Some pest species are almost “cute”, except perhaps to those who find all insects detestable, and the silverfish is one of the types which are deceptively innocuous looking. These small, silvery insects with long feelers look harmless and move along with a fish-like undulation, but their voracious appetites for many of the substances in human houses gives them their alternative name of “carpet sharks”. If your house has silverfish in it, then you should consult with silverfish control specialists to take care of the problem for you.
Silverfish are long-lived insects, which can last for up to eight years in the warm, dry, comfortable environment of a house. They are also capable of living without food for an astonishingly long time – up to a year – although they still need water to drink in order to survive during periods of famine.
They need at least 75% humidity to survive, which means that basements and bathrooms are their most frequent dwelling places in human homes, although areas near the kitchen sink are comfortable for them as well.
Silverfish are extraordinary insects in many ways, including their prolonged mating ritual, the fact that they can take anywhere from a few months to several years to mature, and the fact that they shed their skins more often than any other insect known (subsequently consuming it in many cases). However, these details, while fascinating to scientists, do not alter the fact that silverfish are destructive pests in the house, consuming many different items in their quest for food.
Books, magazines and paper goods are prime targets for silverfish. Shiny, coated magazine paper is an especial favourite, and these insects can devastate a prized magazine collection in short order. They will also eat the bindings of books, as well as devouring leather covers and the pages of the volumes themselves.
Silverfish do not confine themselves to consuming paper-based materials. They are also ready to eat fabrics of all kinds, including clothing and curtains, synthetic cloth and rugs, carpets and even photographs. In short, they are well-adapted to everything that you want to store safely and which may have the greatest value as memorabilia and family records. Your photo albums, books, stored clothing, toys of sentimental value from the younger years of your children (such as teddy bears and dolls) and other collectible items are all prime targets for these insidious, silvery pests.
Dealing with the silverfish problem
Silverfish are quiet, secretive insects which mostly live in out-of-the-way places of your house and are chiefly active at night. As such, the way you can tell you have a problem with them is either through a rare sighting of a single individual or, more likely, by finding something that has been gnawed full of holes by them, such as a book or photo album.
Once you have found silverfish in your home, contact Nationwide Pest Control’s friendly staff so that we can help you to manage them and keep your stored items intact for years to come. Call us today to solve your silverfish problem and keep your prized objects safe from the depredations of these destructive “carpet sharks”.
