Silverfish - description of the insect, lifestyle, danger and methods of disposal

The silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) is a wingless arthropod insect from the bristletail order, whose ancestors existed millions of years ago. The common silverfish is also called the sugar silverfish and silverfish because of its silvery-metallic color. And translated from English, silverfish are called “silver fish.”

Silverfish prefer to live in dark and damp rooms - a bathroom, bathhouse, basement, attic or garage. These insects tend to hide from people, so the apartment dweller may not immediately understand that there are “living creatures” in his bathroom.

Description of the appearance of silverfish

The silverfish has no wings, but can run very fast. Adult silverfish have a body length of about 12-19 mm, not including the tail. They have a flat, teardrop-shaped body that tapers from the head to the back and is usually covered in scales. There are three long processes on the tail. They also have thread-like antennae and small, wide-set eyes.

Immature silverfish are similar to adults except for size and color (they are smaller and white), and their scales appear during their third or fourth molt.

Features and lifestyle

Silverfish move quickly and climb vertical surfaces well. They can live for several weeks without food or water, but they require high humidity of 70 to 90 percent to live comfortably. Silverfish prefers places with room temperature (21-29 degrees C). They are nocturnal and prefer to hide or rest in narrow cracks or crevices during the day. Silverstone can be found almost anywhere in the home, including living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, attics, basements and garages.

Silverfish thrive in shops, libraries and offices. They often enter commercial premises through cardboard boxes containing books and papers from contaminated areas. They will travel quite a distance in search of food, but once they find a suitable food source, they will stay close to it. Indoors, they can breed in a variety of areas including wall voids, inside/under subfloors, attics, etc.

Reproduction and lifespan

Before mating, the silverfish performs love dances. Males lay spermatophores, which take females into the ovipositor. The number of eggs and the habits of females vary depending on the species. The female sugar silverfish lays from one to three eggs per day (and the domestic thermobia can lay up to 40 eggs per day), placing them in cracks, under objects or leaving them unprotected in open space.

The development time of the larvae is three to four months under favorable conditions: 20–30 degrees and a relative humidity of at least 50–75 percent. Otherwise, it may take up to two to three years. Most silverfish live up to three years.

Newly hatched young silverfish, also known as nymphs, have a white body color. Nymphs emerge fully formed from the egg and undergo a series of moults to become full-fledged adults. As they age, the nymphs darken and acquire a silvery-brownish color.

A silverfish can produce more than 50 moults in its life, so in a room infested with these insects, fragments of their scales will certainly be found.

Finding even one nymph in your home can be a cause for concern. Regardless of age, the presence of one silverfish usually indicates that a full-scale infestation has already occurred in hidden areas of your home.

Fighting methods

Some tips for fighting:

dry the premises, since dryness and heat do not make it possible to survive, humidity should be no more than 30%;
Using a solution of water with cloves, citrus, and lavender will help. Spray from a spray bottle once every 7 days;
chemicals used include boric acid, pyrethrin, bleach, and copper sulfate;
set traps in the form of a glass jar, wet paper, mechanical devices to catch cockroaches; leftover food is suitable for bait.

Signs of silverfish

You can find silverfish in a bathroom or other damp room by turning on the light at night. The insects will immediately try to hide. In this they are similar to cockroaches.

If no live specimens are visible, but there are yellow spots, silvery scales, or tiny feces that look like fine black pepper, this indicates that silverfish have already taken up residence in your home.

Silverfish can easily climb walls and find entry around window and door frames, utility pipes and vents, foundation cracks, and holes in mosquito nets. Therefore, the insect could get into your apartment from neighbors, from the basement or from the street.

Home thermobia

In total, there are about 600 species of silverfish in the world, and only 10 of them can be found in the vastness of our country. Common silverfish and domestic thermobia often penetrate into apartments (photo below).

Common silverfish and house thermobia

On a note!
House thermobia is a smaller insect, the length of which does not exceed 12 mm. A characteristic feature of an individual of this species is the brown color of the body.

What harm do silverfish cause? Are they dangerous?

Silverfish do not bite humans, drink blood, or spread disease. But they can harm personal belongings, especially those made of paper. Sugarfish are known to infest items such as wallpaper, books, magazines and envelopes, so these materials can become damaged over time as a result of a silverfish infestation. They can also feed on glue and clothing, as well as foods such as oatmeal and flour.

