Silverfish

How to tell

• 10 to 12 mm, metallic silver-grey, tapering from head to tail with three tail filaments.
• Moves in a quick fish-like wriggle across a floor or a tub.
• Damage looks like irregular grazing on paper, wallpaper seams, and book bindings.
• Firebrats look similar but are mottled and prefer hot areas like attics and water heater closets.

Where you'll find it

• Bathrooms, under the sink, and inside the linen closet.
• Stored cardboard boxes in a garage or attic.
• Behind wallpaper and along baseboards in humid rooms.

Why it matters

Silverfish feed on starches — paper, glue, and some fabrics — so the damage lands on stored documents, books, and photographs. Their presence is usually a humidity signal worth acting on for the house's sake.

How Strike treats it

We treat the harborage cracks and voids in the affected rooms and address the humidity source, since silverfish do not persist in dry conditions. Attic and closet work uses targeted dusts in voids rather than surface spraying. We recommend moving stored paper into sealed plastic bins, which removes both the food and the shelter. A follow-up confirms the population dropped.

What you can do before we arrive

• Move stored paper and cardboard into sealed plastic bins.
• Run the bathroom exhaust fan during and after showers.
• Clear the floor of closets in the affected rooms.
• Note any room that feels persistently humid.