Seeing large groups of insects crawling around your home is never easy, and realizing you have a pest problem is even worse, but knowing what household pest you are dealing with makes the problem easier to contain. You might be unfamiliar with these silvery critters that seem to elude you, but we can assure you having a silverfish issue is pretty common in the Palm Beach area. 

Although flightless, silverfish are speed stars and are very good at hiding from humans. They are also a common pest in the US making them a top source of worry for homeowners, especially because they are a real nuisance pest.

But you don’t have to worry, With the right help, you can get rid of silverfish for good and we are here for you.  

What is a Silverfish?

A silverfish is a silvery metallic insect that is shaped and moves like a fish. They derive their name from their appearance and their movements. A silverfish is also called a bristletail because it has three bristle-like appendages at its rear end. Like its sea counterpart, a silverfish moves fast as though it is swimming across a surface, which helps them easily escape from perceived danger. 

How to Identify a Silverfish

A silverfish might appear odd at first. The distinctive feature of a silverfish is its color and its shape:

• They are metallic or silvery in color with a shiny light gray hue.
• They are covered with scales and have no wings.
• They have small eyes that are widely separated and threadlike antennas.
• A silverfish also has three tail-like appendages and measures around 12-19mm without its tail length.
• Their scales become visible when they are three to four months old.

What Causes a Silverfish Infestation?

Having a silverfish infestation is actually easier than you might think, it is caused by the combination of two very simple aspects: the availability of food and an environment in which they can thrive. These small creatures often favor places where there is an abundance of paper products and similar dry foods, even pet food can attract them sometimes and they tend to enjoy moist damp areas. For example, if you keep books, wood, or other paper products around without storing them away, you are likely to have a silverfish infestation. Unchecked damp areas around your home can also be very enticing for these insects. 

How to Prevent a Silverfish Infestation

Silverfish love moisture or generally damp areas and always stay around food sources. Their diet largely consists of carbohydrates in the form of books (especially the glue in books) starchy food such as wood, wallpaper, piled-up paper, and other paper items, flour, rolled oats, and several other sources of dry food. They also love proteins like dead insects. To keep them away from your house, you have to cut off their food supply and reduce moisture.

Silverfish tend to be found in the bathrooms, basement, or attic because these areas are often moist or damp. To tackle this situation, try to keep these spaces and other parts of your house as dry as possible. If you have any leaking pipes or faucets, you should fix these immediately. You can also install a dehumidifier to get rid of any moisture buildup. If you have any cracks in your home, you should repair them to prevent silverfish from coming in. Keep all your food items in airtight containers and store books and magazines in plastic bins with lids that you can shut. Silverfish can live without food for a long time but they are not likely to stick around if they are never going to find a food source again. 

How to Know if I have a Silverfish Problem/Infestation

Taking these precautions is the best way to prevent an infestation from happening in the first place, but what if you have already seen a few silverfish around your home? There is no reason to worry yet, seeing a few insects around your house does not mean you have a full-blown infestation. To assess the severity of the issue, keep this in mind: 

• Seeing a couple of insects around your home means it’s probably time to implement the preventative measures we have listed, but, given how good they are at hiding, it’s best to give us a call to make sure it truly is only a couple of them instead of an underlying severe silverfish infestation. 
• However, you might start to find silverfish droppings, scales or yellow stains on infested materials. If you also start seeing feeding marks around holes, edges or surfaces, you may have a serious situation. 

The most common places where you might find these creatures are damp basements, the attic, bathroom, wall voids, book bindings, and in generally humid environments.  You need to inspect these areas to see if you find food droppings or any of the other signs we have mentioned. You could also see silverfish running around. Often, they drop from ceilings and canister light fixtures letting you know there has been an infestation.

Getting rid of a silverfish infestation 

At Shoreline Pest Services, we have everything you need to help you keep silverfish away. Although these creatures might seem harmless and easy to eradicate, their speed, small size and the fact that they are nocturnal insects that are very good at hiding from humans means they are not an easy problem to resolve.

Lucky for you, we are pest control professionals that can help you with a thorough home inspection and provide treatment suitable to fight against a silverfish infestation. Our years of experience and advanced tools will allow us to free your property from any household pest in no time. Contact us to get the work started! You can also give us a call at 561-842-4700 or send us an email at [email protected].