# I hate you, silverfish. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 18, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846 "2008-04-18T04:38:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/61 "2008-04-19T02:34:11Z")
[QUOTE=Elza B] Personally, I would get the brand called “DIE, YOU LITTLE FUCKERS, DIE!”. If there’s not one called that, there should be. [/quote] Hmmm. I sense a marketing opportunity here. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/62 "2008-04-19T10:32:37Z")
I loved you in that shaky cam monster movie earlier this year! Autograph? ---
**Author:** ![Walpurgis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Walpurgis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walpurgis)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/63 "2008-04-19T14:40:46Z")
[QUOTE=Freddy the Pig] You don’t say–you can actually go in and ask for silverfish poison? Do you have any brand names to recommend? [/QUOTE] Sorry! I should have put a caveat in there that I don’t live in the U.S, so I’m afraid I can’t give you any pointers as for brands. From what I understand though it’s not an uncommon method, and it works well against ants and other creepy-crawlies too. You should be able to find something like it. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/64 "2008-04-19T22:10:20Z")
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too hard on the humble silverfish. After all, it inspired what may be the greatest **Cecil Adams** quote of all time: > [@](#): > > Like undergraduates at the University of Chicago, the silverfish may come by his intellectual predilections as the consequence of an unhappy sex life. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/65 "2008-04-19T23:15:04Z")
Allow me the egocentric joy of noting that this is my longest thread ever. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/66 "2008-04-20T02:27:13Z")
[QUOTE=gallows fodder] Oh, gross. I can imagine that trying to burrow inside my leg. … [/QUOTE] My brother had a mole cricket try to burrow into his leg when he was kneeling on the lawn working on a car or something. He didn’t realize until he stood up. I still get a little nauseous when I think about that. I also hate silverfish with a fiery passion. They keep eating my precious books. I found some silverfish bait but I haven’t noticed a significant improvement yet. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/67 "2008-04-20T04:06:27Z")
[QUOTE=Wile E] I also hate silverfish with a fiery passion. They keep eating my precious books. I found some silverfish bait but I haven’t noticed a significant improvement yet. [/QUOTE] What’s silverfish bait? _Atlas Shrugged_? ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/68 "2008-04-20T06:43:34Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] What’s silverfish bait? _Atlas Shrugged_? [/QUOTE] Wouldn’t that just make them bloated and full of gas? ---
**Author:** ![Br\_er\_Lapin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Br\_er\_Lapin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Br_er_Lapin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/69 "2008-04-20T09:54:14Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] No, the very worst thing in the world is whatever woke me up one night BECAUSE IT WAS SCRATCHING AT THE INSIDE OF MY EAR!1!1! [/QUOTE] Oh my God this is hands down the most horrifying thing I have EVER read IN my LIFE it scared the punctuation clear out of me seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/70 "2008-04-20T16:40:37Z")
[QUOTE=Kyla] House centipedes are the worst things in the world. [/QUOTE] You know what? I’ve totally gotten used to them – to the point where I’m kind of fond of them. They’re part of the ecosystem in my house. I know they’re theoretically venomous, but it’s not as if they’re running up my pant leg to get me. On the contrary – they’re on patrol in the basement, eating up brown recluse spiders as fast as they can. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/71 "2008-04-20T19:28:56Z")
Here’s yet another reason I’m glad to live at 10,000 feet, away from all those CREEPY BUGS! The most we get are spring bumble-flies (you know, those really big ones that move so slow you can easily smoosh them), and stray summer mosquitoes. I haven’t dared click on any of the picture links. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/72 "2008-04-21T00:33:09Z")
[QUOTE=NDP] Wouldn’t that just make them bloated and full of gas? [/QUOTE] That’s just what you want, slow them down and make them easier to squish. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/73 "2008-04-21T20:11:24Z")
