Paperfish in the warehouse do not necessarily originate directly within your own business. Especially in companies with regular goods receipt, the insects can enter the building via cardboard boxes, packaging materials, returns, and other flows of goods.
This is particularly relevant for wholesalers, retailers, logistics companies, e-commerce businesses, manufacturers, and companies with extensive storage areas. Every day, new cardboard boxes are delivered, pallets are moved, goods are repackaged, and packaging is distributed throughout the business. If paperfish are already present in packaging or an upstream warehouse, they can enter new buildings unnoticed in this way.
A single insect in the goods-receiving area does not automatically mean a widespread infestation. However, repeated findings should be taken seriously. The key is to identify routes of introduction, monitor critical areas, and stop an emerging infestation as early as possible.
Why paperfish can be introduced via cardboard boxes
The paperfish (Ctenolepisma longicaudata) is a material pest that is exceptionally well adapted to indoor environments.
Unlike the common silverfish, it does not depend exclusively on particularly humid rooms. Paperfish can therefore also occur in normally heated and comparatively dry areas—for example:
- Warehouses
- Shipping areas
- Offices
- Archives
- Libraries
- Technical rooms
- Sales areas
- Production buildings
Stored materials and packaging play an important role in the spread.
Corrugated cardboard and cardboard packaging contain numerous small cavities, folds, edges, and gaps where paperfish can hide. At the same time, cardboard boxes are often stored for extended periods in warehouses, distribution centers, transport vehicles, or interim storage facilities.
This is how simple packaging can become an unnoticed means of transport.
From the supplier to your own warehouse: How introduction occurs
Packaging often passes through several stages before arriving at the business—from the manufacturer through logistics and transport to goods receipt and internal storage.
At each of these stages, cardboard boxes and pallets can come into contact with infested areas. If paperfish are already present there, they can be transported onward unnoticed.
Particularly high-risk are complex flows of goods involving many suppliers, long storage periods, returns, reused cardboard boxes, and multiple transfers between storage locations.
For businesses, the key question is therefore: not only whether paperfish are present on the premises, but also where they can be introduced into the flow of goods.
Particularly critical areas in the warehouse
After being introduced, paper silverfish do not immediately spread evenly throughout an entire facility. Local areas of increased activity often develop first.
These so-called hotspots should be monitored systematically.
1. Goods receiving
The goods receiving area is one of the most important inspection points.
New cartons, pallets, and goods from different supply chains arrive here every day. If a paper silverfish is introduced, this is often where it first comes into contact with the company’s own building.
Monitoring traps at goods receiving can therefore provide valuable information.
2. Temporary cardboard storage
Many companies collect empty cartons and reuse them later.
As a result, packaging may remain in the facility for weeks or months.
Disorganized stacks of cardboard with many gaps and spaces provide paper silverfish with numerous places to retreat.
3. Returns area
Returns represent a special flow of goods.
The goods have already been outside the company’s controlled storage environment and are then returned to the internal logistics process.
Returns should therefore not automatically be stored directly next to undamaged new goods.
4. Packaging and order-picking areas
Large quantities of cardboard are opened, folded, stored, and disposed of here every day.
If introduced paper silverfish are released during unpacking, they can retreat from these areas into adjacent building structures.
5. Shelving and quiet peripheral areas
Paper silverfish are nocturnal and avoid light.
Areas that are rarely disturbed are therefore particularly attractive:
- behind shelving
- under pallet storage locations
- along baseboards
- under fixtures
- at wall junctions
- in cable and pipe penetrations
- behind cladding
- in gaps and cavities
This is precisely where monitoring should begin.
How can you identify paper silverfish in a warehouse?
An infestation is often initially noticed through individual insects.
Typical situations include:
- When a carton is opened, a silverfish runs out.
- An insect is discovered beneath a pallet.
- When packaging is moved, insects disappear into a gap.
- Silverfish repeatedly appear in sticky traps.
- Paper silverfish are found in several adjacent storage areas.
Paper silverfish have an elongated body that appears gray to brownish. Particularly noticeable are the very long antennae and the three long tail appendages.
