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Does Cedar Repel Silverfish? (Quick Answers)

Infestation of silverfish in your home can become a serious problem if you do not take preventive measures. Silverfish belongs to the category of insects that can make your house unhygienic. Today, we are going to discuss cedar and whether it can repel silverfish or not.  

Cedar to repel silverfish

According to experts, cedar is quite capable of repelling silverfish. The smell of cedar is key when it comes to keeping silverfish away from the house. All cedar wood products work well at deterring silverfish. Cedarwood essential oil is the most potent repellent of silverfish.

There are different varieties of cedar available in the market. We are going to talk about them and see if they can keep silverfish away. 

Cedar wood:

Cedar wood is capable of producing a scent that disturbs the smelling sense of silverfish. That is why experts believe that cedarwood is a potent repellent of silverfish. 

If you manage to identify the hiding places of silverfish inside your house, then you can place cedar wood at those places to drive the silverfish away. The strong smell of cedar wood makes silverfish incredibly uncomfortable. 

Cedar oil:

The oil extracted from cedar is known as cedarwood essential oil. Cedarwood essential oil is the most practical repellent of silverfish. You can use cedar essential oil in the form of a spray with the help of water. 

Another way of using cedarwood essential oil would be to wipe the most silverfish affected places of your home. 

The smell of cedar oil is too strong for silverfish and they would avoid going into places that have the presence of cedarwood essential oil.

Cedar chips:

Any form of cedar wood has the ability to repel silverfish away from your home. Cedar chips are no exception. Pure cedar chips are able to emit the same strong scent as cedar wood. Silverfish will not bother going into areas that have cedar chips in them. 

Cedar chips are considered as effective silverfish repellents. 

Cedar mulch:

According to experts, cedar mulch is also capable of driving silverfish away from your home. You can sprinkle cedar mulch at the most silverfish affected places of your home. The smell of cedar mulch will keep the silverfish at bay. 

Cedar smoke:

The smoke of cedar carries the same scent as cedar wood. That is why cedar smoke is quite good at repelling silverfish away from your home. However, using cedar smoke can cause fire related accidents in your home if you are not careful enough. 

That is why precautions should be taken while using cedar smoke to get rid of silverfish. 

Cedar balls:

Cedar balls can be a good way of getting rid of silverfish from your home. Silverfish do not enjoy the smell of cedar balls as the main material of cedar balls is cedar wood. 

So silverfish will start leaving your home if their smelling sense starts feeling uncomfortable due to the smell of cedar balls. 

Cedar blocks:

It is believed by experts that cedar blocks are also good at keeping silverfish away. However, the effectiveness of cedar blocks wears off as they get older and need to be replaced with new blocks. The smell of cedar blocks can be problematic for the smelling sense of silverfish.

How effective is japanese cedar to repel silverfish?

Japanese cedar is the most effective variety of cedar when it comes to repelling silverfish. Silverfish absolutely detest the strong smell of Japanese cedar. 

The important thing to remember here is that both Japanese cedar wood and Japanese cedar essential oil are good at keeping the silverfish away. 

Additionally, if Japanese cedar oil is sprayed directly on the silverfish, then it has the ability to cause their demise. It is no surprise as Japanese cedar is capable of causing damage to the outer coating of silverfish and terminating them. 

Why does cedar repel silverfish?

There are many reasons why silverfish get repelled by cedar. Let’s discuss in detail about some of the reasons. 

Smell of cedar:

Cedar is able to produce a smell that can trouble the smelling sense of silverfish. It has been noticed by experts that both the scent of cedar wood and cedar oil are not enjoyed by silverfish at all. 

That is why experts suggest the use of cedar wood and cedar oil as a silverfish repellent. 

Sensitive smelling sense of silverfish:

Silverfish have the gift of sensitive smelling sense. They use their strong sense of smell to find food in the house. The same strong sense of smell can cause the downfall of silverfish when it comes to cedar. 

The distinctive aroma of cedar has been known for causing trouble to the smelling sense of silverfish. This is the major reason why cedar works so well as a silverfish repellent. 

Chemical reaction caused by cedar oil:

Spraying cedar oil on silverfish can terminate them completely. Cedar has the ability to pierce through the outer coating of silverfish. This damages the inside parts of silverfish and causes their demise. 

Silverfish are aware about the chemical prowess of cedar oil and stay away from it. 

How do you terminate silverfish with cedar?

Terminating silverfish with cedar might seem like a difficult task if you have no prior experience regarding the matter. However, there are some steps and methods you can follow to accomplish the task. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them. 

Mark the places:

First of all, you will be required to find out the hiding places of silverfish in your home. You can do this by following the trail of silverfish. Besides the hiding places, you will have to mark the most silverfish affected places of your home too. 

This is a crucial step as it will decide the outcome of the entire process. 

Make a mixture:

In order to terminate the silverfish from your home, you will need to use cedarwood essential oil instead of cedar wood. Cedar wood is only good at repelling silverfish away and can not perish them. 

You will need to make a mixture of water and cedarwood essential oil. Water will lighten the mixture and save you from using cedar essential oil in large portions. 

Spray the solution:

In the next step, you will need to spray the solution on the silverfish living inside your home. You can start by spraying on the nests of silverfish. This will eliminate the hiding places of silverfish effectively and will prevent future infestation of silverfish. 

You can also try to spray the solution directly on silverfish by targeting the most silverfish affected places of your home. 

The chemical reaction caused by the mixture of water and cedarwood essential oil will immediately break down the outer coating of silverfish and damage their insides. This will mark the end of the process and the infestation of silverfish in your home. 

What smells do silverfish dislike?

There are a lot of smells that silverfish dislike. Let’s discuss in detail about some of them. 

Smell of peppermint:

The smell of peppermint essential oil has been known for causing trouble to the smelling sense of silverfish. 

If you manage to spray peppermint essential oil at the hiding places of silverfish, then it will drive them away from your home due to the strong smell of peppermint essential oil. 

You can additionally place cotton balls soaked in peppermint essential oil at the most silverfish affected places of your home. 

Smell of clove:

The strong smell of clove is also not enjoyed by silverfish. Experts suggest the use of clove essential oil to repel silverfish away from your home. The solution of clove essential oil and water is more than capable of keeping silverfish away from infesting your home. 

Smell of lavender:

The strong scent emitted by lavender is detested by silverfish too. The sensitive smelling sense of lavender gets troubled by lavender essential oil. Lavender essential oil is known for being a potent silverfish repellent. 

Smell of citrus:

The distinctive smell produced by citrus fruits can also disturb the smelling sense of silverfish. Silverfish do not like hanging around citrus fruits due to its powerful aroma. That is why experts suggest the use of citrus fruits and citrus rinds as silverfish repellents. 

Smell of cinnamon:

It is believed by experts that the smell of cinnamon essential oil is not liked by silverfish at all. The smell of cinnamon essential oil can cause discomfort to the smelling sense of cinnamon. 

Smell of cedar:

The smell of cedar is detested by silverfish for valid reasons. Both cedarwood and cedarwood essential oil are effective at causing discomfort to the smelling sense of silverfish and keeping them away. Many experts recommend the use of cedar as a silverfish repellent. 

Final Thoughts

The sensitive smelling sense of silverfish is the reason why cedar is able to repel them effectively. Even the chemical reaction caused by cedar oil is capable of damaging the outer coating of silverfish which results in their termination. Cedar essential oil is an effective repellent of silverfish.