Silverfish may be small, but the damage they cause inside homes can be surprisingly expensive. These fast-moving, silvery insects thrive in dark, humid spaces and quietly feed on books, wallpaper, stored documents, clothing, and even food packaging. Because they avoid light and hide in cracks and crevices, silverfish infestations often go unnoticed until homeowners start finding damaged papers, shredded cardboard, or strange bugs darting across the floor at night.
In Maryland, silverfish are common due to humidity, older housing stock, and abundance of crawlspaces and basements. If you have ever found these insects in your bathroom, attic, or storage area, this guide will help you understand what they are, why they are there, and how to remove them for good.
What Are Silverfish?
Silverfish are wingless insects with flat, elongated bodies and a metallic gray or silver sheen. They move in a fish-like, wiggling motion, which is how they got their name. Adults are typically about half an inch long and have two long antennae and three tail-like appendages.
Unlike many insects, silverfish do not go through complete metamorphosis. They hatch looking like tiny versions of adults and continue molting throughout their entire lifespan, which can last up to three years. During that time, a single female can lay as much as 100 eggs, allowing populations to grow quietly inside walls, cabinets, and storage areas. Silverfish feed on carbohydrates and cellulose. That means anything made from paper, glue, starch, cotton, linen, or even certain synthetic fibers can become food.
Why Silverfish Are So Destructive
Silverfish do not chew holes in wood or sting people, but they can still cause serious problems inside homes.
- They eat books, documents, and photo albums
- They damage wallpaper, drywall paper, and glue
- They destroy clothing, curtains, and upholstery
- They contaminate stored food and cardboard packaging
- They leave behind yellow stains and droppings
Because they are nocturnal, homeowners often do not realize what is happening until damage has already been done. Libraries, storage rooms, and finished basements are especially vulnerable.
Where Silverfish Hide in Maryland Homes
Silverfish prefer environments that are dark, quiet, and humid. In Maryland homes, they are most often found in:
- Bathrooms and laundry rooms
- Basements and crawlspaces
- Attics with insulation and moisture
- Kitchen cabinets and pantries
- Closets and storage rooms
- Behind baseboards and inside wall voids
If a space has moisture, paper products, and limited airflow, silverfish can survive there easily.
Signs of a Silverfish Infestation
Because silverfish are shy, fast, and avoid human activity, infestations often go unnoticed for long periods. Most homeowners only realize they have a problem after damage has already started. Unlike ants or cockroaches that move openly, silverfish hide deep in walls, cabinets, and stored belongings and come out only at night to feed.
One of the most common signs is spotting small, silvery or gray insects darting across floors, countertops, or bathroom walls after dark. If you turn on a light in a bathroom, basement, or laundry room and see something quickly scuttle for cover, it might be a silverfish.
Damage to paper products is another key warning sign. Silverfish feed on the glue in book bindings, the starch in paper, and the paste behind wallpaper. This leaves behind irregular holes, chewed edges, or rough patches on pages, cardboard boxes, and documents.
You may also notice yellow stains on wallpaper, clothing, or book covers. These stains come from silverfish droppings and digestive fluids and are often found near baseboards, inside closets, or on stored fabrics.
Even if you only see one or two silverfish, it usually means many more are living unseen inside walls, crawlspaces, or storage areas. Because they reproduce slowly but steadily and can live for years, small sightings often point to a long-standing infestation that needs professional treatment.
How Silverfish Get Into Homes
Silverfish can enter through tiny openings and often arrive inside items brought indoors. Common entry methods include:
- Cracks around doors and windows
- Foundation gaps and crawlspace vents
- Plumbing and utility penetrations
- Boxes, books, and stored items from garages or storage units
Once inside, they spread through walls and ceilings, moving freely between rooms.
Why DIY Silverfish Control Rarely Works
Many homeowners try to solve silverfish problems with sprays, traps, or home remedies. These methods may kill a few visible insects, but they do not reach the hidden nests or eggs inside walls, insulation, and storage areas.
- Sprays do not penetrate cracks and voids
- Traps only capture a small portion of the population
- Natural repellents wear off quickly
- Moisture problems remain unaddressed
- Entry points stay open
As a result, silverfish simply reappear weeks or months later.
How Silverfish Spread From Room to Room
Silverfish are surprisingly mobile inside a home. While they usually begin in damp, undisturbed areas like basements, crawlspaces, and bathrooms, they rarely stay confined to one space. These insects move through wall voids, plumbing chases, and floor gaps to reach new food sources and hiding spots.
When humidity rises in one area of the home, silverfish will migrate toward it. This is why infestations often seem to “move” from the basement into bathrooms, closets, or upstairs bedrooms. They follow moisture, warmth, and materials made from paper or fabric.
Stored items help them spread as well. Cardboard boxes, books, and clothing that are moved from a basement or garage into living areas can unknowingly transport silverfish eggs or nymphs. Once those items are placed in a new location, the infestation can establish itself again.
Because of this, treating only one room almost never works. Effective silverfish control requires treating the entire home, sealing pathways, and eliminating moisture sources so the insects have nowhere left to thrive.
How Professional Silverfish Control Works
At Brody Brothers Pest Control, silverfish infestations are handled with a complete indoor pest management approach designed for Maryland homes.
Inspection
Technicians inspect bathrooms, basements, crawlspaces, attics, and storage areas to identify moisture sources, harborage zones, and infestation levels.
Targeted Treatment
Professional products are applied to cracks, voids, baseboards, and hiding areas where silverfish live and breed. These treatments eliminate adults, nymphs, and eggs.
Moisture Control
Humidity is a key factor. Recommendations may include dehumidification, crawlspace improvements, plumbing repairs, and ventilation upgrades.
Exclusion
Entry points around windows, doors, and foundations are sealed to prevent new silverfish from entering.
Ongoing Prevention
Regular service keeps your home protected long term.
How to Prevent Silverfish From Returning
Homeowners can reduce the risk of reinfestation by:
- Using dehumidifiers in basements and bathrooms
- Fixing plumbing leaks promptly
- Storing books and papers in sealed containers
- Reducing clutter and cardboard storage
- Vacuuming baseboards and cracks regularly
- Scheduling routine pest inspections
These steps work best when combined with professional pest control.
Why Homeowners Trust Brody Brothers
Brody Brothers Pest Control serves Maryland homeowners with honest inspections, thorough treatments, and long-term solutions. We do not just eliminate visible pests. We remove the conditions that allow them to survive.
Contact Brody Brothers
If you see silverfish in your bathroom, basement, or storage areas, do not wait for the damage to spread. These paper-eating pests only get worse over time.
Contact Brody Brothers Pest Control today to schedule a professional silverfish inspection anywhere in Maryland. Our experts will identify the source, eliminate the infestation, and protect your home from future invasions.