Silver
Fish: (Lepisima sacharina)
The
favourite food of silverfish is any matter that contains starch or polysaccharides,
such as dextrin in adhesives. These include glue, book bindings, photos, sugar,
hair, dandruff, and dirt. Silverfish can also cause damage to books, tapestries,
and textiles. Apart from these cases, the damage caused by silverfish is negligible,
and they have no direct effect on human health beyond psychological distress
to people who dislike them. Other substances that may be eaten include cotton,
linen, silk and synthetic fibres and dead insects or even its own exuvia (moulted
exoskeleton). During famine, a silverfish may even attack leatherware and synthetic
fabrics. In extreme cases, silverfish may live for several months without feeding.
The silverfish is a widespread pest in human dwellings. Silverfish can often
be found under refrigerators or around a well-heated toilet, if the crevices
in the floor tiles are large enough.
The
body of a silverfish is approximately 10 mm long, excluding the antennae. The
metallic sheen is due to silvery scales, which only appear after the third moult.
Silverfish require between four months and three years to grow from an egg to
an adult. Silverfish may live up to eight years and moult up to eight times.
Under favourable conditions, silverfish may moult up to four times per year.
At temperatures between 25 and 30 °C, females lay clutches of about one
hundred eggs, usually in a crevice. If conditions are too cold or dry, silverfish
cannot reproduce.
