We’ve all come across silverfish in our lives, even if you just didn’t recognize it. Many people hate them only slightly less than cockroaches. You might see one of these tiny, silvery-brown pests scuttling across the floor of your kitchen like they own the place, barely making an effort to hide from you as they run off to mess with your food and then stain your clothing with their excrement. These little bastards might as well be cockroaches for all the disgusting damage they can cause to most of the things you keep in your home.
As their name suggests, silverfish tend to be somewhere in between silvery and brown in color, caused by the fine scales that cover their entire bodies, and are mercifully wingless. Their bodies are generally soft and completely flattened from top to bottom, with adults growing up to ¾ inch long and being elongated and oval in shape. They have three long projections coming from their tail, as well as two equally long antennae. They basically look like minuscule, silvery centipedes.
Silverfish are not picky eaters, and will scrounge up whatever they can find, but they have a preference for carbohydrates and protein. This includes everything from flour, dried meat, and rolled oats to paper and even glue. They will even eat fabrics that are saturated with perspiration. Yummy!! While they are medically harmless to humans, they are common nuisance pests, with many habits that are similar to cockroaches. They are especially common in drier parts of the state. In addition to contaminating your food, they can damage paper goods and stain cloth, putting items like your favorite books, living room curtains, or outdated wallpaper in danger of being damaged by their appetite whether it has to do with food going in or coming out.
Have you ever seen silverfish in your home?