Silverfish, centipedes, millipedes, are all horrible, horrible creatures. I believe the more legs something has, the more it should die. 2 legs good, and all that. Thankfully the worst we seem to get in our house are spiders, and they are usually just teetering on the brink of ok-I-can-deal-with-this size, and number of legs. Usually once a year I find the mother of them all and have to call in reinforcements. I am trying to teach my 3 year old that catching spiders for mommy and taking them outside is fun, so that I just have another person to do it when my husband is not around. Or, he can kill them, his call. Bugs in general are fine, as long as they are not inside my house, where they could get on me. At least when I am outside I am in nature and prepared to deal with them as I am in their habitat. Inside, I let my guard down and I feel they take advantage of that. Big ass bugs are the number one reason I will never move to the south. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/74 "2008-04-21T21:35:27Z")
[QUOTE=Velma] I believe the more legs something has, the more it should die. [/QUOTE] No. Pillbugs are cute. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/75 "2008-04-21T22:38:16Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] No. Pillbugs are cute. [/QUOTE] Y’know what? I’ll agree with that. They pass my test of ‘would I let them crawl on me?’ Not even butterflies do that (it happened once, I got the ‘ARGH! BUG! GET IT OFF!’ reaction) Caterpillars are okay too. (Yes, I see the contradiction. I don’t care.) However, if I ever see one of either of them wider than half an inch, all bets are off. It’s the way bug legs _move_. It’s not right. Centi- and millipedes are unearthly too, but not quite as bad. Until they get big (those snake sized ones? Kill them. Kill them with fire. Then burn the ashes.) And yes, lobster, crabs, and shrimp count as bugs too. Yummy bugs, but I don’t want to see them. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/76 "2008-04-21T22:48:32Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre] Millipedes, especially if you get the big, juicy native ones, can make pretty good pets. They’re harmless herbivores. [/QUOTE] “Herbivore,” of course, is Latin for “leaver of stinky brown shit in the hand.” ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/77 "2008-04-21T22:48:50Z")
[QUOTE=Silver Tyger Girl] Centi- and millipedes are unearthly too, but not quite as bad. Until they get big (those snake sized ones? Kill them. Kill them with fire. Then burn the ashes.) [/QUOTE] [Obligatory link](http://www.mokihana.com/big%20centipede.jpg) for these threads. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/78 "2008-04-21T23:04:22Z")
[QUOTE=teela brown] [Obligatory link](http://www.mokihana.com/big%20centipede.jpg) for these threads. [/QUOTE] Scale in yards. ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/79 "2008-04-23T02:16:09Z")
[QUOTE=Queen Bruin] I see your silverfish and centipedes and raise you a [Potatobug](http://postthatpic.com/files/2205/IMG_0566.JPG), aka the [Jerusalem Cricket](http://www.angelfire.com/oh3/elytraandantenna/USInsects/images/Sfuscus.jpg), aka [niño de la tierra](http://www.stanford.edu/~siegelr/dish/potatobug11-23-06.jpg). Sweet dreams. [/QUOTE] You forgot [vinegaroons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinegaroon). I keeps me a big ol’ giant can of Bug Nuke. And I make my husband spray around the whole house on the outside. DIE YOU BASTARDS, DIE!!! ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846/80 "2008-04-23T14:57:58Z")
[QUOTE=gallows fodder] What about [camel crickets](http://pest.ca.uky.edu/EXT/master_gardener/entbasics/orthoptera/Camelcrk.jpg)? That’s not a very good picture – the ones I’ve seen have bodies about the size of half-dollars and look like spiders with too many legs. Brutally ugly. Allegedly harmless, but since they are big and crunchy and can jump waist-high and send me leaping onto my kitchen counter in terror, I’d like them to be eradicated from the globe post haste. [/QUOTE] There was an infestation of those in my dad’s basement about fifteen years ago. Then a toad from outside moved in. Haven’t seen a camel cricket since. [QUOTE=Mangetout] I’m hoping the radiation from the monitor and the stray toxins from the printer will mutate them to the size of horses. When the revolution comes, I will rise and conquer, charging forth on my loyal, silvery steed. [/QUOTE] This made me guffaw. I hate silverfish but that image is absolutely hilarious. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-you-silverfish/445846.md?page=5)