PEST CONTROL

Silverfish Control in Toronto, Oakville & the GTA

Silverfish and firebrats in basements, bathrooms and storage rooms

Silverfish control starts with the damp. These silvery, wingless insects hide in cracks in basements, bathrooms and storage rooms, come out at night and graze on paper, glue, starch and cotton. We find the moisture that keeps them breeding, treat the cracks where they shelter and show you what to change so they don't build back up. For homes in Toronto, Oakville and across the GTA.

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AT A GLANCE

Silverfish at a Glance

Common silverfish

Size: Adults about 13 to 19 mm, plus antennae and tails
Colour: Shiny silver to pearl grey
Body: Flat, carrot-shaped, wingless, tapering to three tails
How to tell: Two long antennae, three thin tails, a quick stop-and-go run
Active: Out at night; numbers rise and fall with moisture
Where found: Basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, closets, bookshelves
Bites or stings: No. Their weak jaws scrape, they don't bite

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Signs of Silverfish in Your House

If you’ve noticed any of these, call and a licensed technician will tell you what it points to.

Call (905) 739-7888

Silvery insects running for cover when you switch on a basement or bathroom light at night
Silverfish stuck in a sink or bathtub they can't climb out of
Paper, book bindings, wallpaper or cardboard with ragged holes, notched edges or thin, grazed patches
Yellowish stains on stored linens and other fabric
Tiny scales, shed skins and droppings on shelves and in storage boxes

IDENTIFICATION

What Silverfish Look Like

Silverfish are wingless insects with a flat, carrot-shaped body that is widest behind the head and tapers to three long, thin tails. Adults are about 13 to 19 mm long, not counting two long antennae, and are covered in fine scales that give them a shiny, silvery look. The young look the same, only smaller and whiter, and they keep moulting as they grow. They run in quick bursts, stop, then dart off again. The insect people most often mix them up with is the firebrat, which has the same shape but different colouring and lives in much hotter spots.

Silverfish vs firebrat: silverfish are an even silver and like cool, damp rooms; firebrats are mottled grey or brown and gather where it's above about 32°C, near furnaces, boilers and hot water pipes.
Young vs adult: a small, whitish silverfish is a young one of the same species, not a different pest.

TYPES

Silverfish and Firebrats in Ontario

Common silverfish
Lepisma saccharinum
Shiny and evenly silver to pearl grey, about 13 to 19 mm long, with two long antennae and three tails. Moves fast and hides as soon as a light comes on.
Where found: Cool, damp rooms: basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, under sinks, closets and bookshelves where rarely used things are stored.
Firebrat
Thermobia domestica
Same carrot shape as a silverfish, about 13 mm long, but mottled grey or brown instead of silver. Copes with much drier air than silverfish do.
Where found: Hot spots above about 32°C: around furnaces, boilers, hot water tanks, insulated heating pipes, fireplaces and hot attics.

Two other silverfish also have Ontario records: the four-lined silverfish, which is stouter and less shiny with longer tails and often dark lines along its back, and the grey or long-tailed silverfish, which lives in homes around the world. Silverfish and centipedes both turn up in damp basements: see house centipede control.

OUR APPROACH

How We Treat Silverfish

Step 1
Find the Moisture
Silverfish do best at roughly 75 to 95 percent relative humidity, so the first job is finding what keeps a room that damp: a bathroom without a working fan, a humid basement, condensation on cold pipes or a slow leak. Treating the insects without fixing the damp only buys time.
Step 2
Treat Where They Hide
Silverfish spend the day in cracks and narrow gaps and lay their eggs there, so treatment goes into those spots: along baseboards, around water and heating pipes, in closets and storage areas, and in the attic if that's where they are. We don't spray near food.
Step 3
Dry Out and Store Right
We go over what keeps them from building back up: running a dehumidifier or fan, fixing leaks, clearing out old cardboard, newspapers and magazines, and moving books, papers and stored fabric into dry, sealed plastic containers. Those things are both their food and what ends up damaged.

BITES AND STINGS

Do Silverfish Bite?

No. Silverfish don't bite people and they don't sting. Their jaws are weak: they feed by scraping at the surface of paper, glue and starch rather than biting into it. Extension services describe them as harmless to people, and they are not linked to spreading any disease. The trouble they cause is to your things, not to you.

RISKS AND DAMAGE

What Damage Can Silverfish Cause?

Silverfish are mostly a nuisance, but given time they damage paper and fabric. They go after starch, sugar and protein: the glue in book bindings, wallpaper paste, paper, photographs, starch in clothing, cotton, linen, silk and rayon, plus dry food such as flour, cereal, pasta, pet food and dried meat. Because they scrape off thin layers, badly damaged paper turns thin, almost like tissue, with ragged holes. They also leave scales, droppings and yellowish stains on fabric, and both silverfish and firebrats can contaminate food.

Books, files, photos and anything stored in cardboard
Wallpaper, especially where it is loose and the paste is exposed
Starched or stored cotton, linen, silk and rayon
Open packages of flour, cereal, pasta and pet food

A few silverfish are a sign of damp, not an emergency; damage to stored books, papers or clothes, or silverfish in several rooms, is the point to have it looked at.

CAUSES

Why You Have Silverfish

Silverfish settle where three things meet: damp air, starchy food and quiet places to hide. They often arrive in boxes, books, papers, furniture or food packages that sat in a damp storage space, and they can walk in from outdoors, where they live under rocks, bark and leaf litter. New homes can get them from lumber and wallboard. Once inside they move through the building looking for food, then stay close to what they find.

