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The Diet Of The Silverfish

Silverfish are pests that can enter your home and damage various materials. They are mainly attracted to starches and protein rich items, which can include fabrics, sugars, fibers, vegetables and grains. In fact, they will go after cereal and pet food even if they are in packaging.

The staple of the silverfish’ diet is the polysaccharide, which is a term that encompasses a variety of carbohydrates including glycogen, cellulose and starch. They need these carbohydrates to survive, and they need protein in order to grow. And they will take these nutrients wherever they can find them. They will eat dandruff, dead skin, fat residue, seeds, dead insects, linen and cotton if they have to, and they will enjoy it.

Let’s take a look at some of the items around the home that give silverfish the munchies.

The rooms and corresponding items that may be attacked by silverfish

Silverfish are very moisture dependent, so they will usually nest in kitchens and bathrooms. From there, they venture out into the home looking for food. In the kitchen, the silverfish has access to cereal, flour, grains, pasta, beans, pet hair and dry pet food. In order to protect your kitchen, you can store all dry goods in air-tight plastic containers and this will ensure that the silverfish will have to look elsewhere for their meals.

In the living room, silverfish may feed on wallpaper, books, curtains, carpets, pet hair and any other items that are made out of cotton or linen. To protect some of these items, make sure that you vacuum your living room regularly, and that you store your valuable books and clothes in a room with very low humidity. If you want to go the extra mile, you can place important items in sealed containers. The bedroom similarly has a lot of items that are made from cotton, linen, silk and rayon, and on top of that, it has a lot of human hair. Once again, you will want to store any valuable clothes in sealed packages in order to protect them.

Finally, we have the bathroom. Here, the silverfish will go after shampoo, dandruff, damp clothing, toothpaste and human hair. Since the bathroom will usually hold the nest on top of having plenty of food sources, you can solve two problems at once by lowering the humidity as much as possible. If the humidity is low enough, the nest will be destroyed and the silverfish infestation removed. Sometimes however, this will not be enough to get the infestation under control. This is where we come in. Contact us today if you are having issues with silverfish.