Silverfish move quickly, avoid humans, and usually come out at night, which can make them difficult to spot at first.
Silverfish are shy insects and will hide from humans. They cannot fly or bite, but they can run very quickly.
Finding Silverfish in Beds
Although they prefer places like bathrooms and closets, it is possible to find silverfish bugs in beds. These insects are about half an inch in length with silver teardrop-shaped bodies and long antennae. While they're more annoying than harmful, these pests can damage bedding.
Although silverfish have a creepy appearance and are occasionally mistaken for venomous centipedes, silverfish are not known to bite humans and do not carry diseases. In most cases, a silverfish will instantly flee to safety when it is disturbed.
Silverfish hate the smell of citrus, cinnamon and lavender. If you are looking to repel them naturally, a great idea is to use essential oils to clean your home or as a home fragrance (such as candles and diffusers) to keep them away.
Where Do Silverfish Come From in Homes? Silverfish sometimes make their way indoors in search of food. However, people may also bring silverfish inside by mistake. The pests can be taken indoors with infested dry food products, boxes of books or paper, fabrics and other items that have a high starch and sugar content.
Silverfish dislike direct light and need to live in enclosed, dark areas. Deprive silverfish of potential hiding places by storing packages, boxes, other storage material off the ground. Let natural light into rooms whenever possible and keep naturally dark rooms like basements or attics clean.
Unlike other household pests, they are slow to establish infestation levels of terribleness but, once they get to that point, they are incredibly difficult to control and remove.
If you see one silverfish, there is a good chance there are hundreds living in your walls. A single female can lay 100 eggs in her lifetime and it only take 3 months from egg to adult. It doesn't take long for silverfish populations to get out of hand.
You might find silverfish bugs in your bathroom because they love warm, damp areas. These insects need moisture to survive and reproduce, so bathrooms are often the perfect environment for silverfish. Sinks, showers, toilets, leaky faucets, and tubs all provide the conditions silverfish need to thrive.
Not only will silverfish enjoy feasting on your hair, dandruff and skin cells, but there also is not much that they won't indulge in.
Silverfish are attracted to moist areas of high humidity. You are most likely to find them in wall void spaces, basements or ceilings and dark, undisturbed corners. Look behind refrigerators and around boiler rooms.
Washing clothes is the best way to kill silverfish eggs. You may not know where the silverfish may lay eggs so washing the clothes on the hottest temperature that the clothes will take is important.
Diatomaceous earth is a good option if you're looking for a natural way to kill silverfish. This powder is made from diatoms - the fossilized remains of tiny aquatic creatures. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is an excellent home remedy that works by puncturing the insect's exoskeleton, causing it to dehydrate and die.
A silverfish infestation is fairly uncommon. If you do wind up with a silverfish infestation, however, contact a pest control professional at Terminix.
Heat and cold treatment: Long-tailed silverfish die quickly at temperatures above 45 °C (unpublished data).
Silverfish eggs are elliptically shaped and measure approximately 1 mm in length. Initially soft and white, silverfish eggs toughen and yellow after a few hours. Upon hatching, silverfish are white in color, although they develop to become silver or gray in adulthood.
While silverfish won't make you sick or bite you, they can destroy your home. Because they are chewing insects, they can eat through your belongings. Their poop will also cause stains.
When they emerge from the egg, silverfish nymphs are miniature versions of the adults. They go through a number of molts during development, and continue to molt throughout their lives. Some species may undergo more than 50 molts.
The short answer is no, LED lights do not attract silverfish any more than other types of light. Silverfish like dark areas and so do not like light of any type. Silverfish aren't attracted to light because they are looking for food.
The average female silverfish will lay up to 100 eggs during her life. Silverfish have a lifespan ranging from two to eight years.
They are nocturnal and prefer to hide or rest in tight cracks or crevices during the day. Silverfish usually feed on paper items, glue, clothing and food items, such as flour and rolled oats.
Can silverfish live in my carpet? Silverfish enjoy carbohydrates, particularly starch and dextrin which can be found in books, clothing and dead skin. That said, silverfish aren't picky, they will move on to synthetic fibres found in carpets and rugs when their preferred delicacy runs low.
Silverfish lay their eggs in the same tiny cracks and crevices that they hang out in. Damp areas with high humidity and plenty of gaps under trim, cabinets, bathtubs, behind toilets, and anywhere else they can hide during the day. These are the places where female silverfish are likely to lay eggs.