Silverfish eggs are a major part of most silverfish infestation issues. Learn more about silverfish eggs and how to get rid of them.
One of the biggest problems with over-the-counter silverfish control is that it rarely addresses a key part of the infestation: silverfish eggs. This happens for a number of reasons – the ingredients aren't effective on the eggs, homeowners don't know what the eggs look like or where to find them, correct application is too difficult, silverfish lay eggs year-round, etc.
And even if you can find them and do know how to kill silverfish eggs, there can be so many of them, you can quickly become overwhelmed. Just one inseminated female can produce between 1,500 and 3,500 offspring in her lifetime. The offspring will soon be ready to dart around your home, eating your books, paperwork and other valuables.
Spotting a silverfish egg cluster
Silverfish can lay two or three groups of eggs every single day. Each of these groups contain clusters of between one and 20 eggs, depending on the species. Each silverfish egg measures about 1 millimeter in length, and is more elliptical than circular (though it isn’t quite oval-shaped). When first laid, the eggs are white and soft. After a few hours of exposure to oxygen, the eggs toughen up and turn yellow.
But don't think for a second that the eggs will be sitting out in the open, ready for easy disposal. When you think about silverfish eggs, picture them tucked away in all the little cracks and crevices in your home, because that’s where they are. Female silverfish hide their eggs to protect them from damage, and unfortunately, from your vacuum, broom and DIY pest control sprays as well.
Silverfish eggs lead to more breeding
The eggs can also be buried in dust, food or cloth, meaning you might open your kitchen or dresser drawers one day and see tiny silverfish scurrying from your family's clothes or food, running for cover. And once silverfish find a breeding area they like, they emit aggregation pheromones, signaling for all the other silverfish in your home to come and lay eggs.
This crowded gathering helps to regulate the humidity and temperature in the area, making the eggs hatch faster, healthier and more effectively. Depending on the conditions, silverfish eggs can hatch in about 19 to 32 days. The plump, white nymphs that emerge will soon start feeding and molting, until they eventually turn into adult silverfish, ready to lay thousands of silverfish eggs and turn your home into their own.
Don't let silverfish scale the walls of your home. Call Terminix®, the pest control professionalswho know how to kill silverfish eggs and any other pests that might be threatening your household, your possessions or even your health.
