Too many Western New Yorkers have experienced a similar encounter. You crawl out of bed and sleepwalk to the bathroom, then shield your eyes as you turn the light on to begin your morning routine. Then, you freeze and gasp in horror as you find yourself face-to-face with the ugliest and scariest of household pests: the silverfish.
Remain calm. The silverfish is unlikely to come after you. In fact, they’re probably as petrified as you are, frozen and exposed in the harsh, bright light. Even if their sole goal wasn’t to stay as far away from you as possible, they most likely wouldn’t even be able to hurt you if they tried. Unlike centipedes, which can provide a painful bite—and which silverfish are often mistaken for—they don’t even have strong enough jaws to pierce human skin.
Ending the silverfish right then and there with a good squish might make you feel better temporarily, but their populations can grow fairly fast. Chances are, you won’t even be able to catch the silverfish. They are very fast creatures that can make it quickly back to where they came from, often without even being detected.
We’re not trying to tell you that silverfish aren’t disturbing. They can live for close to a decade, laying eggs—sometimes up to 50 at a time—and lurking in the dark, moist crevices of your home. If you feel like you might have a silverfish problem on your hands, the best course of action is to contact a professional exterminator who can put together a plan to be rid of the frightening critters.
There are steps you can take to prevent silverfish from making themselves comfortable, like keeping your home clean, storing food properly, and using a dehumidifier to dry rooms. Even though silverfish are unpleasant looking creatures, it’s comforting to know that coming after you is not on their agenda.
Now that you’ve calmed yourself down, stay on the lookout for more signs of a silverfish problem. If you think there’s more where that one came from, contact Amherst Exterminators for professional pest control services that can tackle the most elusive silverfish populations.
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