Last updated: January 2016 Site Created by: Andre Chagljevich
Silverfish have a torpedo shaped body which is covered with metallic, silvery scales. They are nocturnal, and prefer out of the way, humid, dark areas. They may be brought into homes in cardboard cartons, books or papers that have come from infested areas.
The female silverfish lays one to three eggs per day in crevices or under objects, which hatches in about 43 days. The young silverfish look exactly like the adults, except smaller, and feed on the same foods. These insects are very long lived, commonly living a minimum of three years.
Silverfish usually live in warm and humid places, in basements, around water pipes, and inside linen closets. Silverfish can damage books and papers. Signs of their presence can be seen in irregular chewing marks, holes eaten directly through paper, small dark feces and minute yellowish stains associated with feeding.
For effective control it is beneficial to reduce moisture,
lowering the temperature and removing any infested items can
help eliminate localized infestations. Sanitation is helpful,
but may not greatly reduce the problem. Silverfish are easily
controlled with thorough application of residual insecticide
sprays or dusts.