Silverfish (or bristletails) catch most people’s attention when they get trapped in a slippery sink or bathtub. They most likely ended up there searching for food, but where do silverfish come from?
SILVERFISH HABITS AND ORIGINS
Silverfish evolved around 400 million years ago. For reference, that is about twice the age of the oldest Jurassic dinosaurs. Their longevity is a great indicator of its durability and ability to adapt to various situations. These pests survive. They feed on a variety of food, they can go long periods without eating, and they love human habitats. They are most active at night, so they tend to go unnoticed until they are well established.
WHAT ARE THE COMMON CAUSES OF SILVERFISH INFESTATIONS?
The common causes of silverfish infestations are food and habitat. Since they will feed on carbohydrates, proteins, glue, paper, cotton, and synthetic fibers; just about anything can be their food source. It is typically the accumulation of edible debris in ideal habitat conditions that spurs an infestation.
The second part of the infestation cause equation is the habitat. Warm temperatures especially with high relative humidity levels above 50% are going to be silverfish infestation drivers.
WHAT ATTRACTS SILVERFISH TO YOUR HOME?
Building a home to make a human happy also tends to make a bristletail happy. The three main attractants for silverfish in homes are:
- Heat – warm areas such as furnaces, attics where heat is trapped, boilers, and water heaters can all be attractive heat sources for silverfish.
- Humidity – several areas in homes collect humidity. Kitchens, bathrooms, and furnace rooms are all conducive to high relative humidity levels. Oftentimes attics will provide the right humidity conditions for bristletails to survive. Lowering humidity levels can cause silverfish populations to stall or diminish.
- Food – Silverfish are happy to feed on anything from pet food to human food all the way over to building materials. Paste, dead insects, linens, and dried beef are all examples of bristletail food.
A silverfish habitat may be identical to your ideal habitat leading to perfect conditions for expanding populations.
TYPES OF SILVERFISH AND THEIR BEHAVIOR
The common lepisma saccharine is about have an inch long and prefers moist environments in the 70-80 degree range (common house temps). Their coloration is a uniform silver on the upper surface.
The 4 lined Ctenolepisma quadriseriata will grow up to 5/8 inch long. They are recognizable by the 4 dark lines that run the length of their body. These bristletails live both inside and outside which can complicate control measures. They also will be found in both really dry and more moist situations.
Ctenolepisma longicaudata is the largest of the species that are known pests. They have a silvery or gunmetal color on their back and are most common in New England and California.
Firebrats Thermobia domestic are also about a half an inch long but have dark patches giving them a mottled appearance. They also prefer places over 90 degrees where you are unlikely to find other species. These make by around ovens, bakeries, steam pipes or other high temperature conditions.
While there are several types of silverfish, a general understanding of them is adequate to get the right control measures in place. Understanding the reasons for bristletails being content guides the reversal of those conditions.
WHY ARE BASEMENT SILVERFISH SO COMMON?
Basements are full of bristletail amenities. It is quite common to have warm places like boilers and furnaces in basements. Additionally, these same locations are likely to produce high enough humidity levels to make a bristletail happy. Add to this the presence of water heaters (especially dripping ones) and a dark and less trafficked ambiance and it is heaven for them. Since they prefer the night, an area that regularly resembles night is ideal for basement silverfish. Basements will frequently be the epicenter of a silverfish infestation. In summary, a basement’s nature and contents is what attracts silverfish to it.
DOES PEST CONTROL KILL SILVERFISH? HERE’S HOW ROVE CAN HELP
With most insects, the ticket to silverfish bug extermination is removing the food source. Even after you remove the food source, you can have a thriving population. The second step is reducing humidity levels and reducing heat sources where feasible. Most importantly is applying the right product to their nesting and traffic areas to reduce the populations. The Rove Pest Control experts will make the applications and provide the guidance in habitat alteration to get bristletails out of your sinks and out of your life.