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Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council,
Town Hall, Coton Road,
Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
CV11 5AA.

Tel: 024 7637 6376

Food Matters

Spud's Down to Earth Advice on...

SILVERFISH

Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina L) are part of the Lepismatidae Family (Order Thysanura), primitive insects with an incomplete life cycle where the young resemble the adults. None are of a significant pest status, it being merely their presence which causes most concern.

Why are SILVERFISH a problem?

Silverfish spoil foods by their presence and in this sense can be described as a nuisance pest.

Know Your Foe!

The insect is about 15-20 mm long, with a tapered body, covered in silvery scales that produce a white glistening appearance. They have three distinctive thin bristly tails, long thin antennae and are wingless.

Life Cycle
About 100 eggs are laid over a two to three month period. They are typically laid in cracks and crevices. There are 10 nymphal stages before reaching adulthood, a process that takes approximately 1 year.

Foods
Silverfish prefer protein-rich gums/adhesives, book binding pastes, fine textiles and leather goods and, most significantly from a food-related point of view, dried powdered foods. They tend to thrive in damp areas, perhaps due to structural dampness or condensation. They have also been known to eat dead insects.

Habitat
Silverfish tend to live in cracks and crevices, especially:

skirting boards
loose, poor-fitting coving
around door frames

They prefer damp areas and are nocturnal i.e. they tend to be active at night.

Proactive Action

Reduce the humidity levels in any room/premises affected. This might be achieved by curing any structural (penetrating or rising) dampness or by reducing condensation. This can be done by:

even or consistent heating of the room or premises
improved ventilation
the use of a dehumidifier
reducing, wherever possible, the sources, duration and quantities of moisture production

If high humidity levels can be reduced, this pest will not survive - it will die due to desiccation in the drier conditions.

Eradication

In addition to reducing humidity in response to an infestation, cracks and crevices can be treated with a residual insecticide. Any identified or possible refuges or cracks etc. should be sealed to deny Silverfish harbourage

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