Finding a bug that’s made its way into your home can be quite alarming, but it’s even more alarming when you find a bug that’s been feeding off of your belongings. This is more often than not the case for Silverfish. These pests find their way into your home in various ways! From getting a ride on some contaminated materials to walking straight through the door, it’s not difficult for these pests to find a new home in your home.
If you think there’s a chance you may have Silverfish in your home, dive into our blog that will provide you with a comprehensive guide to Silverfish.
What are Silverfish?
Silverfish are flat, wingless insects that have scales covering their entire body. The scales make it look as though this insect is silver in color. Aside from that, you will see that they have distinctive antennas as well as three long legs, on each side, coming from the body. These pests are usually no longer than ½ an inch long, so they’re relatively small.
More often than not, these pests are found in your very home! As we mentioned earlier, they can either be brought in with human help (either through contaminated items or being stuck on a piece of clothing), or they can simply make their way in based on the temperature that seems welcoming.
Though they may make their way into your house, these pests aren’t something that you need to worry about biting you — they’re primarily nocturnal detritivores. This means that they need mostly carboyhyrdates like starch or sugars to live. However, once they’ve found a way inside, they’re most likely to be found feeding off of book bindings, clothing, carpets, wallpaper, leather, pictures, coffee, and the like.
Silverfish Life Cycle
Finding these bugs when they’re only eggs is very rare given that they are extremely small. That being said, the eggs of silverfish insects can be found in cozy crevices with dust. The female will lay the eggs in a place that is warm, like the dust that we’ve mentioned, food, or the like. One lay will usually include 50 eggs but could vary to sizes as small as one egg and as large as 200 eggs. These eggs could be there for anywhere between 19 to 32 days before hatching and could remain dormant for as long as six weeks if the temperature isn’t ideal for the bug’s survival.
Once these Silverfish have hatched, there are quite a few life stages that it will go through. There are roughly 60 different development stages that silverfish go through in their life, including the development of their scales and their antennas. Right after molting, which takes about 12 days time, these insects look like the adult version of the insect even though they have still have developmental stages to go through.
Depending on the environment that these insects are living in, it can take up to a month for them to fully complete their developmental cycles that make them an adult. Once they have finished the cycle and are an adult Silverfish, these bugs are capable of living up to three years. That’s pretty impressive for an insect if you ask us!
Management for Silverfish
Preventative actions are one of the best ways to ensure that you don’t wind up with a pest control problem in your home. Given that these insects are nocturnal, it’s not uncommon for people to be completely unaware of any issue they may have. That being said, it is usually the cause of finding them in a previously laid out cockroach trap or them getting stuck on tape that gives their presence away.
Centipedes and spiders commonly eat these pests, so it could be taken care of entirely on its own if you have a few also taking up residence in your home. However, in the times that there too many for you to control, a team of professionals is the best way to go.
Preventative Efforts to Take
If you’re interested in avoiding Silverfish all together, there’s not too much that you need to do. One of the best pieces of advice that we can give would be to ensure that your shower and your sinks are entirely dry and clean. Aside from that, make sure that you’re cleaning on a routine basis given that dust mites are a fine source of food for these insects.
We also suggest minimizing the levels of humidity in your home. It’s this type of environment that Silverfish thrive off of and can easily turn into a home. Aside from that, check up on the conditions of your books and wallpaper. If you notice that there has been any new or recent damage and it looks like something may be feeding off of it, there’s a very good chance it’s a silverfish.
Let Our Team Help
Earthwise Pest Management is known for being the Top Rated Pest Control Management® company of the greater Sacramento area. We are all extremely knowledgeable about various types of pests so that we can provide you with the services that you need to rid yourself of these pests for good. If you’re in need of professional assistance for silverfish removal, you can count on our pest control company to help.
Contact our team today, and we’d be happy to provide you with a quote on your needs. We’d be happy to help with any questions or inquiries that you may have about your insect infestation!