# Silverfish -- Why do I only see their larvae, never adults? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 19, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377 "2015-03-19T12:46:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/21 "2015-03-19T23:58:20Z")
> [@SJL4041](#): > > In the name of science, my best recourse may be to simply trap the next ones I find in the bathroom and raise them in a jar and see what insect they turn into. I’ll get a mason jar and put piece of newspaper, a carpet swatch, and a doll house cabinet in there just to cover my bases, food wise. If you were 8 years old, you’d find out that they were really aliens (or fairies) in disguise. ---
**Author:** ![SJL4041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SJL4041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SJL4041)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/22 "2015-03-20T02:13:32Z")
> [@Dendarii\_Dame](#): > > If you were 8 years old, you’d find out that they were really aliens (or fairies) in disguise. Ooh, would I get to be their God? Nice! I would really struggle to decide which creatures I’d prefer the larvae to become: Alien-style acid-blooded HR Giger penis-headed nightmare xenomorphs, or silverfish. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/23 "2015-03-20T03:32:09Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ah! So those many-legged creatures [like this one](http://allcityexterminating.com/silverfish/), aren’t silverfish, then? Is “house centipede” the correct name for that? What idiot calls them silverfish? 😉 Anyway, you WANT [house centipedes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutigera_coleoptrata#Behavior_and_ecology) because they eat all of the bugs you don’t want which are smaller, slower, and dumber than them. Which is all of them. And they are kinda cute and don’t bite. Silverfish are fabulous because when you squash them all that’s left is a bit of silver glitter. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/24 "2015-03-20T03:45:41Z")
> [@SJL4041](#): > > New England. Humid in the summer, but I had hoped the recent 18 feet of snow had killed off the bugs for at least a while! No such luck. We definitely get carpet beetles in New England, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what you’re finding the lava of. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/25 "2015-03-20T16:57:43Z")
> [@SJL4041](#): > > Ooh, would I get to be their God? Nice! If you read more SF, you’d know that that basically never works out well for you. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/26 "2015-03-20T17:23:21Z")
> [@SJL4041](#): > > Here is the bug, next to a penny for scale: > > [UnidentifiedBug1 - Album on Imgur](http://imgur.com/a/kQ7yX) > > I flipped it over for the second and third pics to see what it looked like underneath. Please note, in one pic it looks like it has a long antenna, but that’s just an artifact from the poor quality. There were no protruding feelers or anything. > > Anyone have an opinion on the ID of this bug? Entomologist here. Definitely a dermestid beetle (i.e. “carpet beetle”) larva. [Here is a link to UC Extension](http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7436.html) detailing biology and control methods. Diatomaceous earth can sometimes work as well. As noted above, immature silverfish look just like adult silverfish, only smaller. ---
**Author:** ![SJL4041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SJL4041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SJL4041)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/27 "2015-03-20T18:05:43Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Entomologist here. > > Definitely a dermestid beetle (i.e. “carpet beetle”) larva. > > [Here is a link to UC Extension](http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7436.html) detailing biology and control methods. Diatomaceous earth can sometimes work as well. > > As noted above, immature silverfish look just like adult silverfish, only smaller. Whoa, an expert answer! A million thanks, **mozchron**. I guess that answers the question in the thread title; I’m not seeing the adults because they aren’t silverfish at all. I’m just relieved that I’m not going to open a storage closet one day and come across some sort of writhing mass infestation of silverfish. I guess it’s time to do some close inspection of my carpets and floor boards and yes, get that diatomaceous earth. Thanks to everyone for relieving insect anxiety! ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/28 "2015-03-20T18:40:40Z")
> [@SJL4041](#): > > Ooh, would I get to be their God? Nice! > > I would really struggle to decide which creatures I’d prefer the larvae to become: Alien-style acid-blooded HR Giger penis-headed nightmare xenomorphs, or silverfish. Well, the Alien-style acid-blooded HR Giger penis-headed nightmare xenomorphs probably wouldn’t be interested in your books, so they got that going for them. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/29 "2015-03-20T22:07:21Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > What idiot calls them silverfish? 😉 That’s what I’ve heard them called around here. > [@](#): > > Anyway, you WANT house centipedes because they eat all of the bugs you don’t want which are smaller, slower, and dumber than them. Which is all of them. And they are kinda cute and don’t bite. Good god, they’re ugly. I leave spiders alone but house centipedes? _shiver_ ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/30 "2015-03-20T23:34:38Z")
I grew up with silverfish in the bathroom. As far as I could tell, they never caused any problems, unless you were squeamish seeing one in the bathtub or something. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/31 "2015-03-20T23:34:55Z")
Yeah, you SW Siders would. Except my wife is from Gage Park and NEVER would make that mistake. But she likes bugs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/32 "2015-03-20T23:56:37Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Yeah, you SW Siders would. Except my wife is from Gage Park and NEVER would make that mistake. But she likes bugs. 🙂 Your wife is from the neighborhood next door to me (or close enough). I actually don’t know where I first heard “silverfish.” I can’t for certain say it’s the predominant word around here, but that is what I know it as. I should do a poll of fellow neighborhood residents and see if this is some foreign influence, or whether it is the indigenous word. ---
**Author:** ![SJL4041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@SJL4041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SJL4041)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/33 "2015-03-21T00:54:13Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Well, the Alien-style acid-blooded HR Giger penis-headed nightmare xenomorphs probably wouldn’t be interested in your books, so they got that going for them. What about my Alan Dean Foster collection?!? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/34 "2015-03-21T02:28:15Z")
> [@mozchron](#): > > Entomologist here. > > Definitely a dermestid beetle (i.e. “carpet beetle”) larva. > > [Here is a link to UC Extension](http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7436.html) detailing biology and control methods. Diatomaceous earth can sometimes work as well. > > As noted above, immature silverfish look just like adult silverfish, only smaller. Oh, you’re an entomologist? Cool! There’s an entomology-related question I’ve been meaning to ask. It’s not really relevant to the silverfish/dermestid beetle question, but I thought I’d grab you as long as you’re here. I recently heard tell that it is doubtful that domestic cockroaches have the capacity to feel pain. Is there any way that they could be genetically modified so that they _could_? I’d kind of like to replace the ones in my apartment so they can learn to dread my approach, and eventually decide to move out. ---
**Author:** ![mozchron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mozchron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mozchron)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377/35 "2015-03-23T18:30:51Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Oh, you’re an entomologist? Cool! > > There’s an entomology-related question I’ve been meaning to ask. It’s not really relevant to the silverfish/dermestid beetle question, but I thought I’d grab you as long as you’re here. > > I recently heard tell that it is doubtful that domestic cockroaches have the capacity to feel pain. Is there any way that they could be genetically modified so that they _could_? I’d kind of like to replace the ones in my apartment so they can learn to dread my approach, and eventually decide to move out. Heh. out of my area of expertise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silverfish-why-do-i-only-see-their-larvae-never-adults/715377.md?page=1)