Silverfish are small, nocturnal, wingless insects also known as fishmoths, carpet sharks or paramites and get their common name from their silvery-blue hue resembling fish scales and their wiggling fish-like motion. One of the most unique aspects of these pests are that they have not changed for more than 300 million years. However their habitat has changed dramatically as there weren’t homes filled with ample food sources back in the days of the dinosaurs. They are truly living fossils.
These pests are urban dwellers throughout North America, Europe and Asia and are usually found in more moist environments as they require a relative humidity between 75% and 95%. They are often found in basements, attics, garages, closets and bathrooms.
Silverfish are considered one of the more damaging pests because they eat and destroy many things. Their diet is comprised of sugars and starches (carbohydates) which they find in all sorts of places such as glue, book bindings, paper, photos, sugar, coffee, hair, carpet, clothing and dandruff. Other substances they may eat include linen, cotton, silk, synthetic fiber, plus dead insects and even their own molted exoskeleton. They can cause incredible damage to wallpaper and scrapbooks in particular!
During famine, a silverfish may even dine on leather and synthetic fabrics. But here is the disgusting part – silverfish can live for more than a year without eating!
Once they get established in a home, they are able to rapidly multiply. A female silverfish will lay up to one hundred eggs in a lifetime that spans from two to eight years. The eggs hatch after two weeks to two months and are whitish, smaller versions of the adults. Unlike other insect species, they continue to molt throughout their lives.
Evidence of silverfish is easily identified as they leave bite marks on items similar to the look of a caterpillar munching on the edge of a leaf. Wherever you find damage, it is likely they are very close by but are extremely hard to find because they can slip into small crevices and hide easily. Being nocturnal also makes them hard to find. Early detection and treatment is very important in fighting an infestation.
If you find some of these pests in your home, do not rush out to get toxic insecticides! Toxic insecticides may not work on the silverfish but will cause harm to everything else. Greenbug for Indoors is natural pest control that is extremely effective against silverfish and causes no potential harm whatsoever to you, your family, your pets, or the environment. Spraying Greenbug for Indoors into the areas where you suspect silverfish are hiding will kill them and/or drive them away. It is that simple – they will not live in an inhospitable place and they hate Greenbug!
If you have an infestation, go to http://www.greenbugallnatural.com/solutions.html#silverfish to learn more about how you can control silverfish using safe, natural Greenbug – the ‘green’ way to control bugs!
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