Silverfish In New Braunfels Can Be A Huge Problem

How To Tell If It’s Silverfish Or Firebrats In Your New Braunfels Home

Not only do they come from the same insect family, but with similar appearances and some of the same behavioral habits, it’s easy to mistake silverfish for firebrats. So how do you know which pest you're dealing with in your New Braunfels home?

There are a couple of ways to tell these pests apart, such as:

Appearance

While they have similar shapes and the same bristletails, firebrats usually have greyish-brown coloring, while silverfish are shiny and pearl-gray or even gray-blue. Silverfish can grow a little bigger than firebrats, and their antennae tend to be shorter than the length of a firebrat’s antennae.

Temperature Requirements

Perhaps the biggest difference and the easiest way to differentiate between these two pests is the kind of temperatures they like. Firebrats, as their name suggests, are fond of hot temperatures and are heat-resistant enough to walk on furnaces, boilers, or hot water pipes. You’re most likely to find firebrats near furnaces, ovens, or other high-temperature areas in your home.

Silverfish like humid areas of your house, but they’re not a big fan of the heat. You’re more likely to find silverfish around leaky pipes or a damp basement. Silverfish like moisture, and they’ll hang around any part of your house with excess water, moisture, or humidity.

Do Silverfish In New Braunfels Bite?

Once you know you’re dealing with silverfish, there’s one question that a lot of homeowners have: "Do these pests bite, and are they dangerous to people?" While silverfish are easy to mistake for similar-looking venomous centipedes, the good news is that these pests aren’t known to bite people or carry any diseases. 

Silverfish don’t like to be disturbed, and if you happen to run into them in your home, these pests often flee or scurry to safety. They’re not aggressive and shouldn’t be a danger to you, your family, or your pets. In fact, their weak jaws make it almost physically impossible to bite humans even if they wanted to—and their bristles aren’t sharp enough to sting or scratch you if you do manage to catch one.

The Damage Silverfish Can Do In Your New Braunfels Home

While they may not bite or carry diseases, that doesn’t mean silverfish can’t cause damage. Even if they’re not capable of hurting you, silverfish can harm your home and personal belongings. Silverfish feed on starch and carbohydrates, and their diet can include anything from the cereals in your pantry to wallpaper, books, and even photos. When they eat, silverfish make small holes in these items and may leave yellow staining behind too. 

Even with small infestations, silverfish can still cause a lot of damage. Not only can they contaminate a large portion of the food in your pantry or cabinets, but they can also damage priceless personal belongings like old photo albums or cherished books.