Why Do Silverfish Eat Clothes?
WouterIf you haven’t heard of silverfish before, you may wonder why they eat clothes. They are tiny, wingless insects that are commonly found in damp and dark areas of your home. The best way to avoid getting these critters in your home is to keep your place clean and dry.
One of the easiest ways to keep your clothes free of silverfish is to wash them regularly. You can also make sure that you don’t keep your laundry in a damp basket. This is because dirty clothing can easily attract these bugs.
Silverfish are omnivores that eat a wide variety of foods. Their preferred food sources include protein and carbohydrates. It’s not uncommon to find them nibbling on fabrics, books, wallpaper, and even carpet fibers.
Although silverfish can damage a lot of things in your home, they aren’t dangerous. In fact, they are important decomposers. These small, gray creatures are solitary, flat-bodied insects that have three thin tails at the tip of their abdomen.
Silverfish are attracted to various sources of carbohydrates and starch. These include coffee, sugar, sticky substances, and even glue. When they see this, they will extract it and use it as their food source.
In addition, the starch and sugar in clothes can attract these insects. Generally, the more starch and sugar there is in a piece of clothing, the more likely it is that it will attract silverfish.
Another good way to prevent these bugs from making a meal of your clothes is to move them to an area of your home that they can’t get into. You should also consider sealing off any holes or crevices that they can access.
