Question: Please Help! My husband and i just moved into an apartment
complex in west michigan. We are on the ground floor- the complex is quite
old- maybe 25 years or more. i have seen 3 of these little creatures and
mabe you can tell me what they are. Very small-about a 1/2 inch- silver
color, looks like a fish with legs and very fast. Maybe a larvae for
something else. ooooo, so gross. they seem slippery too. Never have seen
anything like it before. I saw one in kitchen, then bathroon, then my
daughters bed. Help! Thanks. Melissa
ANSWER Probably what you have seen are silverfish.
The household silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) is found only in houses and rarely in natural settings. It gets into houses in packaging material, furniture, and perhaps stored clothing. Silverfish can live in a variety of places, including kitchens, bathroom, basements, and in attics. They feed on starchy material, but can usually find food wherever they are in the house.
They can damage stored items - especially books and paper. They can be a nuisance and annoy people by their presence. They aren't known to carry any disease organisms, they don't bite, and generally stay out of the way.
Household silverfish are difficult to control. You can try spraying aerosol insecticide behind baseboards in the area that you have seen them, and use sticky traps (such as those for cockroaches) in these locations. Spraying outside on the foundation might be a barrier to other silverfish from moving inside.