Agree, it is unpleasant to find an insect in food or on your favorite books. Silverfish, like moths, can chew your clothes and upholstery.

In addition to material damage, silverfish can cause allergies in humans.

Silverfish also do not pose any harm to domestic animals; even if accidentally swallowed, they are not poisonous.

How dangerous are insects in bathrooms?

Scientific works classify silverfish as pests. Nevertheless, insects are absolutely indifferent to people and animals. They do not tend to attack during danger, crawl into bed or between the folds of linen (if there is enough other food). Fortunately, they are also not carriers of various diseases.

Still, bugs are harmful because:

They damage household items. Silverfish travel in apartments and actively feed on the glue on which wallpaper and picture frames are attached. Things starched by the housewife will also not go unnoticed.
They wear out paper products. Books are gnawed with long ornate passages that can destroy pieces of important printed information. In photographs, parts with a large layer of paint are selectively damaged and leave traces of human activity.
Dangerous neighbors for food. By eating flour and sugary products, the bugs contaminate the rest of the stock. This greatly affects the quality of the product. It is not advisable to eat it.
Among other things, the discovery of silverfish in the house causes negative emotions, especially if it has managed to damage personal belongings dear to the heart, as well as litter food supplies.
The silverfish itself is not dangerous. But it’s worth remembering that she will definitely run around the entire apartment in search of food. This means it will be able to reach some cellulose products and “strategic” food reserves.

Preventing the appearance of silverfish

To prevent the appearance of silverfish in a house or apartment, you should monitor the humidity and try to dry the air in especially damp rooms. For example, it is better to leave the bathroom door open after a shower so that it can ventilate. If you live in a damp climate, you will have to purchase a dehumidifier and use an air conditioner or heater more often.

Repair leaking pipes and drains and remove or replace any moldy or damp wood in your home. Avoid storing old books and magazines in areas where silverfish are commonly found, such as basements, attics and garages. And it's important to store foods like flour and sugar in airtight containers.

To prevent silverfish from coming into your private home from the street, be sure to remove piles of fallen leaves, do not store firewood and building materials on the ground, remove vegetation along the foundation, and seal all cracks and crevices in the walls and foundation.

If there is a large presence of silverfish in your home, it is best to call a licensed pest control professional to thoroughly inspect your home and recommend the appropriate pest control method.

If there are not too many silverfish yet, you can breed them yourself.

How to get rid of silverfish in the bathroom on your own

It's not as difficult as it seems. The main thing is not to stop fighting halfway, otherwise the pests may return.

To start with:

remove all unnecessary items from the bathroom, clearing corners, baseboards and shelves of clutter;
wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth using chlorine substances and wait until they dry;
hard-to-reach places should be treated with a solution of copper sulfate (see “The best remedies for silverfish”);
It is advisable to dry surfaces washed with chlorinated water using a hair dryer;
The use of an insecticidal aerosol has a good effect. After this, the room must be ventilated for at least two hours.

Now let’s take a closer look at folk methods, as well as chemical and pharmaceutical preparations for insect control.

The best means

To destroy a pest, several different substances are usually used: during the disinfection period, the toxic liquid should be alternated. There are some proven chemicals that can be used to poison silverfish. Among them:

Dichlorvos. An aerosol that effectively fights all types of insects. Ideally, after spraying, the room should be left for 24 hours and then thoroughly ventilated. Typically no re-treatment is required.
Alum. Dilute 100 g of alum in 100 ml of hot water. Stir until the drug is completely dissolved. Spray the liquid using a spray bottle in places favored by silverfish.
Boric acid. Make a mixture based on acid and chalk in a ratio of 4:1. It needs to be scattered in places where pest accumulation is possible. After a week, sweep away the powder and add new one. Repeated sprinkling destroys presumably the remaining larvae. After another seven days, the mixture must be finally removed and wet cleaning carried out using aggressive agents.
Karbofos. It is sprayed evenly on surfaces where silverfish are spotted. It is designed to instantly kill all types of insects that sooner or later appear in any home. It has a long-lasting effect and is affordable. The downside of the drug is its pungent odor.
Gels. They have a long-term effect on all creeping insects, poisoning them. The products are applied along baseboards, in cracks, and around ventilation holes. A week later, the treatment is repeated.
Naphthalene. The bags are placed in secluded corners. It has a pungent odor that permeates upholstered fabrics and toys, but is completely non-toxic to humans.
Diatonite. It consists of diatoms and unicellular shells. The substance is poured copiously late at night. It is advisable to do this wearing a mask. Since diatomaceous earth consists of small, sharp particles, it injures the insect and it dies.

