Are you seeing silverfish in your Aiken home? Would you know what they were if you saw them? It can be difficult to properly identify silverfish because they don't look like the pictures you see on the internet. Well, they do, but at only ½ of an inch to ¾ of an inch, and at about 3 to 4 feet away, they just look like a tiny slug with legs. If you were to capture one and look at it up close, you would see the features that give this insect its name. They look a little bit like a catfish. They are rounded at the head and tapered at the tail with long antennae in the front. Like a catfish, they also have 3 spines that look like antennae at their rear. Now that you know what they look like, let's talk about what silverfish do in Aiken homes.
What Silverfish Do
These insects can eat away at the building materials of your home, belongings in your home, and stored items. Some of the things silverfish feed on may even surprise you:
- Do you have any photos in storage? While we live in an age of digital photos, many of us still have old photos stored away. Silverfish can de-face your photos.
- Do you have a wedding dress that has been passed down from generation to generation? Silverfish chew on clothing. This can create holes that are difficult or impossible to repair.
- Do you have a comic book collection? Hopefully, those mags are in plastic sleeves. If not, silverfish can reduce their value quickly.
- Do you hold financial documents? When silverfish get into your documents, they can eat the writing right off the paper.
- Do you have wallpaper? Silverfish can cause a lot of damage.
- Do you have a favorite book on your shelves? Silverfish eat the glue in the binding and will nibble on the paper.
What Silverfish Don't Do
When considering the impact silverfish have in Aiken homes, it is important to also understand what they don't do. These insects won't eat your wood or damage the structure of your home. But, when you start to see them, it is important to realize that they often get in through holes created by wood-destroying pests. This is because many wood-destroying pests prefer wood that has been softened by water damage and silverfish are moisture pests. This makes them a warning sign that you should not ignore.
Are you seeing silverfish? Consider having your Aiken home inspected by a contractor and have any moisture damage repaired. And remember that the team at Aiken Pest Control is here to help you with any pest control issues you're dealing with, including silverfish.