What Are Silverfish?

What are silverfish? Are they genuine fish or a type of insect? Why do you only ever see them in homes? What do they eat and how can you get rid of them? You can find answers to all of these questions in this article.

Not A Fish

Despite their name, silverfish are not actually a type of fish. They are probably so-called because they like moisture and the adults have a silver colour to them that is not disimilar to the skin of a fish.

Silverfish are simply a type of insect. They also have a close relative known as the firebrat. Both look similar but the firebrat prefers warmer temperatures. You're more likely to find silverfish in basements, kitchens, ground floors and storage areas whereas firebrats are more common near sources of heat such as next to water heaters or in the attic.

Love People

Have you ever seen a silverfish outside a house? Neither have I!

Silverfish are no different to other pets. They love to live near people because homes provide warmth, hiding places and a constant supply of food.

You can actually find them in nature but they are much harder to come by. They usually stick to the nests of insects where they can find all of the above essentials.

Nocturnal

Silverfish are nocturnal. Though you might seem them during the day, they usually only come out at night. This suits them because they have the cover of darkness and can seek out food without fear of being discovered or attacked.

If you set traps for silverfish then they are best left out overnight at the very minimum. This is when you will catch the most insects and you can then replenish the traps in the morning.

Food

The latin, scientific name for silverfish is Lepisma saccharina. The last part of the name gives away their hunger for anything that contains carbohydrates i.e. anything with starch or sugar in it.

This is why silverfish will eat through any type of paper. Wherever people are, paper is not usually far behind. As a minimum, you must keep paper stored away and out of sight or else you will be giving these pests exactly what they want.

You should also clean up any food spills, especially any sauces or liquids that are sticky and contain sugar. Silverfish love these types of liquids. One small consolation is that they usually drown when they encounter these types of spilled liquids.

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