Silverfish
Silverfish are household pests, silvery to grey in colour and approximately 1 1/2 – 2 cm long. They are wingless and look a little ‘fishlike’ having scales like fish and a tapered body at both ends.
Adult Silverfish (L)-Do-it-yourself Pest Control, Adult Silverfish (R)-Integrated Pest Management of Alaska
Description
They are very quick when surprised, such as turning on a light or a sudden movement.
Habitat and Lifecycle
Silverfish are found worldwide, live in homes, vacant buildings, hospitals, attics, bathrooms and other places that are dark, warm and damp. During the day they are generally hiding in cracks, crevices, baseboards and behind furniture. As long as there is food they will continue to thrive. Unlike most insects having 4 lifestages, these guys only have 3. Males leave their sperm on fine silk threads and females then pick it up fertilizes her eggs. The females lay their eggs 1-4 per day and hatching occurs after 2-3 weeks. Egg to adult is approximately 4 months. They shed thier skins several times per year and can live up to 3 years. In their lifetime they can lay several hundred eggs.
Silverfish damage (L)-Home & Garden Information Center, Silverfish damage (R)-Clemson University
Diet and Damage
Thier main diet is high in protein and carbohydrates. This includes food stuffs, books, paper, wallpaper, attic insulation, cardboard, drywall, cotton clothing and many other household items. Indications of silverfish includes small irregular holes and also tiny yellow stains.
Control
1 Pot Stickers – you can buy these or make your own with bright yellow card coated with a sticky substance like tanglefoot. Sticky traps placed on the floor are very effective.
2 Reducing moisture in the home is the most important since they need dampness to survive. Using dehumidifiers in areas where silverfish are present will help reduce their numbers.
3 Silica Dioxide is a non-toxic dust that can be applied to baseboards and areas where they have been seen. This works by drying them out so they shrivel up and die.
4 Vaccuum regularily to keep the population at bay
5 Keeping moist debris out of the house is also good practice
August 7th, 2006 at 11:35 am
I have a “critter” something like this one (silverfish) but it has white dots on it and the tail looks more like a lobster or scorpion tail than the one shown. Can you please help us figure out what this is and if it is harmful to my children (can it go in their ears or mouths while sleeping?) ? I hate the things! They’re always falling from the ceiling or out of nowhere and I am desperate to find a way to get rid of them. There are not a lot of them but enough to notice from time to time and I hate the sight of them! Thank you.
February 19th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Hi,
I am seeing a bug in my apartment that looks like a Silverfish but it doesnt have the antenae? other than that they look alot like a Silverfish. I have a bit of a bug phobia, so this is freaking me out. I want to know what kind of a bug this is, and if they are dangerous, and how to get rid of them.
please respond
Thanks
Eric
August 25th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Hi i’m Alice i’m only 11 by the way but what exacly are “sliver fish” the internet (apart from your website) wasn’t much use are they harmful please reply.
ALICE
August 28th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
how harmfull are they?!?
September 5th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hi Alice,
Here is the Wikipedia on Silverfish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish
evidently they are not harmful to humans, which is good because i really do not like them. very yucky, but not harmful. Currently, trying to findout what is the best way to get rid of them. I will post that once i find something concrete.
Thanks
Eric
October 4th, 2008 at 10:59 am
silverfish are ugly, gross, and scary! what do they feel like???
October 16th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I am currently keeping a very cute little SILVER FISH as a pet. It’s fun to watch. I think Mr. Sleazy is a good name. Don’t you? Pease reply!
December 17th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Hey i have a petty small bathroom and they always seem to be in there they are like really gross and quick please tell me hoe to get rid of them like kinda really quick
thanks
January 6th, 2009 at 9:56 pm
hey from OZ
I have used lavender and rosemary mix, in areas with silverfish and has successfully deterred them.. hope this helps…
cheers
wayne
January 31st, 2009 at 2:01 am
Im keeping a little one as a pet as well…I have it in an old margerine container with a bunch of pinsized holes in the lid…i put a few rocks, some cereal, a leaf, a cotton swob that is damp and a little damp dirt. A funfact that I read said that they can go for up to a year without eating…so im assuming keeping one little bug wont hurt. I dont have the heart to kill it. I cant kill any bugs…its just not in me…I saved it when i washed my hands and nealy sent it down the drain with the water…I think I hurt one of its antanae in the process so I will see how long it lasts…but its my entertainment for a little while
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Wow! Wonderful and very informative! Thank you for all this. I’m hoping to get more into vegetable gardening so this gave me great inspiration
April 9th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
The house we live in is a rental and the silverfish were here when we got here. Can’t find a good way to get rid of them. Our house and garage have straight up been invaded by them! Any good ideas on getting rid of them? They’re absolutlely invasive and disgusting!
