When you find a pest in your home, you want it gone now. Before you can develop a plan for exterminating the insect, you need to know what it is. Here’s how you can identify silverfish.

How to Identify Silverfish

What they look like: As the name suggests, silverfish have a shiny, silver coloring, and they move like a fish. They are small and wingless, and you might notice they move incredibly quick for a tiny pest.

Where you’ll find them: They can survive in many environments, but they’d rather find a dark, moist area, like bathrooms, kitchens, basements, garages, and attics. Bonus points if the area has a leak so they have easy access to water! Plus, consider where they might find their favorite food sources.

What they eat: Silverfish are particularly interesting because of their unique diet. They have similar habits to cockroaches. Silverfish have mouthparts for chewing and they prefer carbohydrates and protein, such as dried meat, flour, rolled oats, fabrics, paper, and even glue! At times, they can be considered cannibalistic, as they have been known to eat skins off dead and injured individuals, but they are harmless for humans.

How to Prevent Silverfish

Now that you’ve learned how to identify this pest, you probably want to learn how to prevent them from showing up in the first place. Here are some tips:

• Remove old books, magazines, and newspapers from your house—attic and basement included
• Store unused fabrics in sealed containers
• Tidy and vacuum closets regularly
• Vacuum 0ften and clean up food crumbs
• Repair any leaks as soon as possible

Exterminate Silverfish with Help from ExtermPRO.

The pest pros at ExtermPRO have experience dealing with these creepy crawlies. We know the signs, how to prevent silverfish, and how to get rid of them. Call us today at 571-620-1168.