Are Silverfish Harmful?

Our fully inclusive guide on the silverfish, and whether or not it’s harmful.

Silverfish aren’t what they sound like. Rather than being “fish” they are instead a creepy insect – like creature. Much of the time they are found on shelves, particularly behind books. Not good news for the avid – reading library owners out there.

Even though they give you the creeps, you might still be left wondering, are they harmful to humans, and even your home?

Read on for our fully inclusive guide on the silverfish, and whether or not it is harmful.

What are Silverfish?

First things first, we’re going to make sure that everyone is on the same page in knowing what silverfish actually are. After all, they’re not the most commonly talked about insect, are they?

The silverfish is one of the oldest insects in existence. Many in the know believe that they could have been around as long as four hundred million years, meaning they were alive one hundred million years before dinosaurs came into existence. Yikes.

To look at, these creatures are typically a grey / silvery colour and can grow between half an inch and an inch long. They shed their skins their entire adult lives, and have never evolved into having wings.

They are most active at night, which doesn’t make them any more appealing really, does it?

Are Silverfish Harmful?

Now we get to the important question. Can silverfish be harmful to us as human beings?

Because of their unappealing looks, many will automatically assume that the silverfish is dangerous – and yet we shouldn’t always judge a book by its’ cover!

The good news about silverfish, is that they are not believed to be harmful to humans. There is no scientific evidence that they bite, or are remotely poisonous – so regardless of what they look like, they’re nothing to worry about in that respect. Plus they’re not known as being disease carriers either.

However, they can trigger an allergic reaction in certain people. As we mentioned earlier, the silverfish

 will shed its’ skin throughout adulthood, which is referred to as “moulting”. Doing this leaves behind scales, and certain people can have reactions from the dust off their scales.

The bad news about silverfish, is that although they’re not harmful to humans directly, they can damage your belongings. Their diet, in an ideal world for them, would be high in sugar and carbohydrates. This means that they’ll happily chew down on the following household items:

•         Books.
•         Cereals.
•         Wallpaper.
•         Clothing.
•         Insulation.

Therefore, it isn’t great news if you have an infestation in your house. They’re also prone to eating newspapers, cardboard, and tissue. They’re even known to eat human hair that’s fallen around the home. Creepy, or what?

This might not sound like such a big deal. Who cares if they chew through newspaper? However we can’t imagine you’d be too happy if they ate holes in your clothes, or worse still, insulation and wallpaper.

How Can I Get Rid of Silverfish?

Last of all, but not least, you’ll want to know how you can get rid of silverfish if they become an issue.

They’re touch to control, particularly in houses host to wood shingles, because these are prone to mould, which silverfish are happy to eat.

If you want our advice, we would say in order to get rid of silverfish once and for all, you should consider calling in a pest extermination professional. They’ll be able to directly target the areas in which silverfish reside, and put a stop to the issue re – occurring once and for all.

 Thanks for reading!