How do silverfish bites marks look like? Knowing early symptoms of silverfish infestation can help you plan for swift pest control measures to deal with these bugs.
Silverfish are tiny insects commonly found in a moist and warm environment. They feed on molts and other starchy products like cereals and fabrics as well as paper products and bookbinding glues.
That’s why they are often found in museums and libraries with old paper materials and books.
They love the dark environment mainly because they are shy and will scramble for safety when they are put on.
These insects resemble their sisters – firebrats – in many features and behaviors. Many people confuse these insects with venomous centipedes due to their creepy appearance. It is for these reasons that most people often fear them.
In this article, I outline the different ways to identify silverfish bites, and how to treat such bites if one gets bitten. You also get to see some of the pictures showing how the bites appear on food sources.
Page Contents
How to Identify Silverfish Bites
Silverfish bites are identified as small irregular holes and yellow and grey stains in papers like wallpaper, book pages, and other paper products.
Silverfish are identified by their two long antennas and three posterior appendages with scales on their skin. They are grayish blue with grayish-looking scale coverings.
In terms of size, silverfish measure approximately half an inch long. They run fast over short distances to hide in crevices and cracks where humans can not access them.
They are nocturnal and hide all day long and come out at night to feast.
You can have silverfish in your home, especially if it has moist and moderate temperatures. You will find them in laundry rooms, attics, basements, bathrooms, cupboards, and bookshelves.
Dark places are favorable dwelling grounds for silverfish. The damages they inflict on fabrics can identify these creepy nuisance nocturnal insects, paper products, and groceries within your home.
Pictures of Silverfish Bites
Silverfish bites pictures show some small irregular holes and yellow and grey stains in papers like wallpaper, book pages, and other paper products.
The same irregular holes can be seen in fabrics especially cotton, synthetic silk, and linen clothes.
How to Treat Silverfish Bites
A variety of natural and chemical substances can be used to treat silverfish infestation in your home. Chemical remedies are considered more effective, but they are harmful to humans and animals.
Less toxic sprays can be effective in eliminating these insects from your home. You are advised to consider one of the following for the effective treatment of silverfish infestation in your home.
Pyrethrin sprays
Pyrethrin is a type of insecticide manufactured from pyrethrum seeds and less toxic and biodegradable compared to most insecticides in the market.
Pyrethrin sprays can last long after application up to six to kill hatching silverfish babies. Even though less toxic on humans and animals, prolonged exposure can be dangerous to your lungs and eyes.
Diatomaceous Earth
Contains silicate which can penetrate insect coverings and exoskeletons to hydrate insects to death.
Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth dusts on cracks and crevices and in dark areas in your home.
Boric Acid
This dust is less harmful to humans and pets but lethal on insects including silver bugs. It is popularly used to treat silverfish in homes and offices with positive effects compared to other substances.
Ready-to-use boric acid products can be purchased from local drug stores. Sprinkle them on surfaces within your home where silverfish frequent.
RELATED: How to use Boric Acid for Silverfish Control.
Silverfish Traps
Homemade traps like masked glass jar containers and wet bundled newspapers have been in use for much longer. They lure these insects into the trap.
Several tools can be made to trap as many insects as possible. You can also buy ready-for-use commercials traps specifically designed for these insects from your home improvement stores and drug stores.
Silverfish Damage To Clothes
Silverfish bugs can damage clothes in your house particularly linen, cotton, synthetic silk, and rayon fabrics. They feast on these fabrics and hence pinch holes in the fabrics causing significant damage.
You are likely to find irregular holes and yellowish stains around them on curtains, bedding, and sofas if you have a silverfish infestation.
They also excrete on clothes, and they also leave behind yellowish stains from the molting process.
Silverfish Bites FAQs
The problem of silverfish has gained public attention in recent years. This has attracted several key questions that should be answered for people to understand this type of insect that invades our homes.
Are Silverfish Harmful to Cats?
No. silverfish are not harmful to cats and also other pets in your home. They do no cause or transmit diseases in animals.
Can Silverfish bite you (humans)?
No, silverfish do not bite humans. Despite their creepy shape that resembles venomous centipedes, silverfish do not bite humans.
There should be no worry about bites from these insects. Check out this detailed article on how harmful silverfish are.
What’s the difference between Firebrats & Silverfish bites?
Silverfish and Firebrat bites are very similar. They both feast on molts, starchy substances, fabrics, and paper products.
In the process, they punch and leave small irregular holes with yellow and grey stains in these materials during the feeding process.
Gray Silverfish Bite
Silverfish leaves small irregular holes and grey or yellowish stains around the holes. These yellowish and gray spots around these bites can indicate the presence of silverfish infestation in your home and house.
Do Silverfish Bite dogs?
No, silverfish do not bite dogs and not even other pets or animals. Even though they look like venomous centipedes, they are not dangerous to pets.
These insects only bite foods as they feast on them to leave behind stains on their surfaces and around the holes.
Do Silverfish Bite Clothes?
Yes, silverfish bite clothes as they feed on them resulting in small irregular holes. In the process, they also leave behind yellow stains around bitten holes on linen, synthetic silk, and cotton clothes in your house.
Look out for these signs if you suspect their infestation.
Do Silverfish Bite or Sting?
Well, silverfish bite. Silverfish stings do not exist. Stings are associated with the release of a venomous substance.
There is no venom in silverfish bites to qualify them into stings. Nonetheless, the bites cannot be harmful even if they were to be injected into human beings, animals, or other bugs
As stated earlier in this article, silverfish bite leaves small irregular holes on paper products like wallpapers and fabrics. However, silverfish bites are often mistaken for bites by other insects like bed bugs.
On careful examination, you may notice some yellowish or gray lining from dust they shade from their scale through molting.
You will find these bites in all types of foods they eat. These include cereals, clothes, and paper products.
What does a silverfish bite look like?
Silverfish bugs bite the source of food they eat including paper products, clothes, and cereals. The appearance looks like small irregular holes in these food sources.
Books and Mounted picture papers provide the best evidence for such.
READ MORE: Silverfish infestation signs in the bedroom.
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