Thanks,
Hope
April 16th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Lavender sometimes works… as does mothballs… eradicating them will be impossible but controlling them is easy with the above methods… Funnily enough, I have found a few here, of all places, in my bath tub..lol. Also I found that keeping the outside clean and maintained with lavender plants and other insect repelling plants.
give it a go and see what happens..
cheers
May 13th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Way to go Jacquie! Did you name him(or her)yet? How long are you going to keep the little guy? I agree with you silverfish do make great pets!!!!!!!
June 30th, 2009 at 3:04 am
ugh! silverfish are GROSS!! they fall from my ceiling light…its so nasty,i need to get rid of them like NOW!! please tell me an easy method to get rid of them as soon as possiable…
Thanksz..
Haz3l..=p
July 7th, 2009 at 12:59 am
Yaw crazy!! Keepin insects as pets… Get a hobby dudes!!!!
July 14th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I have a lot of silver fish in my house and they r huge. i need to get rid of them but dont no where excactly to find them. i tried speadin salt arund and that worked 4 like a week. but ineed something perniment. blog back!
freaked
September 21st, 2009 at 3:06 am
Great blog. Thanks for the interesting article. I will send this story to my friends.
October 10th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
hello,my friend has silver fish in her room.how do we get rid of them???
please reply
victoria
October 17th, 2009 at 1:30 am
I’ve got silverfish in my bathroom and I think they are cute.
When you see them blow lightly on them and watch them freak out and run around. Then suddenly it’s like they forget why they were running and calm down again.
Don’t hurt their antennae. If you break one they seem to just stay there and die because they can’t see any more.
I’ve fed them corn chips, honey, and other things. I even put a popcorn piece on the floor and they dig little holes in it. One night I went in the bathroom and the popcorn was moving. I got on the ground and looked and there was a silverfish laying on his back holding the popcorn chewing on it.
I’ve tried to make friends with them but they are always scared and can’t seem to recognize that I mean them no harm.
They really are fun to watch. They move around like fish and can make you laugh if you watch them. They do stuff that seems silly.
Yeah I’m weird but they are fun to watch.
February 16th, 2010 at 4:44 am
The first time I saw a Silverfish I was sitting on the couch studying for an organic chemistry test last into the night. Something caught my eye and there sitting right next to me on the arm of the couch was one! I didn’t scream but I sure jumped off the couch as fast as could!
I had never seen one before so I didn’t know what it was. I spent a lot of time researching it since I only had one sighting to go on and finally figured it out. There is another insect called a Firebrat which is very similar to Silverfish, but a little more brown. Firebrats have almost the same living conditions as Silverfish, but can withstand lower humidity and like higher temperatures. Other than that most of the following would apply to both-
Not to harmful to humans, but a nuisance.
Habitat: they like places that are warm and humid/damp/wet such as bathrooms, sinks, laundry rooms. They also prefer dark, low light places so they mostly are active during the night. Try to keep things like bathtub/shower stall clean and dry. A dehumidifier will help too or increasing airflow in your house with a fan.
Food Sources: they feed on starchy things, carbohydrates, etc. What this means is that they will feed on the starch in book bindings, paper/cardboard, wallpaper paste, clothing/cotton/silk, and LOVE dry starchy foods (like cereal, grains, etc). Make sure you keep dry cereal in airtight containers because they will lay eggs in it and you might just end up eating them. It wouldn’t hurt you and you probably would never know, but that’s just gross!
Reproduction: they lay eggs in crevices, cracks, and in food sources and it takes about 4-6 weeks from egg to adult. REGULAR (one a week at least) vacuuming around the baseboards, dusting of books and bookcases, cleaning out the cabinets etc will help get rid of the eggs so more don’t hatch.
How I did it:
Since I had a lot of books I also vacuumed the books (cover, around the pages and binding) and shelving frequently as I didn’t want them getting ruined. Since I have a dog who is inside during the day while I worked and went to school, I didn’t want him getting curious and eating any poison so I found natural home remedies.
