What is a silverfish?
A silverfish does not live in the sea, as all of us know. It is rated among the insect pests that set up housekeeping in our homes and kitchens. He is one of our animal enemies, but this should not stop us from taking a look at him and his way of life. As a creature to study, the silverfish is very interesting and his family tree might make us feel like new comers. His ancestors were here millions of years before the human family came to share his world.
If you catch one of these little insects, you will agree that his name silverfish is most suitable. He is a soft, silvery grey and when held in your fingers seems to be as slippery as a slithery fish. This is because his tiny body is covered with scales which act like loose, dusty powder.
The silverfish does not look much like an insect, but if you look closely you will see that he has the correct number of segmented insect legs and the proper kind of segmented insect body. He has no wings, but the strange insect can point to this fact with pride. The original ancestors of the entire insect tribe were wingless.
In fact, entomologists who study insects tell us that the silverfish very closely resembles the very first insects who appeared on earth hundreds of millions of years ago. Along with some 300 of his cousins, he has managed to survive without much change while the mighty dinosaurs came and went and the feathery birds developed from flying reptiles.
All this time, the silverfish and his relatives lived outdoors, making their livings among debris and rotting leaves. Most of them still live as their ancestors did.
But when the human family came to set up housekeeping, some of the silverfish found themselves an easier way of life. They moved right in to share the warmth and comfort of our homes.
The little pests hide by day and sneak out only at night to feed. They eat paste and glue and often we can blame them for paper that peels off the walls. They also are said to eat rayon, which even the clothes moth ignores.
If you suspect silverfish, hunt in the cracks and crannies for a slithery little fellow about half an inch long. He wears two long, slim feelers on his head and his long, slim swallowtail may be made from either two or three spikes. Mrs. Silverfish lays countless dust sized eggs which are very hard to find. The tiny youngsters are miniature copies of their parents and they grow bigger by molting many times. They become adults at the age of two.
Silverfish are very hard to remove from a household when once they have settled and laid their eggs. It may be necessary to use insecticide several times before the coming generations are destroyed. Meantime, they destroy starches and glues. A favorite food is book¬binding glue and many books are destroyed by these pesky insects