Especially in dry storage, office, and archive areas, the surroundings often point more toward paper silverfish. However, reliable species identification should not be based solely on where they are found.
Single finding or established infestation?
For the next steps, it is crucial to determine whether an individual has merely been introduced or whether a population is already present in the building.
This exact question can hardly be answered based on a single sighting.
That is why systematic monitoring should be established after a suspicious finding.
Examples of suitable inspection points include:
- in the goods receiving area
- in the returns area
- at cardboard storage areas
- behind packaging stations
- along walls and baseboards
- under shelving
- at transitions between storage and office areas
- at doors and passageways
- in adjacent technical and ancillary rooms
The traps should be clearly numbered and checked regularly.
This creates a much more accurate picture over time:
Where do the pests occur?
How high are the catch numbers?
Is the infestation spreading?
Do the catch numbers decrease after a measure is implemented?
Especially in commercial businesses, this analysis of trends is far more informative than occasional visual inspections.
Preventing paperfish from entering through goods receiving: 7 important measures
Companies cannot completely rule out the risk of pests being introduced. However, goods flows can be organized in a way that allows problems to be detected more quickly and makes it more difficult for them to spread throughout the building.
1. Define goods receiving as a checkpoint
The goods receiving area should not serve solely as a logistical handover point. At the same time, it is an important part of pest prevention.
Employees should know that damaged, heavily soiled, or suspicious packaging should be inspected.
2. Do not store cardboard boxes longer than necessary
The longer cardboard packaging remains on the premises, the more potential hiding places are created. Packaging that is no longer needed should therefore be removed from sensitive storage areas as soon as possible.
3. Handle returns separately
Returns should, where possible, be checked first before being fully reintegrated into regular inventory. This applies in particular to goods with extensive paper or cardboard packaging.
4. Keep packaging areas well organized
Large, unsorted stacks of cardboard make both cleaning and pest control more difficult. Clearly defined storage locations that remain regularly accessible and easy to inspect are preferable.
5. Adapt monitoring to the flow of goods
Monitoring traps should not be distributed randomly.
Their placement should be based on the actual processes:
Where do goods arrive? Where are they opened? Where are they temporarily stored? Where is packaging material collected?
6. Document suspicious deliveries
If paperfish or other pests are discovered directly in a delivery, this should be documented. This can make it possible to identify connections with specific suppliers, types of goods, or logistics routes when unusual findings recur.
7. Continue monitoring permanently
Goods flows do not stop after successful control. Therefore, monitoring should not be stopped completely either.
Continuous baseline monitoring helps detect reinfestation at an early stage.
What should you do if paperfish are already in the warehouse?
If paperfish are repeatedly caught or discovered in different areas, it is not enough simply to dispose of the affected boxes.
The insects may already have moved out of the packaging and retreated into building structures.
Systematic control therefore combines several components:
- Record the infestation
- Identify hotspots
- Carry out targeted bait treatment
- Take spread routes into account
- Document catch numbers
- Monitor measures and adjust them if necessary
Kaeferling Pro Paperfish Set for warehouses and commercial businesses
For light to moderate infestations, the Kaeferling Pro Paperfish Set a combined solution for control and monitoring.
Among other applications, the set is suitable for warehouse areas, offices, archives, libraries, and other commercially used indoor spaces.
It contains:
- Advion Cockroach Gel for targeted bait treatment
- David Empty Bait Stations for protected gel placement
- Esca-Bar Bait Strips for discreet bait points
- Deltasect Spray for supplementary barrier treatment
- Catchmaster 288i Glue Traps for monitoring and measuring success
The set is designed for a treatment area of approximately 50 m². Depending on the severity of the infestation and the amount of gel applied, several treatment steps are possible.
Why the combination makes sense especially in warehouses
In a warehouse, the challenge is not limited to eliminating individual visible insects.
The key is to reach hidden populations and travel routes while also checking whether activity is actually declining.
The glue traps first make it possible to identify the infested areas.
The gel bait can then be applied specifically along relevant travel routes and hiding areas. Bait stations and bait strips enable controlled placement.
Continued monitoring of the traps can then show whether the infestation pressure is decreasing.
