Silverfish are the fast, wriggling, silver-gray insects you catch darting across a bathroom floor or out of a stored box. They don't bite or spread disease, but they feed on starches — paper, book bindings, wallpaper glue, fabrics — and they signal a humidity problem in the home.
Teardrop-shaped, silver-to-gray bodies about 1/2"–3/4" long with three long bristle-like tails and two long antennae. No wings. They move with a quick, fish-like wiggle and hide during the day, so most sightings happen at night or when something is moved.
What attracts them: High humidity and starchy food sources — damp bathrooms, basements, attics, and closets; cardboard boxes, stacked paper, books, and stored clothing; leaking pipes and poor ventilation.
When you're seeing silverfish regularly or finding damage to books, documents, or clothing — that means an established population and a moisture source we need to correct, not a one-off visitor.
