Western Exterminators - Pest Control Services California, Arizona, Nevada

Fabric Pests: Booklice (Psocids) | Carpet Beetle | Silverfish, Bristletail

	Common name:	Latin name:	Class:	Order:	Family:
	Silverfish, Bristletail	Various scientific names	Insecta	Thysanura	Lepismatidae

	Size:
	Adults are about 1/2-3/4 inch (12-19 mm) long, not including tails.
	Characteristics:
	Primitive, nocturnal, wingless insects, with flattened bodies tapered from head to rear, covered with scales. Have 3 long bristle-type appendages on the end. Antennae are long, threadlike. Compound eyes are small, widely separated.
	Color:
	Silvery to gunmetal colored, silver-gray, some with dark lines along length of body.
	Where Found:
	Throughout the United States and the world.
	Comparison:
	Firebrats are not silvery, usually mottled in color. Jumping Bristletails have large compound eyes that touch each other; they jump when disturbed. Springtails lack the 3 appendages (tails) but have a forked appendage at end of their bodies, and short antennae. Larvae and wingless adults of insects with complete metamorphosis do not have the 3 bristle like appendages. . Silverfish, 1/2 in (12-13 mm), Four Lined Silverfish, 5/8 in (16 mm) and Gray Silverfish, 3/4 in (19 mm) are representative species found in the U.S., including Southern California.
	Habitat:
	Anywhere in houses and commercial buildings; can breed in a variety of places, such as wall voids, floors, attics. Thrive at room temperature and in high humidity.
	Food:
	Depends on species, but all can survive for weeks without food or water. Roam to search for food, but stay close to it once they find it. Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) prefer protein to carbohydrates, are cannibalistic, and pests of paper. Gray Silverfish feed on wheat flour and beef extract, especially on wallpaper paste, preferring papers with high chemical pulp content, such as cellophane, tissue, onion skin (instead of newsprint, cardboard, brown wrapping paper); they also eat linen, rayon, cotton (not wools or natural silk). Four Lined Silverfish are not so limited by temperature and moisture, live and feed indoors and outdoors, can digest cellulose, are sometimes found in attics near wooden shingle roofs, or under the bark of Eucalyptus trees in California.
	Biology:
	Varies with different species. Eggs are laid in cracks. Nymphs molt a number of times. Adults and nymph can survive temperatures between 32 and 112 °F (zero and 44 °C). Eggs fail to hatch below about 70 °F. Silverfish and Bristletails breed in a variety of places, in almost any room of the house, as well as in commercial structures. Some species can digest cellulose.
	Damage:
	Nuisance pests, which leave surface etchings in paper, especially glazed paper, wallpaper and books.
	Invasion:
	Silverfish and Bristletails enter buildings in cardboard cartons of books and papers.
	Control:
	Preparation will be necessary in order to treat this pest in your home. Lower cupboards in kitchen and bathroom should be emptied along with the floors of closets and storage areas. A residual treatment in cracks and crevices should be made. Also, general treatment along edges in closets and linen storage areas is recommended. Attic areas and basements should be inspected and treated if necessary. Use of residual liquid pesticides or dusts is recommended. Continued monitoring and possible additional treatments may be necessary. Contacting the insects with the material is essential to control. When using any pesticide, be sure it is registered for the target pest/location. Read the entire label prior to use. Follow all label directions, restrictions, and precautions.