→ View Kaeferling Pro Paperfish Set
Do not distribute paperfish throughout the entire warehouse
A common mistake is to continue distributing conspicuous boxes throughout the facility after a find.
If a paperfish is discovered, the goods should not automatically be transferred to other storage areas, offices, or locations.
First, it must be determined whether this is an isolated finding or an indication of a further infestation.
For sensitive goods, a quarantine area may be advisable.
The goal is to stop potential introduction directly at goods receiving and prevent spread throughout the facility.
Why a monitoring point plan makes sense for larger warehouses
In small warehouses, trap locations can usually still be surveyed easily. In larger commercial properties, however, structured documentation quickly becomes essential.
A monitoring point plan typically includes:
- Monitoring point number and location
- Inspection date
- Catch numbers
- Irregularities and measures
Over a longer period, this creates a meaningful trend analysis.
Example: While monitoring point 3 in the goods receiving area remains inconspicuous, monitoring point 8 in the cardboard storage area shows rising catch numbers.
This allows measures to be implemented precisely where they are actually needed. For hygiene, quality, and audit requirements, the documentation also provides clear traceability.
Kaeferling Service: Professional Support for Larger Infestations
Not every paperfish infestation can be handled effectively in-house.
Professional support should be considered in particular when:
- high catch numbers are recorded,
- multiple storage areas are affected,
- paperfish have already spread to office or administrative areas,
- new insects keep appearing,
- the original source of introduction remains unclear,
- multiple floors or parts of the building are affected, or
- sensitive goods and materials are at risk.
In Cologne and the surrounding area, Kaeferling Service can support you with this. We also offer professional pest control as a fixed-price service—transparent, predictable, and tailored to commercial properties.
Particularly in larger warehouse and logistics facilities, a professional infestation analysis can help identify hotspots, routes of spread, and potential weak points in the flow of goods.
Professional Expertise PRO: Paperfish for Warehousing, Logistics and Facility Management
Companies that organize pest monitoring themselves need more than traps and pest control products.
Employees should understand:
- how paperfish are reliably identified,
- how an infestation is assessed,
- where monitoring points make sense,
- how catch numbers are interpreted,
- which control methods are suitable,
- how preventive measures are integrated into the flow of goods and
- how measures are documented in a traceable manner.
These are precisely the topics covered by the Professional Expertise PRO: Paperfish – Online Training with Certificate the Kaeferling Academy.
The issue of reinfestation through goods-receiving inspections, quarantine, and ongoing monitoring is particularly relevant for warehousing and logistics operations.
The training covers, among other topics:
- Species identification
- Biology and behavior
- Detecting and inspecting infestations
- Strategy: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
- Control methods & product knowledge
- Prevention & follow-up care
- Industry-specific application
The online course consists of 10 chapters with around 90 minutes of video material, PDF scripts, knowledge checks, as well as checklists and templates for practical implementation.
After passing the final exam, participants receive a certificate of participation and achievement from Kaeferling Academy.
→ View Fachkunde PRO: Paperfish – Online Training with Certificate
Conclusion: For paperfish in a warehouse, prevention begins at goods receiving
Paperfish can enter commercial buildings via cardboard boxes, packaging, and goods deliveries. Companies with large or continuous goods flows in particular should therefore consider goods receiving an important part of their pest management.
A systematic approach is crucial:
- analyze goods flows and possible routes of introduction
- specifically monitor goods receiving and returns
- do not store cardboard packaging longer than necessary
- set up monitoring points at critical locations
- document findings and catch numbers
- carry out targeted control when an infestation has been confirmed
- continue monitoring permanently after treatment
The Kaeferling Pro Paperfish Set combines monitoring and control for smaller and medium-sized infestations. For larger or difficult-to-contain infestations, Kaeferling Service is also available in Cologne and the surrounding area.
Companies that want to professionally manage paperfish themselves and establish monitoring, prevention, and documentation internally can acquire the necessary expertise with the Fachkunde PRO: Paperfish Online Training learn more.
This is how reactive pest control becomes a structured concept that starts right where paperfish commonly enter a business: at goods receiving.
Use biocidal products with care. Always read the label and product information before use.
