Winter Cannot Stop The Almighty Silverfish
While the winter weather does keep many pests away, homes and commercial buildings are never safe from silverfish infestations! Silverfish are small (about “½” in size), flattened insects, with a carrot-shaped body covered in silvery scales. At the tapered end of their body are three tail-like appendages.
All silverfish prefer to hide during the day in tight cracks and crevices. In a home, silverfish can be found just about anywhere, including basements, attics, bathrooms, living rooms, bedrooms and garages. In a commercial setting, silverfish are found throughout offices, libraries and stores. Silverfish thrive in areas with higher humidity, and usually live close to their food source.
Silverfish feed on a variety of foods, including paper, wall paper, glue and other insects (including their own kind). Based on their diet, it is no surprise that silverfish are often introduced into buildings via cardboard cartons, or books and papers from an infested location.
Interestingly, silverfish can survive for weeks without food and water. The female silverfish lays about 1 – 3 eggs per day, placing them in cracks or behind objects such as baseboards. The lifespan of a silverfish is impressive, as the majority can live up to 3 years!
These insects are primarily a nuisance, but a heavy silverfish infestation can lead to considerable damage to books, paper products or synthetic fibers. The best way to get rid of a silverfish infestation is to call one of our pest control professionals. In order properly control silverfish, they must first be identified, and the suspected areas must be de-cluttered, and treated. Dehumidifiers may also prove useful, depending on the silverfish species.
Read our deBugged blog post about the most common winter pests here.
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About Author
Nancy Troyano
Nancy Troyano, Training Manager / Entomologist at Rentokil North America, is responsible for leading and supporting the development and training of Rentokil technicians throughout North America. Nancy works closely with Technical Field Trainers and Line-of-Business Managers to develop and implement a comprehensive training program for new and existing technicians. Nancy joined Rentokil after receiving her PhD from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in 2009. Follow Nancy on Google+
Well I will be completely honest, I had no idea these things even existed. My family just rented out an office for our small business and had I not read this, would have done nothing to prevent them during the coming winter. It’s at least good to know that they are primarily a nuisance, rather than a serious health threat, but still, nobody wants an infestation of any kind!