What Draws Them In

Humid basements, bathrooms and laundry rooms
Leaky pipes, dripping taps and condensation
Old cardboard boxes, newspapers and magazines
Books, papers and stored clothes left undisturbed
Loose wallpaper
Dry food in open packages

How They Get In

Boxes from a damp basement, garage or storage locker
Used books, papers and furniture
Food containers and packages
Lumber and wallboard in new construction
Cracks and gaps from outside

HABITS

Life Cycle and Habits

Habitat

Indoors, common silverfish stick to cool, damp spots at about 21 to 27°C and 75 to 95 percent relative humidity: basements, bathrooms, laundry rooms, under sinks, closets and bookcases. Firebrats want it hotter, above about 32°C, so they gather near furnaces, boilers, hot water tanks and heating pipes. Outdoors, silverfish live under rocks, bark and leaf litter and in the nests of birds and mammals.

Diet

Mainly starch, sugar and protein: glue, paste, paper, book bindings, photographs, starched clothing, cotton and linen, plus flour, cereal, pasta, pet food and dried meat. They can go several months without eating, so clearing away food alone won't get rid of them quickly.

Life Cycle

A female lays about 100 eggs over her life, tucked into cracks and other narrow gaps. Silverfish eggs hatch in about three to six weeks, firebrat eggs in about 14 days. The young look like small, whitish adults. They take anywhere from three months to two years to mature, moult 45 to 60 times over their lives, and can live for years: about three years by one estimate, two to eight by another. That slow pace is why an infestation takes a long time to build up.

Seasonal Behaviour in Ontario

Indoors, moisture is what drives silverfish numbers: any change that dries a room out cuts them down. Firebrats follow the heat instead, gathering in hot attics in summer and around furnaces, fireplaces and heating pipes in winter. Both hide by day and come out at night to look for food and water, which is why most people only see one when they turn on a bathroom or basement light.

PREVENTION

How to Keep Silverfish Out

Run a dehumidifier in a damp basement and use fans to dry out bathrooms and laundry rooms.
Fix leaking pipes and dripping taps, and deal with condensation on cold water lines.
Ventilate closed rooms, crawlspaces and attics so damp air doesn't sit.
Throw out old cardboard boxes, newspapers and magazines you don't need.
Store books, papers, photos and fabric in dry, airtight plastic containers instead of cardboard.
Keep flour, cereal, pasta and pet food in containers with tight lids.
Vacuum lint out of cracks and along baseboards, then caulk cracks in walls and trim.
Glue down or remove loose wallpaper.
Check boxes and used books that come from a damp basement or storage unit before bringing them into the house.

How to Get Rid of Silverfish: DIY or a Professional?

A small number of silverfish is a fair DIY job. Dry the room out first, since anything that lowers moisture lowers their numbers. Clear clutter and vacuum, then set sticky traps, or a small glass jar wrapped in masking tape that they can climb into but not out of, to see where they're concentrated. Small infested items can be sealed in plastic and frozen at -20°C for a week, then left a day to warm up before you open them. Most homes don't need an insecticide; if you use one, pick a product with a PCP number and follow the label exactly. Call a professional when silverfish keep turning up in several rooms after the damp is fixed, or when stored papers, books or clothes are being damaged.

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Inspection first, then targeted treatment with registered products used as the label directs. Your technician will advise on any precautions.

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Reviews

What GTA customers say

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Sting Out Pest Control helped me get rid of a pretty bad crawling insect problem in my office. They were friendly, easy to deal with, and explained everything clearly from the start. Instead of just spraying and leaving, they came up with a treatment plan that used different methods to get the problem under control. Over time, the infestation was completely gone. I now have them come by once a month for maintenance, and if anything small comes up, they take care of it right away before it becomes a bigger issue. It's been a great experience, and I have peace of mind knowing my office is protected. I would definitely recommend Sting Out Pest Control to anyone needing a reliable pest control company.

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COMMON QUESTIONS

Silverfish Control: Questions We Get

How do I get rid of silverfish in the bathroom?

Dry the bathroom out. Run the exhaust fan or a dehumidifier, fix leaks around the tub, sink and toilet, and caulk gaps along the tub and baseboards where they hide. Remove damp towels, cardboard and paper stored in the room. The ones you find in the tub got stuck there: silverfish can't climb smooth surfaces, so rinse them away. Sticky traps along the walls show whether numbers are dropping.

Do silverfish come up through the drain?

No. It looks that way because they turn up in sinks and bathtubs, but they wander in at night looking for water and can't climb back up the smooth sides. Extension entomologists are clear that they don't come up out of drains. Finding them there is a sign the bathroom is damp enough for them, so start with the fan and any leaks.

Will a dehumidifier get rid of silverfish?

It helps, because silverfish need very damp air, around 75 to 95 percent relative humidity, and anything that lowers moisture cuts their numbers. It works slowly on its own, though. They can live for months without food and for years as adults, so an established group fades over time rather than overnight. Pair the dehumidifier with fixing leaks, clearing cardboard and clutter, and treating the cracks where they hide.

Are silverfish a sign of a bigger problem?

They are a sign of damp. Silverfish go where the humidity is high, so a steady population usually points to a leak, condensation on pipes, a bathroom fan that doesn't vent or a basement that needs a dehumidifier. If you see firebrats instead, look at hot, closed spaces around the furnace, boiler or hot water tank.

How long do silverfish live?

Several years. Estimates range from about two to eight, and they take three months to two years to reach adult size. A female lays about 100 eggs over her life. Because they live so long and can go months without eating, a population can hang on for a long time in a damp basement unless the conditions change.

Sources

Last updated October 20, 2026

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Silverfish Control Across Toronto, Oakville & the GTA

We treat silverfish in homes and businesses throughout Toronto and Southern Ontario.

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