Silverfish Life cycle

Robert James
Pest Control Technician

Silverfish is an ancient insect that classifies under Lepismatidae family and Lepisma genus. They have the body shaped like a carrot and appearance like fish. Mostly they get covered in silver grey colour that leads their name to "Silverfish". This writing has been designed to make you aware of the life cycle of Lepisma Saccharina. It is Silverfish's biological name.

Generalized Life Cycle of A Silverfish

Silverfish Life cycle

 

There is basically three phase in a Silverfish’s lifecycle. A brief description of Silverfish’s life is as followed from egg to adulthood:

  • Egg: Life of a silverfish begins with oval shaped tiny egg. These eggs can be found in dark, damp places in areas like the basement, sink, old boxes etc. These eggs are laid in a group of two hundred approximately. When the weather condition and temperature are ideal for a baby silverfish, then they hatch the eggs. This process can take time from one to two weeks. If the temperature falls below 10 degree Celsius, silverfish egg can lay asleep till the weather gets warmer. Proper temperature is very necessary to speed up the process of developing life from an egg.
  • Nymph: Newly born silverfish are found in pink colour. It takes several weeks after hatching to get the silver colour and other characteristics. Once they got in silver colour, it can be said the nymph got the appearance of young silverfish. Silverfish continue moulting to an approximate size of three to four inch. Their diet is basically starch and protein food. So they can damage your books, papers, clothes and stored food in order to grow up.
  • Adult: In the span of a few months, when the temperature is favourable, the silverfish grows from egg to sexually mature adults. However, if the temperature is not favourable, and remain cold, then it can be from one to two years. Silverfish are counted in those rarest families of insects, who continue to moult even after reaching the complete maturity. The male and female silverfish reproduce by touching their antenna. This procedure can go long up to thirty minutes to one hour. A female adult silverfish is capable of producing more than one thousand eggs in their whole life. Adult silverfish can live up to three years in ideal weather condition and temperature.
You Might also be Interested in, How to Get Rid of Silverfish Naturally

It is really important to know the cycles of silverfish if you want to win the war against silverfish in order to save your precious books, important papers, and favourite clothes.  However, it is true that silverfish is medically harmless. They do not bite on a human body or do not carry the germ of any infectious virus. But we cannot let them destroy our documents and garments.  If you want to take control of the situation, then you have to prevent it in the earlier stage of a Silverfish’s life. Use salt and boric acid where ever you see eggs of silverfish or think eggs can lie there.  If you see an adult silverfish, then spray citrus or other pest control sprays. You can also use cloves or herbs to kill adult silverfish.  Hope the information was helpful and you enjoyed reading it.

WELCOME TO Man Vs. Pest
Disclosure
manvspest.com.com is reader supported. We independently recommend methods, ways, products etc. As amazon associates we receive commission for every qualified purchases. More Details>> 
crosschevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram