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Common Name
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Scientific
Name
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Silverfish
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Lepisma
saccharina L.
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Four-Lined
Silverfish
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Ctenolepisma
quadriseriata
(Packard)
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Long-Tailed
or Gray Silverfish
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Ctenolepisma
longicaudata Esch.
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Firebrat
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Thermobia
domestica (Packard)
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Silverfish
and firebrats eat a wide variety of foods, including glue, wallpaper
paste, bookbindings, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton,
linen, rayon fabrics, wheat flour, cereals, dried meats, leather and
even dead insects. Silverfish often live in damp, cool places such
as basements and laundry rooms. Sometimes, they are found in a
bathtub, sink or washbasin, unable to climb out. Firebrats live in
hot, humid places such as attics in summer and near furnaces,
fireplaces and heat pipes in winter.
Identification
Silverfish and firebrats have flat, elongated bodies 1/3 to 3/4 inch
long and broad near the head, tapering toward the rear-somewhat
"carrot" shaped. These fragile, wingless insects are
covered with scales and have two long, slender antennae at the head
and three long, antennae-like appendages at the rear. These three
appendages, one directed straight back and the other two curving
outward, plus the two antennae, are nearly as long as the body.
Sometimes these insects are known as "bristletails."
The silverfish adult is about 1/2 inch long with a uniform silvery
or pearl-gray color, whereas the four-lined silverfish is about 5/8
inch long and the back displays four dark lines the length of the
body. The gray silverfish is about 3/4 inch long and uniform light
to dark gray. The firebrat is about 1/2 inch long, grayish and
mottled with spots and bands of dark scales. Young resemble the
adults except they are smaller. Eggs are whitish, oval and about
1/32 inch long.
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Firebrat
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Silverfish
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Life Cycle and
Habits
Silverfish and firebrats are active at night and hide during the
day. When objects are moved where they are hiding, they dart out and
seek new hiding places. The silverfish lives and develops in damp,
cool places (prefers 75 to 95 percent relative humidity), often in
the basement, bathroom and kitchen. Large numbers may be found in
new buildings where the walls are still damp from plaster and green
lumber.
The firebrat is quick moving and lives in dark places above 90
degrees Fº such as around ovens, furnaces, boiler rooms and
fireplaces or insulation around hot water and heat pipes. These
insects follow pipelines from the basement to rooms on lower floors,
living in bookcases, around closet shelves, behind baseboards and
behind window or door frames. They are hardy and can live without
food for many months. Bristletails prefer to eat vegetable matter.
Indoors, they will feed on rolled oats, dried beef, flour, starch,
paper and paper sizing (which contains starch), gum and cereals.
Outdoors, they can be found under rocks, bark and leaf mold, and in
ant, termite, bird and animal nests.
Silverfish females may lay over 100 eggs during a lifetime. Eggs are
laid singly or two to three at a time in small groups, hatching in
three to six weeks. Young silverfish and firebrats resemble adults
except being smaller, white and take on the adult color in four to
six weeks. Adults may live two to eight years. Firebrats lay about
50 eggs at one time in several batches. Eggs hatch in about two
weeks under ideal conditions.
Silverfish and firebrats, depending on the species, may reach
maturity in three to twenty-four months. These insects normally
hitchhike into the home in food, furniture, old books, papers and
old starched clothing. Unlike other insects, they continue to molt
after becoming adults. Forty-one molts have been recorded for one
firebrat. Populations do not build up fast. A large infestation in
the house usually indicates a longtime infestation.
Prevention
Sanitation is important but not entirely effective in reducing
populations because insects often reside between wall partitions, in
insulation materials, in books and papers, among book shelves and in
other protected places. However, be sure to remove old stacks of
newspapers, magazines, papers, books and fabrics plus foodstuffs
spilled and stored for long periods of time. Often reducing
available water and lowering the home's relative humidity with
dehumidifiers and fans is helpful. Repair leaking plumbing and
eliminate moisture around laundry areas. Lighting a dark, sheltered
area may force these insects to move to new sites where they can be
controlled more easily. Once the infestation has been eliminated,
sanitation will help prevent reinfestation.
Insecticides
Treatments for silverfish control need to be applied thoroughly to all potential hiding
places such as cracks, crevices, inside floor moldings, around steam
and water pipes, in and behind seldom moved furniture, closets and
even attics. It may be necessary to drill small holes in the walls
to treat large populations in wall voids.
ECO
PCO DUST  is
perfect for these treatments. Silverfish control may not be immediate since
bristletails in wall voids must move out and contact the
insecticides. It may take 10 to 14 days. There are many insecticides
labeled for control of silverfish and firebrats (bristletails).
Silverfish Place Paks are new and simple for the homeowner.
 Residual sprays like
ECO
PCO Insecticide
 Space
spray
Total Release bombs like pyrethrins
 are
effective in places where
sprays are hard to reach such as in crawl spaces and attics. Before
using any insecticide, always read the label, follow directions and
safety precautions.
Courtesy
of Ohio University
The
named brand products mentioned in the control measures are not a
recommendation of Ohio University
MSDS
for pro control bombs
It is advisable to use the
services of a reputable, licensed pest control operator or applicator when
infestations are persistent and hard to locate.
In these situations
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