The Potion of Infestation is one of the “negative” potions added in the 1.21 Tricky Trials update, and it is pure chaos in a bottle: throw it at an enemy and every time they take damage, they might spew out silverfish. It is cheap to brew and one of the most annoying (and useful) tools for traps and mob farms. This guide covers the recipe, the splash and lingering versions, and exactly how the effect works.
Everything here is confirmed in the current 2026 version of Minecraft (26.2).
Quick answer: brew an Awkward Potion (water bottle + nether wart), then add Stone to make a Potion of Infestation (Infested, 3:00). Add gunpowder to throw it as a splash potion.
Potion of Infestation at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Base recipe | Awkward Potion + Stone |
| Effect | Infested, 3:00 |
| On damage | 10% chance to spawn 1-2 silverfish |
| Splash/lingering | Gunpowder/dragon’s breath |
How to Brew It
Fuel your brewing stand with blaze powder first, then:
- Make an Awkward Potion. Put water bottles in the bottom slots and a nether wart in the top ingredient slot.
- Add Stone. Put a block of Stone in the top slot. The Awkward Potion becomes a Potion of Infestation with the Infested effect for 3 minutes.
Stone is the whole trick; it ties thematically to silverfish, which hide inside stone. It is one of the cheaper potions to make, people just forget the recipe.
Splash and Lingering Versions
Since you almost always want to use this on someone else, turn it into a thrown potion:
- Splash Potion (gunpowder): add gunpowder to make a Splash Potion of Infestation (still 3:00). Throw it at mobs or players.
- Lingering Potion (dragon’s breath): add dragon’s breath to a splash potion to leave an infesting cloud (0:45).
One Thing to Know: It Cannot Be Upgraded
Unlike most potions, the Potion of Infestation cannot be extended or strengthened. Adding Redstone does nothing and Glowstone does nothing; there is no longer duration and no level II. What you brew is what you get, so do not waste those ingredients on it.
How the Infested Effect Works
The effect is not about drinking it, it is about damage. When a mob or player has the Infested effect and takes damage (not necessarily a killing blow), there is a 10% chance to spawn 1-2 silverfish. Hit an infested mob several times and the silverfish stack up fast.
That makes it great for two things: chaos in PvP or traps, and farming silverfish. Throw a lingering potion into a group of tougher mobs, poke them, and watch the silverfish pour out. It does little on a weak mob like a chicken that dies in one hit, so use it on sturdier targets you can damage repeatedly. For the full brewing tree, see our best Minecraft potions guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Brew an Awkward Potion (water bottle plus nether wart), then add a block of Stone. That gives a Potion of Infestation with the Infested effect for 3 minutes.
It applies the Infested effect. When the affected mob or player takes damage, there is a 10% chance to spawn 1-2 silverfish. It is mainly used as a splash potion on enemies.
No. This potion cannot be extended with Redstone or amplified with Glowstone. The duration is fixed at 3 minutes (45 seconds as a lingering potion).
Add gunpowder to make a Splash Potion of Infestation, then throw it at mobs or players. Add dragon’s breath to a splash potion to make a lingering version.
When the infested mob takes damage, not when it dies. Each hit has a 10% chance to spawn silverfish, so tougher mobs you can hit repeatedly produce the most.
It was added in the 1.21 Tricky Trials update, alongside the other new “negative” potions like Oozing, Weaving, and Wind Charging.
The Potion of Infestation is cheap, chaotic, and genuinely useful: brew Awkward plus Stone, add gunpowder to throw it, and use it on tougher mobs to spawn a swarm of silverfish. Just remember it cannot be upgraded, so save your Redstone and Glowstone for other brews.
