- Short portrait of silverfish
- Right name
- Lifestyle of silverfish
- emergence of silverfish
- Preferred Rooms
- How do they get into rooms
- silverfish colony
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If a small, silver-colored something darts through your living room, it is probably a silverfish that you probably want to get rid of as soon as possible. But what exactly is that? How are silverfish formed? And above all: How do the strange creatures get into the house? The following article provides precise answers to these questions.
Short portrait of silverfish
There are around 425 different species of fish around the world - silverfish are one of them. All fish belong to a special type of insect known in technical jargon as a zygentoma. This vast species has inhabited the earth for an estimated 300 million years. This makes the little fish one of the oldest animals on our planet. A silverfish lives on average two to five, sometimes even six, seven or eight years.
Optical properties
Silverfish are flat, wingless insects with conspicuously long, threadlike antennae at the ends of their abdomen and abdomen that are sensitive to touch. The main characteristic, however, is the dense scaling, which gives the adult animals their shiny silver appearance. Furthermore, silverfish have small compound eyes. However, the human visual organ cannot perceive that of its little adversaries. Speaking of small: silverfish, including their appendages, can be up to 22 millimeters long.
info box,the main features at a glance:
- Scale color: shiny silver
- front appendix: 2 tactile feelers
- posterior appendix: 3 tails
- Length without attachments: approx. 1 cm
- Length with attachments: approx. 2.2 cm
Right name
A question of the right name
Strictly speaking, it is wrong to call silverfish silverfish. After all, the beings are not assigned to the water animals, but to the insects. However, given the insect's swimming-like movements, it is obvious that we are talking about little fish at all.
The scientific name of the silverfish is Lepisma saccharina - and it says it all: Translated into German, the name means something like "sugar guest". In fact, the little animal shows great interest in everything that contains sugar. But not only…
Lifestyle of silverfish
The life of silverfish
People generally find silverfish disgusting and prefer not to have anything to do with the insects. Nevertheless, the animals often sneak into private rooms to carry out their everyday life there. The latter consists essentially of foraging, eating and reproduction.
What silverfish eat
The diet of silverfish is surprisingly varied. In addition to the sugary foods mentioned, beings also appreciate starchy substances and various things that you would probably never think of as being interested in devouring. This means dead house dust mites, remains of other insects and mold as well as human skin and hair. The little fish also like to nibble on textiles and paper. Unlike most other living beings, they can digest cellulose.
For example, if a silverfish “snatches” a T-shirt that has been lying at the bottom of the laundry basket for ages and hasn’t had the benefit of a machine cleaning for a long time, it scrapes the surface of the garment with its tiny mouthpart. If you suddenly discover small black traces of faeces or yellowish discolouration on the shirt, this indicates that a little fish was at work.
You should also take good care of your books or other important papers. The material is literally found food for the insects. Again, they "gnaw" at the surface of the same and literally graze it. The little fish usually nibble around the printer's ink, but sometimes the colored areas also have to suffer.
Worth knowing: If not destroyed by humans first, an adult Lepisma saccharina can survive more than 300 days without any food - that's almost a whole year.
emergence of silverfish
The emergence or reproduction of silverfish can best be described with the adjectives "detailed", "indirect" and "risky". In the dark, the insects open up the mating behavior. The male starts with a kind of dance. As a result, the male and female run around excitedly.
The male packs his sperm into a small bundle and deposits it more or less defenseless on the ground - only erecting a web of silk threads over it. It then lures its female near the bundle of sperm (spermatophore). The silverfish glides under the silk web and picks up the valuable cargo with her egg-laying device (ovipositor). The actual fertilization then occurs inside the female.
During her reproductive phase, the female silverfish lays 50 to 150 slightly brown eggs. Freshly hatched little fish do not yet have the typical silver-colored scales. They look more like dark gray to black. Only after the third molt does the metallic shine come to light. A silverfish is sexually mature after about the eighth molt. After that, there are still up to four moults per year, as the insects continuously grow a little bit.
Interesting: The skin shed during growth also serves as food for the silverfish.
Depending on the environment, the newborns develop into adult, sexually mature silverfish within four months to three years. In a normal household, the process takes about a year. Apart from that, silverfish do not undergo any metamorphosis in the narrower sense (conversion of the larval form to the adult stage) and reproduce until they die.
Conditions for a happy silverfish life
Silverfish cannot do the activities explained under all circumstances. Rather, certain conditions must be met. Only then do the animals have the opportunity to eat happily and reproduce successfully.
Heat as an essential factor
Heat is an essential factor for the emergence and survival of silverfish. The temperature must be between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Otherwise it is too cold for the insects and they do not feel well.
The importance of moisture
However, heat alone is not enough. In addition, the silverfish need a relative humidity of 80 to 90 percent. With regard to the greed for paper, for example, this means that you do not have to worry about your well-protected books in cupboards and (dry) shelves.
Only products that have been lying around open in a damp environment for a long time or that reveal damaged covers irritate the little creatures. The principle can also be applied to clothing. Fresh, dry laundry in the clean closet ignores silverfish. They are only enthusiastic about clothes that eke out their existence in humid regions.
Preferred Rooms
Favorite spaces of insects
From the conditions mentioned and culinary preferences, it follows that silverfish find good living conditions in various rooms inhabited by humans. Above all, of course, these are the wet rooms - i.e. the bathroom and toilet, if the latter is housed separately and is well heated. The kitchen is also explored happily. The insects prefer to stay there under the refrigerator.
How do they get into rooms
This is how insects get into the house
All right, so silverfish are comfortable in human territory. But how do they actually get inside a house or apartment?
Cracks and crevices in old buildings
Because of their small size, silverfish have little trouble getting where they want to go. They fit easily through small cracks, crevices and leaks in the masonry, which are common in old buildings in particular.
Windows and doors
Sometimes they also act like humans and gain access to private premises by opening doors or windows. There they check the situation and, based on the food supply, decide whether it is worth staying a little longer.
silverfish colony
Foundation of a silverfish colony
If the inspection is positive, the silverfish settle in the rooms and breed. A silverfish colony is formed. You should then react at the latest if you do not want to share your home with the insects in the long term. You can find practical tips on suitable home remedies to get rid of the fish here.
Fight silverfish with home remedies
The behavior of silverfish
Commonly, silverfish inhabit pipes and water pipes. These areas are moist and warm - and therefore offer the insects optimal living conditions. They usually only go into the rooms of the apartment or house if they discover sufficiently warm, humid corners and dark cracks as hiding places during the day. Speaking of dark cracks: silverfish are gloomy animals. They shy away from the light and usually only make rooms unsafe in the late evening hours, at night and early in the morning.
Enemies of the fishy representatives
The silverfish doesn't just have humans as enemies who want to get rid of it at all costs. Lepisma saccharina also does not get along well with the common earwig (Forficula auricularia). In addition, the silverfish always runs the risk of being devoured by a spider.