Somewhere I read that cucumber skins are a deterrent – I couldn’t think of why, so I tested this by placing a silverfish in a jar with a cucumber peel to see what would happen. It didn’t really “deter” the thing – he just sat there. So I left it overnight with a lid on and a hole poked for air. Well the next morning he was dried up! Whatever compound is in the cucumber peel must suck up moisture or something.
So I put cucumber peels on all the shelves around my books hoping to kill/deter any adults or eggs. The peels took about 10 days to dry up and then I vacuumed well again and put another round of fresh peels around the books. I also sealed up my cereal (I did end up throwing a box away that looked like it had egg casings in it). I vacuumed by the floor boards more often and kept the bathroom drier by running the fan longer after I showered and taking a dry cloth and wiping down any condensation on the outside of the shower glass.
As I knew lavender is a good deterrent for scorpions and moths, I also put dried lavender and rosemary sprigs around here and there, then sprayed the baseboards with a simple mixture of lavender essential oil and rosemary “tea” (I would have used rosemary essential oil but didn’t have any at the time, so I seeped dried rosemary in water).
I saw one silverfish after the first round of “extermination” but none after that. I’ve read cloves work well too – so maybe add that your dried lavender/rosemary potpourri if you have a bad problem.
You may find other unwanted house pests disappear with the triple threat of lavender/rosemary/cloves and the great thing is that even if a baby ate it or put a dusty dried cucumber peel in his/her mouth while crawling around it’s not going to hurt them. And you’re not breathing chemicals either…so good luck!
February 17th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Hello
I find Silverfish all the time in my cupboard and think they’re the tops. Me and my girlfriend found two but she’d never seen them before so was amazed. I said “it’s a silverfish” and she wanted to keep them as pets. So I said they eat silver so we put them in a takeaway container with a bit of a clothes peg but one died today.
We were sad but my friend Steve said it was weird but feed them breadcrumbs. We gave it breadcrumbs and put them back in the cupboard (in the container). We left the clothes peg bit in because we thought maybe they liked it by now, as a toy or something?
It’s nice to keep them as pets, especially in a rented house as we’re not supposed to have pets, but we do now.
I don’t know if they’re enjoying the breadcrumbs (i asked, but couldn’t hear if they replied). I left the dead one in the tub so the other could mourn.
Any thoughts on the above?
Thanks
May 29th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
I have also been finding silverfish lately. I think it is because of the summer time and the fact that they love wet, humid areas. I live in FL so this is a common problem. I try to keep my counter tops and sinks dry every night before bed.
July 19th, 2010 at 12:15 am
I’m only a teenager but this was my experience.
I was cleaning the bathroom when I noticed there was one on top of the toothpaste bottle. I screamed. Perfectly normal reaction. I’m not afraid of bugs when I know they are coming, but I hate sudden surprises.
Second time, I was on my labtop in my room when it crawled across the floor. I didn’t scream but flinched. This one had to be over an inch long though.
Then the one terrifying experience. It was late one night and I couldn’t fall asleep. I was watching television when I felt something crawling up my leg. I get these feelings all the time and nothing is ever there so I ignored it. Later I felt it again and went to check it out when I felt a silverfish. Even worse. It was in my panties. I just threw it across the room as hard as I could. Now I’m afraid to fall asleep at night, thinking that’ll happen again. I’m just glad it only happens during the summer. And this has been the only year we have ever had silverfish. We’ve never noticed them before if they were even there at all.
July 19th, 2010 at 7:29 am
I kill these disgusting bugs in the most unpleasant ways. I like spraying bleach or Mr. Clean on them and watching them suffer and die. They are disgusting and invasive and have driven me out of two other rental suites already – they are ruining my life! I never, ever let any get away. If they dare show themselves in front of me, they’re dead. My cat helps me, too
August 17th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Hi,
We seem to have a insect problem, they seem to be silverfish. They are disgusting!! They seem to have habited the lounge, they only ever come out at night, if i get up in the night & turn the light on they are running around trying to hide under the rug. I keep killing them but they are disgusting. Wondering how to get rid of them. I dont know where they are coming from & i dont want to ruin the carpet with anything that might kill them. I vacumme very reguarly and sum days they seem to have reduced but they come back. Please help!!
