Subject: What is this bug?! Are they harmless?!?! Please help!
Location: Windsor, ON Canada
July 23, 2015 2:17 am
Hi there! I’m from Windsor, ON Canada and for a while now I have been seeing these small bugs coming in and out from underneith the moldings of my bathroom wall. I never see them during the day but I work midnights so when I get home and I open the light to the bathroom there it is! It sees the light and scurries back into the cracks. The house is only 3 years old and I’m thinking they’re just visiting from outside because the only place I see them coming from is the one bathroom wall that faces the outside. Haven’t come across them elsewhere in the house. What are these bugs? They’re very small and you can’t even tell they have legs unless you look very close so they just look like a very fast baby worm wiggling away. You can get a better look at the colours and shape of it from the photo I will provide. Thanks!
Signature: Sonia
Dear Sonia,
This is a primitive insect known as a Silverfish, and they are common household pests. According to BugGuide: “often found indoors in damp environments; the Common Silverfish is frequently seen in bathrooms and kitchens, whereas the Firebrat is usually found in basements around furnaces and in insulation around hot water and heating pipes; these and other species also occur outdoors under bark, in leaf litter, caves, ant nests, deserts, etc.” They have plenty to eat indoors. According to BugGuide, they are: “omnivorous: starchy foods, cereals, moist wheat flour, glue on book bindings and wallpaper, starch in clothing made of cotton or rayon fabric.”
I have the same problem and I found one on my cloth!!!! Ewwww I’m so grossed out! How do you get rid of them? I just want to get rid of them… And how do they reproduce? I have killed so many and keep on seeing them around
Hi Vilma,
I’m not a pest control specialist, but here in South Texas we see these daily! The best thing to do is make sure you don’t have any standing water anywhere, keep moisture to a minimum (I use DampRid)you can find this at Walmart or any Grocery store. You can get it for closets and anywhere else in the house. Also get roach traps with the sticky stuff inside and put them around the house. If you have children, I suggest putting them out at night and picking them up in the day. Make sure to keep crumbs to a minimum like cookie crumbles , cereal etc. You don’t have to use harsh chemicals because it’s unnecessary especially with small children around.