Caution: chemicals (Karbofos and gels) are prohibited from being used in areas where children and animals may appear.

Traps

Traps help consolidate the results after using chemicals. They are also convenient to install in places where it is impossible to use insecticides. For example, in the kitchen, in the pantry, in the basement during the onset of cold weather.

Such products are environmentally friendly and safe. They are small and easy to use, and are absolutely harmless to humans. The following types of traps are produced:

Detia - a kind of bait for silverfish. It paralyzes their nervous system and has a long-lasting effect (up to 6 months). Sugar or a piece of bread is used as bait.
Trapper insect trap It is presented in a cardboard box, adhesive on the inside and divided into mini-segments, which are assembled in blocks of 3 pieces each. Performed without the use of poisons. There is an adhesive strip on the back side, thanks to which the trap is fixed in any convenient place. Manufacturers provide a free field for recording installation time. To make it more convenient, the segments can be divided individually and placed throughout the home.
Trapper max glue resembles the previous version, but there is no division into cells. This is a box with a large area on the surface of which insects stick.

Folk remedies

Traditional methods of eliminating silverfish are still widely popular. However, their effectiveness has not been proven. But they are simple, accessible and practically harmless.

Wood shavings from cedar. It can scare away insects, but not for long, and only from one specific place. Be prepared that the silverfish will take a liking to the neighboring rooms.
Chili, tobacco, soda. Three grams of each ingredient are taken. They are crushed and infused in one liter of water for at least eight hours. Then they are strained and sprayed in the pest’s habitats. After six hours, the product is washed off with water with the addition of bleach or vinegar.
Spices. Bay leaves, cinnamon, sage and cloves prevent insects from appearing in wardrobes and bookshelves. But the smells of spices only repel the parasite for a short time.
Oil of lavender, lemon, orange. 10 drops are diluted in 250 ml of water. The resulting product is sprayed using a spray bottle in areas of accumulation.
Fresh cucumbers. Through testing, it was noticed that silverfish cannot tolerate the smell of these freshly cut vegetables. They are placed in the habitats of bugs to repel them.
Citrus. The pungent smell of crushed zest is a good insect irritant. The grated crusts need to be changed every four days.
Freezing. Popular rumor advises trying to breed silverfish during the especially cold months of the year. To do this, you should leave your home with the windows open for a period of three to five hours. The method should be repeated several times so that the insect feels threatened and stops reproducing. At the same time, be prepared for the fact that indoor plants will simply die, and an uncomfortable temperature will be established in the house for a long time.
Newspaper trap. The newspaper is rolled up, the edges on both sides are secured with rubber bands and moistened generously with water. The resulting tube is placed in the bathroom at night. Dampness attracts insects that get inside, all that remains is to get rid of the newspaper (take it away from the house, burn it).
Glass trap. A liter jar is tightly wrapped with paper tape. At the bottom of the container you need to put a piece of sugar, bread or sprinkle a little flour. The product is also left in the bathroom overnight. Attracted by the smell, the bugs crawl into the jar and cannot get out.

For the sake of “sporting interest”, folk methods can be tried. Just remember that they bring effectiveness with regular use. The described steps must be repeated many times, with a difference of 3-5 days.

Soap based balls

There is another completely unusual way. You can make so-called “soap” balls. They are made on the basis of laundry soap, peroxide and some essential oil. Basically, the following proportions are taken: two tablespoons of grated product, 1/3 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 12 drops of lavender or citrus oil and a glass of soda. The components are mixed and small balls are rolled out of them. To prevent and repel insects, use these pellets to clean the toilet and bathroom twice a week.

Advice: if there is a very large pest infestation, it is better to use the help of special services. Professional treatment of the room with hot or cold fog will solve your problem for a long time.