August 17th, 2010 at 10:22 pm
Try clear two sided tape on the floor along the baseboards works good for all bugs
November 11th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Silverfish are becoming huge problem for me here in Florida. Going to try a dehumidifier next. Thanks for the tips!
November 19th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Unfortunately many people may not be aware that they may actually bring the silverfish bug and their eggs into their home when they purchase furniture or products packed in cardboard box containers , especially if these products have been stored in a warehouse that is suitable to silverfish living conditions.
April 25th, 2011 at 1:54 pm
okay so i was cleaning my room and found one but my room isn’t wet or hot so why iot was there im very confused please blog back.
SCARED!!!
May 20th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
Why can’t I find any information ANYwhere about not-quite-silverfish/firebrats?
Like Eric above, I too keep seeing what I *thought* were silverfish: its silver, fast, body shaped like a fish. Typed ‘silverfish’ into Google only to discover page after page, picture after picture, of silverfish with attenae and stuff that the “silverfish” in my place DO NOT have.
I can fight the un-silverfish using the methods here, but will they work? Or will I just waste my time and money?
June 12th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
lol to Joyce&cats….I know ur post was over a year ago but I just read it and found it super funny how u and ur cats kill them and how u like to watch them die and suffer lol….I hate bugs or insects.I just found a silverfish on my bedframe so Im doin my whole room..Im killing anything that isnt human sadly my cats cant help cause the spray is harmful but Ill get them…..I had other lil bed insect issues,they were not bed bugs but different types of bed insects idk much I just started reseaerch and the killing process:)good luck to all out there,if u dont know what the insect or bug is just google it,that helped me,I typed in once bug that is brown and big on my pillow and it lead me to where I needed to go…good luck to all,and thats cool that u r keepin one as a pet and sorry one died..to each their own right:) later yall
nichole
August 17th, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Ackkk….I hate insects…I was on the computer listening to music and my sister was cleaning up. All of a sudden she screamed and I turned back and I saw a “silverfish” I nearly jumped out of my pants.I searched up “Silver Insect” on google and I clicked this page. The picture matches what I saw exactly.I was wondering is there any ways to get rid of them as quickly as possible? I absolutly HATE insects and bugs. I totally hate spiders mostly. Please tell me the quickest way possible to get rid of them and do they cause and diseases or harm.I have these books I really like and I don’t want those “silverfish” to be eating my books.Will they crawl into your clothes or nose and stuff when you sleep? EWWWWW…..I ABSOLUTLY HATE BUGS AND INSECT (except butterflies and other unharmful and pretty ones) PLEASE HELP ME
SCARED!!!
Reply ASAP
Alice
September 19th, 2011 at 1:03 am
The first time I saw a silver fish was in California about 10 yrs ago. Hadn’t seen one since until last week when I saw one in our home in MI. It was near the top of the wall in the kitchen when I noticed it, and stayed there for several days. I kept thinking it looked like a silverfish. So, anyway, a few days ago I decided I was going to catch it and feed it to my son’s frogs. I climbed up on the step stool, then thought…’I wonder if these things can fly?’. So, I climbed down and decided to google them. I found out they do NOT fly, BUT can jump up to 2 feet! So, I was afraid it might jump and land in the carpet and I would never find it, or worse: jump on me!
So, I decided to kill it quickly. Not too afraid of bugs, but don’t care for them in our home and don’t care for them to jump on me unexpectedly. lol. Then a couple of days ago, we picked up some paver/garden bricks and found on in our trunk. Killed that little critter too.
October 16th, 2011 at 9:29 pm
How can I kill this bugs….I see them and my bathroom all the time
March 21st, 2012 at 3:40 am
Im also trying to identify a not silverfish. Theay seem to have more leggs,and no antenna. I want to know if they are good or bad i believe everything has its place in the natural order of things so i don’t kill spiders. I may have to catch one and find a bug expert at my college. If i find out i will post my findings
travis
June 17th, 2012 at 8:42 am
I have a really cool pet silver fish that I got out of the tub when I started filling it up and noticed him. His name is Willie for short of William. He has some drops of water, and bits of paper to keep him alive.
June 25th, 2012 at 1:06 am
Id rather a Centipede live in my house because they eat other insects than a little bug that seemingly just runs around and does nothing like the silverfish.