Silverfish, the secret pets
These light-averse, nimble creatures feel particularly comfortable in human dwellings. Don't start an extermination campaign just yet! Understanding why the silverfish have moved in is well worthwhile.
Wingless, light-averse and heat-loving
The silverfish is a "primordial insect," or more precisely, it belongs to the order of fish (Zygentoma), which has probably existed for 300 million years. It gets its name from the snakelike, nimble movements with which the shimmering, wingless animal disappears as soon as the light is turned on. About 500 species are known worldwide.
Ancient insect on a nightly walk
Because we are all sitting at home a lot now, we probably meet our uninvited roommates even more often. Silverfish prefer to be out at night, not necessarily to scare us to death, but because they don't like light. They also like a warm and humid climate, which is why we often meet them in the bathroom when in a sleepy stupor.
Let's dance!
Silverfish usually mate at night. To do this, the mating-ready partners first caress one another with their feelers. A dance that can last up to half an hour then ensues. Finally, the male spins some threads in the presence of the female, under which he deposited a drop of sperm. When the female attempts to pass under the threads, she receives the sperm.
Long live the silverfish!
The female lays about twenty eggs in moist cracks, from which - depending on the surrounding temperature - the young hatch after two to eight weeks. When the insects reach maturity also depends on the temperature and can take one to three years. Either way, they grow to a maximum length of one centimeter. In any case, the silverfish has an impressive lifespan of up to eight years.
Little visitor with a sweet tooth
If the silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) is in the bathroom or kitchen, then it is probably looking for food. As the Latin name suggests, silverfish need food containing sugar or starch. Besides sugars and grains, they consume adhesives, molds, dust mites and dead skin cells. Nothing to eat? Never mind! Silverfish can go without eating for several months.
Fight the cause, not the silverfish
They are not poisonous, they do not bite or sting. Although they can contaminate food, it is not known that silverfish transmit diseases to humans. Rather, individual silverfish are small cleaning aids that eliminate mold and house dust mites. If it comes to rare mass occurrences, this can be a warning signal for humidity and mold growth.