Bug in my house – Please help
Dear Bugman,
I am so glad that there is a site such as yours. I don’t’ know what I would do if I didn’t find your site. I have a critter in my house that just baffles me. I don’t know what it is and I have gone through the books in the library and I just can’t find out what it is that is living with me. It’s about an inch long from head to tail. It has antenna on its head and the tail is like a tail of a fish or mermaid with another set of antennas. It swings form side to side. At the bottom, it seems to have multiple legs like a caterpillar? I’m really not that sure, it just seems to slide on the floor. Anyway, I find it on the walls, in my drawers in the kitchen, bedroom, bath, on my bed… I can catch it pretty easily, it doesn’t move too quickly, BUT it does have the capability to slide right into the WALLS. When I kill it by smudging it, it just seems to just flakes into pieces. I don’t see it all the time; I see one maybe every other day in a new location. Would you PLEASE offer any information to see how I can terminate it?
Dear S.,
You have Silverfish, a common household pest that is difficult to erradicate. They are very primitive insects. They will eat most anything, including the glue from book binding or wallpaper. We have gotten a report that Cloves when spread around helps to eliminate them.
I love your web site!
We recently moved into a new house in the Phoenix, AZ area and we are seeing a lot of small (1/4 to 1/2 inch) bugs in the house that look a little bit like the silverfish that I used to see back in Virginia. They are very fast runners and they like to sit high up on the walls – particularly in the corners. They are beige with 3-4 brown stripes running from side to side and they have long thin antennae and what looks like antennae off the rear of the bug as well. They are extremely soft-bodied and, when threatened, their first response is to try to crawl deeper into the corner rather than simply run.
My camera will not let me zoom in close enough to get a decent photo, so I hope my description is adequate.
Thanks!
Bob
Peoria, AZ
Ed. Note: Several hours later, Bob sent this email.
After reading more about silverfish and firebrats, I suspect that these are the latter. Oddly enough, we don’t find them in the damp areas of the home as much as in the dry. We do not find them in sinks or drains or in greater quantities in the bathrooms or kitchen. Right now, I can find 2 or 3 of them in the living room and each bedroom, parked at the ceilings. The house stays pretty dry (<30% humidity most of the time) and there are no signs of moisture anywhere. They do not seem to be more active at night and they do not seem to hide during the day. The body is less carrot shaped than indicated in the drawings and photos I’ve seen on the web, with a slightly more rounded rear. My wife calls them “trilobites” because of their prehistoric appearance.
Hi Bob,
I am inclined to agree that you probably have Firebrats. They are very primitive insects and your wife likening them to trilobytes is interesting.
DEAR WTB,
I HAVE SEEN SILVERFISH ALL MY LIFE AND HAVE BEEN TERRIFIED OF THEM. I WAS TOLD BY MY
BIG SISTER THAT SILVERFISH WILL TRY TO BURROW INSIDE OF YOUR EARS. IT THAT TRUE?
WILL THEY HARM PEOPLE IN ANYWAY?
SILVERCHICKEN
Dear Silverchicken,
I think your sister was pulling your leg. Earwigs, on the other hand, have a reputation for seeking
refuge in ears, hence their name. Earwigs will not burrow or do any permanent damage, they are just
seeking shelter. No need to fear silverfish or earwigs.
Hello I live in England and I was hoping you could help me work out what the bugs I have in my lavatory are .They are small brown ,worm like and they move by slithering along the floor they remind me of silverfish the way they move but are the wrong colour.
thankyou
Angela Thompson
Hi Angela,
Firebrats are close relatives of Silverfish and are brownish in color. They prefer warm areas, and might be attracted to the heat in your bathroom. They are similar in habits to the silverfish, and are also household pests that feed on starchy substances like book bindings, starched clothing and wall paper paste.
I have a note from some household tips mag that silverfish don’t like clove.
“If you are troubled with silverfish try placing whole cloves in the closets and drawers.”
dunno, but it’s worth a try
I only have a couple in the bathroom and haven’t found where they live.
Wow, we love natural tips for pest control. We will post this one immediately.
Are the legs of the silverfish poisonous? I highly doubt they are, but my father in law claims they are.
Thanks,
Colin
Dear Colin,
No the legs of silverfish are not poisonous.
¶ Posted 08 April 2003 § ‡ ° Hi, I currently had the most unfortunate experience of discovering a silverfish in my bathtub. It is one of two that I have seen sense I moved in in November. My apartment is old with steam heating and hardwood floors, So the option of dehumidifying is not really an option. I have spent many frantic hour on line trying to find out how to get these little darlings out of my apartment. My problem is this …I found much conflicting info on them. Such as "there is no way of truly eliminating silverfish" to "two silverfish are nothing to worry about" and "silverfish will not generally eat clothing" to "you should perchance silverfish traps to put in your drawers" So what’s the deal? Any info you could give would help. I’m at a point of hysteria (have you seen a yuckier looking bug) and very worried about my clothing collection. Thank you very much and also if moving away and starting over is my only option at this point I’m okay with that…..:)
Steph
Dear Steph,
Silverfish, which belong to the order Zygentoma, are also sometimes known as firebrats because of their love of warmth. According to expert F. Lutz, "If such a creature is eating your wallpaper, starched clothes, photographs or other belongings, your sorrow may be mitigated by your interest in seeing the most primitive insect you are likely to observe without special effort. Further damage may be prevented by fumigating or by liberal use of fresh Pyrethrum powder". If you move, be sure to not take along any hitch-hikers. We once had a lengthy correspondance with Miss Swanlund who was worried that her lovely Hollywood starlet apartment was infested. She eventually moved, leaving the vermin behind.
¶ Posted 14 February 2003 § ‡ ° Dear What’s that Bug,
Last night in yoga class, while doing a spinal twist, I spotted a silverfish darting across the floorboards very near my mat. I broke my pose, grabbed a purple foam block, and squished the silverfish, leaving its mutilated body on the gleaming hardwood floors. I have two questions. First of all, is it bad karma to kill a bug in yoga class? Also, is there any way that I might bring an infestation back to my home?
Thank you,
Lethal Lotus
Dear Lethal Lotus,
Though we here at What’s That Bug? are not practicing Buddhists, we are aware that it is a Zen canon to think of ourselves as one with the universe, and that includes silverfish. Can’t we all just get along? Was the silverfish harming you in any way? I would strongly suggest that you do some karmic retribution.
Regarding your second question, to which former HomeBody of the Month Miss Swanlund will strongly attest, once silverfish become naturalized, they are nearly impossible for even the cleanest homemaker to eradicate. The silverfish themselves do not ascribe to the Zen way of life, hence they are interested in overrunning homes and eating books with little thought of how this might affect the human tenants. War is war. Silverfish are notorious for seeking out cramped quarters and crevices, especially those of the dark moist variety. It is entirely possible to transport one of the wily critters on your person, especially if it should somehow find itself in an environment not conducive to its needs, like a brightly lit room full of contorted bodies where the odds of getting squished are high. It is also possible that one of your fellow yoga enthusiasts transported the victim of your brutal attack, and its siblings, to the site of your encounter.
¶ Posted 18 February 2002 § ‡ ° 
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