Silverfish in pest and building inspections

Silver fish in Pest and Building Inspections

Size: 2 mm – 18 mm in length.

Body: Column-like, tear-drop or spindle-shaped.

Often hairy, with tufts common between eyesAppears hard and covered in scales.

Have tiny styli (soft finger-like projections) coming from the underside some of the abdomen segments.

Antennae: Thread-like, with many segments.

Longer than half the body length.

Eyes: Absent or small, berry-like and well separated.

Mouthparts: For chewing.

Held in front or downwards at rest.

Wings: Absent.

Limbs: Six legs, short and stocky.

Abdomen tip: Three tails (two cerci and one middle filament), thread-like, and similar in size; at rest the two outer tails aredirected at an angle away from the body.

Where are silverfish found?

Under bark, rocks or among leaf litter.

In soil or within caves.

In the desert, as some are capable of absorbing water from the atmosphere.

Living in ant and termite nests.

In houses, where they favour areas of high humidity like bathrooms.

What do silverfish do?

They often group together around food sources.

When disturbed they remain still, run for cover or hop.

They feed on fungi, and plant material. In the home they may feed on starchy substances such as wallpaper glue, book bindings and photographs.

They are normally active at night, if active during the day generally found in dark places.

Limbs: Six legs.

Hindlegs enlarged and modified for jumping; Have claws modified for clinging to feathers and hair.

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