If you ’ve ever extend through old boxes in your attic and spotted some Lepisma saccharina , you might be gross out . Butwhere do Lepisma saccharina come from , are they dangerous , and how do you get disembarrass of them ?
Silverfish 101
You may be glad to love that they do n’t do nearly the same damage as other pests , liketermites , and they ’re not harmful to man . " Silverfish care to jaw on things , specially newspaper publisher or fabrics that may have starch or pelf residues embedded in them , such aswallpaperwith the starch - based glue that was used to bear it in place , " says Doug Webb , coach of technical services for gadfly mastery company Terminix in an email [ origin : Terminix ] . " Another example would be article of clothing that has been starched . Silverfish chaw on the material to get the starch , but in the process damage the textile . "
These wingless insects once made themselves at dwelling house in books ( since book are recoil withglue ) , but not so much now [ generator : Zoppi ] . Years ago , most glues were produce using animal byproducts or other natural stuff that check a high-pitched amylum , sugar or fauna protein content .
" young types of glue are Cartesian product of mod chemical science and would be of no interest to silverfish because they have no nutritionary value , " Webb explains .
A Very Ancient Insect
Silverfish ( Lepisma saccharina ) have been skitter around the domain for more than 400 million geezerhood and stay pretty much the same as in their pre - dinosaur day .
" Other than size , they have evolved very little in that clock time , " netmail Scot Hodges A.C.E. , vice president of technical serving with Arrow Exterminators [ beginning : Arrow Exterminators ] . " They are telling subsister which may explain why they have had small need to germinate . Some source claim they can go up to 6 months without solid food or water so long as they have one or the other . "
Anatomy of a Silverfish
Appropriately , silverfish are prehistoricin show . Often described as " Daucus carota sativa - like " in figure , these shiny and gray-headed animals have tiny scales throughout their organic structure , which makes them look silver .
" The common name ' silverfish ' fall from the fact that they are gray to silver in color and jiggle as they run in a style that search like a fish swimming , " say Webb . They molt their skins well into adult life ( you may have seen their scales lurking in your mansion ) .
Here ’s a crack-up of their master anatomic feature :
Treating Silverfish Infestations
Unlike most of the world ’s other insects , urban Lepisma saccharina do n’t seem to have a lot of redeeming character . " They do not serve any good purpose to man that I am aware of , " Webb says . So you should n’t fret about getting free of them .
They are n’t exactly tap to be base , as silverfish fell in area that people rarely embark . " They can be found in any part of the home base , but seem to favour dark undisturbed places , " Hodges explains , take down that dark , high - humidity spots such as front crawl spaces , unfinished basement and loft are prime silverfish real demesne . " These areas are suitable environments for them and are also where homeowners keep stored items that cater them harborage and solid food . " They lean to enter home to avoid atmospheric condition extremum and wind up ride out because the atmosphere is just so hospitable to silverfish eggs .
These nocturnal creatures generally take quite a long time to reproduce enough to achieve infestation position . To foreclose silverfish infestations , it ’s best to denigrate your accretion of junk . " The samara to control is to limit or pass harborage , " Hodges says . " Large infestations are often unite to hive away items and jumble . "
If you do happen to find silverfish , it ’s not a disgusting cleanup . " Often , vacuuming them is the fast and easiest way to get rid of them , " emails Frank Meek , technical servicing coach with the pest control services company Orkin .
He also suggest audit your menage once per year at minimum to key out any spots where silverfish live and pest can embark . " If you salt away items in your cellar or attic , make certain they are in hard plastic containers , not cardboard box . When move storage items , inspect them first and check that you are n’t transport these nocturnal pests into a fresh space , " he say .
Webb ’s squad at Terminix generally identifies any food source that silverfish find resistless , like starch residue on the floor of a utility program room or food for thought spillage from starchy solid food like grains , pasta and cereal . " It is also authoritative to reduce humidity in higher humidness areas within the abode by diffuse the air with fans , using dehumidifiers or other moisture reduction methods . "
If silverfish have already gotten out of control , Meek says to attempt professional help . " If you see a sign of a silverfish plague , contact your local cuss control professional who will assess the post within your dwelling and determine the most effective methods of extermination for your specific trouble . "
3 Species That Are Similar to Silverfish
Here are a few species that you might disconcert for silverfish :
This article was update in continuative with AI technology , then fact - checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor program .
