check the size and tail length of what you find.
Not sure which you have? Start with 3 traps and let the catch cup tell you.
See the starter packSize and colour are the quickest clues: common silverfish are smaller and metallic silver, grey silverfish are larger, browner and matte with much longer tails. The decisive test is climbing — if you find them on walls or ceilings, they are grey silverfish.
Grey silverfish. They digest cellulose and feed on paper, cardboard and wallpaper, so they can damage books, documents and stored items. Common silverfish are mainly a nuisance linked to damp.
No. The same poison-free pitfall trap works on both species, because both climb and neither can escape the catch cup.
No. Grey silverfish arrive inside cardboard and packaging and thrive in modern, well-insulated homes. Common silverfish follow humidity. Neither is a sign of poor cleaning.
"Do those traps actually work?" It is the most honest question to ask before spending money on silverfish control — so here is a straight answer, including what the research says and when traps are not enough on their own.
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has studied grey silverfish more than anyone in the Nordics. Their finding: traps alone rarely wipe out a large established population quickly.
What traps are recognised for is being the best poison-free way to steadily reduce numbers — and to document how many you have and whether things are improving. That is precisely why professional pest controllers use traps as a standard part of any silverfish programme, rather than as a gimmick.
We would rather tell you that plainly than oversell. Our traps were developed with Norwegian researchers and catch using a poison-free, oil-based attractant — and we back them with a catch guarantee.
| Method | How it performs |
|---|---|
| Pitfall traps | Poison-free, no resistance, reusable for years, and the catch cup documents progress |
| Sticky traps | Work briefly, then insects learn to avoid them |
| Sprays | Effective short-term, but chemicals indoors and insects build tolerance |
| Professional gel | Effective but expensive and requires a technician |
| Scents and home remedies | May displace insects temporarily; little measurable reduction |
Try them yourself — the starter pack is covered by our catch guarantee. If it does not catch, you get your money back.
See the starter packThe first catches typically appear within a few days, and most people see a clear drop in activity after 2–3 weeks. With larger populations it takes longer — the catch numbers show you the trend as you go.
With small and medium populations, yes — combined with removing paper and cardboard and sealing cracks. With a massive established infestation, traps reduce numbers substantially but full elimination may require additional professional treatment.
Pitfall traps. Silverfish learn to avoid sticky traps once they perceive them as a threat, so sticky traps lose effectiveness quickly. Pitfall traps exploit natural climbing behaviour and keep catching.
The trap itself is reusable for years. Only the catch cup with attractant is replaced — effective for at least 4 months, or until roughly 100 insects have been caught.
Have you spotted small, fast insects with long tails darting along your skirting boards at night? You are far from alone. Grey silverfish have become one of the most common household pests in Northern Europe — especially in newer, well-insulated buildings. The good news: you can get rid of them without a drop of poison.
Before anything else, find out how many you have and where they live. Pitfall traps do both jobs at once: they catch the insects, and the number in the cup tells you whether this is a small problem or a serious one — and whether your efforts are working.
Our starter pack contains 3 traps, 9 catch cups and 30 ml of poison-free attractant — roughly a year of use for a normal home.
See the starter packThe two are constantly confused, but they behave differently — and the same traps work on both.
| Common silverfish | Grey silverfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Up to 10 mm | Up to 15 mm plus long tails |
| Colour | Metallic silver | Browner, matte |
| Climbs walls | No | Yes |
| Prefers | Damp rooms | Dry rooms, whole house |
| Damages paper | Rarely | Yes |
More detail in our guide on telling silverfish and grey silverfish apart.
Act quickly. Set traps along skirting boards and in the rooms where you have seen them, so you reduce the population and gauge its size at the same time. Clear cardboard off the floor, vacuum regularly, and seal visible cracks. Expect visible results within 2–3 weeks.
Not poor cleaning. They usually arrive inside cardboard boxes and packaging, and they thrive in newer, well-sealed homes with a stable indoor temperature. Spotless homes get them too.
In practice, yes. Grey silverfish digest cellulose, so they damage paper, books and wallpaper. They also thrive in dry rooms throughout the house and spread faster.
Lavender and cedar are often suggested, but the evidence is weak — scents may move them temporarily at best. Traps with an attractant plus prevention work far better.
Often, yes. They are hardy and can crawl back out of the bag. Vacuum by all means, but empty it outside straight away.
Usually not. Left alone the population tends to grow year on year. Early action is much easier than late action.
Proverm
Tel: +45 30 70 60 20
Østre Havnepark 3, 4. 5
9000 Aalborg
CVR.: 43088122
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