Silverfish
Identification
This wingless insect is prevalent in almost all parts of the world. They have shiny scales, silver in color covering their body and their movement is very similar to that of a swimming fish. While most silverfish species are silver in color, some of them are gray or brown in color. They have a flattened body, measuring between 12 and 25mm, with a tapered rear end that resembles a teardrop. Silverfish has three pairs of legs, three bristle extending from the tail and a pair of antennae.
Diet
While they mostly feed on proteins and carbohydrates, these insects are scavengers in nature and will feed on almost anything. While in their natural habitat outdoors, silverfish mainly feed on vegetation. However, the insects can survive for up to a year without food. In some cases, they may also invade homes and feed on kitchen pantries.
Habitat
Basically, these insects are nocturnal in nature and move fast when disturbed to escape the danger. They mostly inhabit the moist and dark places, especially places with a humidity level of between 75 and 95 percent. In homes, they tend to inhabit such places as the bathrooms, basements, attics and kitchens, within cracks and crevices. In their natural habitats, outdoors, the insects will be found under tree barks, leaf mold and rocks.
Life Cycle
During the reproductive seasons, the insects mate through a ritual performance between the male and the females. During the process, the male will deposit the sperms while the females will absorb the sperms for fertilization to take place. The females will then lay about 100 eggs in groups, within the cracks and crevices in the house. After about five weeks, the eggs hatch into tiny silver fish, without the silver color. The young ones acquire the silver color after about 40 days. Silver fish have a life span of between two and eight years.
Problems Associated with Silverfish
Despite their small and rather harmless appearance, silver fish can cause a lot of problems in homes. Once the insects invade a home, they will feed on almost anything in the house, with preferences on carbohydrates and proteins. As such, they will tend to feed on such things as dried meat, flour, sugar, wallpapers, and even glue. As such, they can happen to be very destructive, especially when the infestation is huge. They will end up destroying photographs, magazines and other things in the house. The insects have a considerably long life span. As such, the presence of silverfish in your house signifies a long lasting infestation, if not attended to by the professionals.
Once you discover a silver fish infestation in your home, you should look for professionals to eliminate them and prevent future infestation. The specialists you call to address this problem should have the best control techniques as well as use highly effective products to control this infestation. If you are looking for the best pest control company to take care of silverfish attack in your home, you should call AMG Extermination.
