Anybody know why silver fish come into your house?

Answer 1

I have wondered that myself! According to the below information, they crawl into bathtubs, sinks, etc. seeking food or moisture and can't get out. The second website below has more detailed information about extermination and mentions that they eat mold and prefer humid areas- more reasons they like bathrooms and kitchens.

Silverfish

SIZE: 1/2 to 1 inch (12.7-25.4mm)

COLOR: Brown or silver-gray

DESCRIPTION: Silverfish are small, soft insects without wings. The abdomen has three filaments extending from it.Silverfish are not often seen by homeowners because they are nocturnal and can run very swiftly. Occasionally, they are found in bathtubs. They crawl in seeking food or moisture and can't climb out. These insects prefer vegetable matter with a high carbohydrate and protein content. However, indoors they will feed on almost anything. A partial list includes dried beef, flour, starch, paper, gum, glue, cotton, linen, rayon, silk, sugar, molds and breakfast cereals.

HABITAT: Silverfish normally live outdoors under rocks, bark and leaf mold, in the nests of birds and mammals, and in ant and termite nests. However, many are found in houses and are considered a pest, or at least a nuisance, by homeowners. Usually they are found trapped in a bathtub, sink, or washbasin.

LIFE CYCLE: Adults lay eggs in small groups containing a few to 50 eggs. The eggs are very small and deposited in cracks and crevices. A female normally lays less than 100 eggs during her lifespan of two to eight years. Under ideal conditions, the eggs hatch in two weeks, but may take up to two months to hatch.

The young nymphs are very much like the adults except for size. Several years are required before they are sexually mature, and they must mate after each molt if viable eggs are to be produced. Populations do not build up rapidly because of their slow development rate and the small number of eggs laid.

TYPE OF DAMAGE: A household pest, they feed on cereals and non-food items such as paste, paper, starch in clothes, rayon fabrics and dried meats.

CONTROL: Sanitation alone will not eliminate an infestation, although it may prevent new ones from starting. A large infestation usually means the house has been infested for some time.

Residual insecticides (use an aerosol) will help to control these pests. Removing old papers, boxes, books, and clothes from the attic to basement will help remove food and hiding places. Moth crystals placed in boxes in the attic will also help.

INTERESTING FACTS: They can go for up to one year without food.

Answer 2

Silverfish like any bugs need food and water.

Eliminate just one of them, and they will have to die out eventually. So, what I would do, is foam any crack and crevices that you have. In the basement, and anyplace else, inside and out.

Now, if you have an earthen basement, concrete it over! Putting a tarp will not eliminate the problem, because you will still get some moisture.

Now, get a dehumidifier and keep it running in the basement at all times, so that you will keep it "DRY". This will eliminate the moisture factor and they wont breed so much. I would keep plugs in all drains so that they cant get the moisture from there either!

Keep all food in plastic containers, so that you will eliminate this source, but, they can eat a lot of other things, so controlling the moisture will go a long way to eliminate them.

Now, put down boric acid along the baseboards. This is good for roaches and I believe silver fish, as its toxic to bugs. Dogs and Cats shouldnt bother with this.

I wish you well..

Jesse

Answer 3

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RE:
Anybody know why silver fish come into your house?

Answer 4

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Answer 5

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I have my own ways of finding out those kinds of things. So, sooner or later, I'd know it was you. The pain and suffering that I would bestow upon you for stealing my fish and destroying my tank is rather grim and gruesome. Much too detailed to be said and described on here. Don't forget, kids as young as 13 use YA! Answers, also. So, should you happen to break into my house in the middle of the night, rob me of my fish and destroy my tank, I would highly advise that you sleep with the lights on along with keeping one eye open. That is, at least until you're located and dealt with...

Answer 6

Mostley because the favorite food of silverfish is any matter that contains starch or polysaccharides, such as dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings, photos, sugar, hair, dandruff, and dirt. Silverfish can often be found under refrigerators or around a well-heated toilet, if the crevices in the floor tiles are large enough. It is also common to find them near the crevices of the wood that has been bonded with starch glue (from which they feed), especially where the wall and floor meet.

Answer 7

I think it's because they like war, dry, dark places, with plenty of dust and microscopic food granules. They shine all silver and run away when you shine a light on them. Also, the environmental conditions are more stable in your home than they would be outside.

Answer 8

They are beetles, as are crickets, and they come into the house because they want to. They will eat your books all up, basically eating the glues that keep them together, and they will get up under your wallpaper and eat off the wall paper paste

Answer 9

I would love to know this as well. They are probably just trying to get in from the cold. But it is creepy getting up at 4am to use the bathroom and there it is crawling on the wall or something. EEK

Answer 10

my advice would be to use any bleach or household spray. and spay all around your bathroom and kitchen skirting boards. it'll be another 12 months before they return. but only return due to the damp as they like dark humid places. xx