What are these? Been finding them forever

[moshirimon]

so its the first time ive seen one of these in a while. i was in my bathroom when it zoomed past the toothbrushes (....gross) while i was brushing my teeth. I was wondering if any of you know what this is. Ive been finding these for as long as i can remember, and in all three houses ive lived in. I live in southern ontario, i find these all year round and always indoors. they seem to be very die-hard animals. As a kid i used to capture these and keep them in containers for weeks with no food water and their health wouldnt seem to be affected one bit.
Theyre about 1cm long.

If anyone knows what this is and has any info let me know! just a curiosity thing..

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj6/KINGbiggypac/what_zpsb5e0a5f6.jpg (http://s268.photobucket.com/user/KINGbiggypac/media/what_zpsb5e0a5f6.jpg.html)

[valid]

I would defiantly say silverfish. (Lepisma saccharina)
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A5KXJOP_cdo/UKz6EG4DbkI/AAAAAAAAAMY/Ahv5-gd4WZo/s400/Silverfish19.jpghttp://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/378986-9211-45.jpg

And a good ol' wiki article to boot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfish)

They are little pests.

[moshirimon]

That's exactly it! Thanks a lot for that. Been looking for that answer for years. They may be pests but they don't seem to bother us, and we don't see too many. They're just kinda.. there lol

[Starbuck]

they actually eat molds and detritus, so they keep things a 'mite' cleaner heh heh heh. They like to live in damp areas (bathrooms, boiler rooms...) and yes, do run pretty fast ;)

another of my favorite house-creepys is the asian house centipede >:)

[MH4C]

Next to eating molds, they can also eat the glue that is used to bind hardcover books...which can be very annoying as you can imagine. Once you have them in your house they're almost impossible to get rid of, and will move with you to your next house etcetera...
That asian house centipede sure looks cool :)

[lady_bug87]

Gross
That's what it is.

<shudder>

[MDT]

I'm pretty sure that's the thing Khan put into Chekov's ear.

[lady_bug87]

I'm pretty sure that's the thing Khan put into Chekov's ear.

Hahah Star Trek humor....

[Pareeeee]

Silverfish are a terrible little creature. If you ever notice unexplained little holes in your cotton, linen, silk or (rarely) synthetic fabric clothing, they're to blame. Silverfish are attracted to anything starchy. I have thrown out some of my favourite clothes because of them. One of the few creatures I kill on sight instead of letting them go outside.

They also damage books, eat glue, wallpaper paste, paper, photos, book bindings, carpet, etc.

Such pests!!
So say we all....Ladybug - that was for you.

[Pareeeee]

another of my favorite house-creepys is the asian house centipede >:)

I love those things! I hold them :P They always get tossed outside instead of receiving death.

I'm pretty sure that's the thing Khan put into Chekov's ear.

Yay for Star Trek!

[Danimal]

I'm pretty sure that's the thing Khan put into Chekov's ear.

Ha! nice one

[lady_bug87]

Silverfish are a terrible little creature. If you ever notice unexplained little holes in your cotton, linen, silk or (rarely) synthetic fabric clothing, they're to blame. Silverfish are attracted to anything starchy. I have thrown out some of my favourite clothes because of them. One of the few creatures I kill on sight instead of letting them go outside.

They also damage books, eat glue, wallpaper paste, paper, photos, book bindings, carpet, etc.

Such pests!!
So say we all....Ladybug - that was for you.

So say we all, so say we all...

[DragonsEye]

As others mentioned, starchy substances are a favorite for them. Rather ubiquitous critters. I found them to be useful prey items for my smaller spiders or baby scorps.

[poison123]

These guys are becoming a bit more common as a food source for herps. I would like to give them a shot.

[moshirimon]

Really? Risky food source. Once they get out, I doubt your getting rid of them easyily

[Pareeeee]

Really? Risky food source. Once they get out, I doubt your getting rid of them easyily

Agreed, and they can fit through any space, climb on almost any surface. I've seen them upside down on my ceiling. I imagine they're good escape artists. They are terrible pests if you have enough of them. I think the only thing that keeps their population from exploding in my apartment are the daddy-long-legs.

[RandyRhoads]

they actually eat molds and detritus, so they keep things a 'mite' cleaner heh heh heh. They like to live in damp areas (bathrooms, boiler rooms...) and yes, do run pretty fast ;)

another of my favorite house-creepys is the asian house centipede >:)

Hey, thanks for this. I've always wondered what these were after I calmed down and quit screaming like a girl.

[poison123]

How are these a "risky" feeder? Don't see how they pose a threat in any way.

[BryanB]

How are these a "risky" feeder? Don't see how they pose a threat in any way.

not to the herps to the house

[DeadlyDesires]

Hey, thanks for this. I've always wondered what these were after I calmed down and quit screaming like a girl.


lol this is how i react to spiders!!

[poison123]

not to the herps to the house

What do they do?

[Pareeeee]

What do they do?

Did you not read anyone else's posts? Including mine? LOL :rolleyes:

[poison123]

Did you not read anyone else's posts? Including mine? LOL :rolleyes:

Nope lol. Just read it. I always blamed the little holes on moths.

[Herpophiliac972]

Yeah, silver fish are really nasty little things. They are not a good sign. They are about as nice to have around as a whole bunch of roaches. I would take some steps to get rid of them. I wouldn't use insecticides inside, that is bad for all concerned. What you could try to do to get rid of them is to put cloth/ cotton balls/ magic erasers with nail polish remover poured over it. The nail polish remover is not nearly as harmful to humans and other animals as insecticides are. It essentially replaces the oxygen, asphyxiating the insects, instead of poisoning them. I use them in my kill jars, it is really effective.

Note: For all of you who are wondering what "kill jars" are, they are a tool of the trade for insect collectors. You put the bugs in, and once they are dead, you remove them and pin/preserve them. I have been doing this for the past few years, it is really interesting. You can use them as decorations, put them in shadowboxes, paperweights, etc.

[Starbuck]

Yeah, silver fish are really nasty little things. They are not a good sign. They are about as nice to have around as a whole bunch of roaches. I would take some steps to get rid of them. .

can you elaborate please? I have never been under the impression that silverfish are harmful in any way? As far as i know they carry no diseases, don't destroy wood/furniture (maybe books...), and aren't indicative of poor housekeeping.

[moshirimon]

Yea they haven't posed any real problems. I rarely see them.. I might see one or two every couple months. But I have been seeing them all my life, and never had a name to them

[poison123]

I've never had a problem with them either...

[Lankyrob]

We used to love catching silverfish as kids. We were always told they only came into "clean" houses and werent a threat to anything. However since the use of chemical cleaners increased tehy seem to be really rare over here now.

[Herpophiliac972]

can you elaborate please? I have never been under the impression that silverfish are harmful in any way? As far as i know they carry no diseases, don't destroy wood/furniture (maybe books...), and aren't indicative of poor housekeeping.

They usually do not post much of a health risk, nor one to the structure of your house, but they are really just pests. They could be a problem in the long run. For example, if you try to sell your house, and someone gets it checked out and find these little guys, that would not look good for you and there is a good chance that the potential buyer could be turned away just by that. They also multiply like crazy. One day you have two and within a period of months to years, you could have a severe infestation. And they have to eat something. No matter what they eat, a large number of insects eating anything is going to cost you something.

[poison123]

I've always had these guys in the house. I see them every now and then. But we have never had an infestation problem. At least not that I have seen.