We think of fish living in a tank of water, ocean, lake, or stream, but we don't think of fish being in our basement or crawlspace. Technically, no fish are in your crawlspace, but an ancient insect called a silverfish could be beneath your feet!
If you have reached your hand into a fish tank, you know fish dart into the treasure chest ornament trying to escape from you. You may not see silverfish because, like fish, they hide from humans.
If unexplained damage to household fabrics, books, food products, and wallpaper occurs, you need to call the Anaheim pest control experts from A-1 Bonded Termite. The inexplicable damage may be the direct result of silverfish!
Why Are Silverfish Called Silverfish?
Dinosaurs are fascinating extinct reptiles that lived on the earth millions of years ago, but did you know that silverfish predate dinosaurs? According to estimates, silverfish appeared on the planet 100 million years before the dinosaurs!
The silverfish insect earned its name for these reasons:
- Body: A silverfish has a 3/4 inch elongated, flattened, wingless, silvery body comprised of fine scales much like a fish.
- Movement: A silverfish moves fast and wiggles like a fish.
- Environment: Although they don't live immersed in water, silverfish need an environment with high moisture to live.
Although they are similar to fish, there are some differences. A silverfish has six legs, unlike water fish. One could argue that the two extended multi-segmented, thin antennae on silverfish resemble the barbels of a catfish, but that would be pushing the similarities. However, at the abdomen tip are three appendages that resemble catfish barbels. Like catfish barbels, the appendages, or cerci, on silverfish are sensory organs.
Most insects have a short lifespan, but silverfish are an exception living six years or more. To kill silverfish, you need a specialized silverfish insecticide; perhaps that is why they outlasted dinosaurs because many bug sprays and poisons cannot kill them.
What Is The Purpose Of Silverfish?
Silverfish in Anaheim live under bark, debris, stones, and other natural crevices in areas with high moisture content and target dead plants, insects, algae, lichens, fungi, and moss. Because a poorly ventilated crawlspace provides a suitable environment for fungus, silverfish live in those areas and feed on the fungi; they also feed on dead insects in damp basements or crawlspaces.
Like nearly all creatures, silverfish have predators. Centipedes, earwigs, and house spiders are predatory invertebrates that hunt silverfish. Silverfish are prey and predator in the eco-system. Silverfish have existed on this planet for 400 million years because they play a role in the balance of nature.
Habits And Behavior Of Silverfish In Anaheim
Silverfish require moist environments with 75% to 95% humidity, and where the temperatures are between 70? and 80?, these areas are in poorly ventilated crawlspaces and basements in Anaheim homes.
Silverfish will venture from under the house to closets, kitchens, bathrooms, and garages in Anaheim homes with drains, leaky pipes, canister light fixtures, skylights, moldy wood, and damp cardboard boxes. When they relocate to these areas, they hide in cracks behind baseboards and similar dark places.
Since interior areas of an Anaheim house do not have fungus, algae, lichens, or moss, silverfish feed on protein, starches, and other carbohydrates. Silverfish eat anything that has their preferred type of polysaccharides like the following:
- Grains: Oats, cereals, flour
- Vegetables: Starchy vegetables and root vegetables
- Paper products: Paper, bookbindings, cardboard boxes
- Fabric: Clothing, linens, cotton
- Odd items: Sweets, toothpaste, glue, silk, carpeting, scabs, dandruff.
You will see nibble marks and holes in these items if there is a silverfish infestation in your Anaheim house.
What Can I Do To Remove The Silverfish From My Home?
Since silverfish damage food, paper products, clothing, and upholstered furniture, you need to get rid of silverfish by doing the following:
- Provide proper ventilation and dehumidify moist areas of the house
- Repair water pipe leaks
- Drain rainwater away from the foundation
- Replace rotting wood in crawlspace and basement
- Treat the crawlspace for mold
- Remove old magazines, books, and cardboard items
- Seal food in plastic containers
- Remove pet food from bowls and store it before bedtime
- Seal gaps around pipes and wires entering the house
These tips will help with silverfish prevention; however, you need our
highly-trained professionals from A-1 Bonded Termite to help you eliminate silverfish in your Anaheim home. Our highly-trained pest control experts are educated about and experienced with silverfish. We know where to look to find silverfish and how to eradicate them from your Anaheim home. Contact us today and schedule your free inspection!