Silverfish

Silverfish are found in many different parts of the world, such as North and South America, Africa, as well as Australia. These somewhat harmless looking insects live in humid environments and survive by feeding on a variety of substances and objects throughout a regular home environment, and as such have earned the title of pest.

Silverfish are small, wingless insects, with a long, tapered abdomen that gives them the fish-like appearance that gives them their name. They vary from light grey to silver to bluish in colour, and are largely nocturnal by nature, as they tend to fear light. They inhabit moist, humid areas, as to survive they require a level of humidity between 75% and 95%. This means that they are largely found in moist areas, such as attics, basements, bathrooms and showers.

Silverfish can be a problem due to their wide diet. Silverfish eat any matter that contains polysaccharides, which means that their diet includes food, such as sugared foods, sugar and coffee as well as materials such as paper, cotton, carpet, clothing, photos and even leather. Their consumption of these materials results in contamination of the foods and damage to the materials. They are even known to eat glues and adhesives, which means that objects such as book bindings are also on the menu.

The presence of an infestation of silverfish in the home can lead to a large amount of property damage, which can be expensive to repair or replace, or lead to illness due to unknown consumption of contaminated food. If you become aware of an infestation of silverfish in the home, professional control and removal is required to ensure the minimum amount of damage and disruption.

Apart from simply spotting silverfish around the home, a clear sign of silverfish infestation is finding clothing, carpets, books or other objects that appear to have had parts of it gnawed away. Magazines and photo albums are also part of their diet, so damage to these is yet another indicator of the presence of silverfish. To ensure that silverfish do not destroy your photographic memories or your library, it is best to handle the infestation professionally.

If you would like a localised and specific management plan please call our account managers on (02) 96350477.