Fire Your Firebrats! : Firebrat Insect Information
July 15th, 2009 Posted in Pantry & Linen Pests, Silverfish & Firebrats
-(Thermobia domestica)
The Firebrat shares many characteristics with the Silverfish, and they are often confused. Click here for information concerning Silverfish Identification.
For more details about Firebrats:
Appearance
The Firebrat body type is very similar, sporting a scaled body, two front antennae, and three filament-like appendages stemming from the tip of the abdomen. It also sports setal combs protruding from between its scales and is only active nocturnally or in perpetually dark places.
The Firebrat appears more stout, with a relatively broad-tipped abdomen that is often shorter than the thorax, giving the insect a chunky appearance.
Life Span
In an average lifespan of 2-3 years, adults reach an average length of .5 in. with an elongated, yellowish body sporting dark bands crossing the body laterally. The dorsal surface is typically mottled with gray, white, brown, and/or black specks.
Habitat and Diet
The Firebrat prefers and will only reproduce at temperatures exceeding 90 degrees F, but enjoys similar humidity levels as the Silverfish. Therefore, they are commonly found in bakeries or near boilers, furnaces, steam-pipe tunnels, partitions of walls in water-heater rooms, etc.
The Firebrat prefers a diet high in starches and generally causes damage to the same areas of the household as the Silverfish (clothing, books, wallpaper, food stores, etc.) and can also survive long periods of starvation (up to 1 year). Like the 4-Lined Silverfish, the Firebrat is also commonly found outside under rocks or in leaf litter.
At 1.5-4.5 months, females lay eggs in batches of up to 50, and may lay up to 195 in a lifetime. Hatching after 12-13 days of incubation, nymphs molt at least 12 times before reaching maturity, which takes only 2-4 months. Therefore, several generations can be born in one year (biotic potential of one female=9050 offspring).
Adults molt of up to 50 times and can regenerate lost appendages over time.
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6 Comments | The First 1,000 to Comment (Starting 12/21/2009) Will Become EcoSMART Product Testers!
By Tae Chang on Aug 18, 2009
I have firebrats in my home and I need to get rid of them organically since I have 2 children ages 20 mos and 2 mos. I am seeing them in my bathroom and only once every few days but don’t want the problem to spread.
By dyanne churchill on Oct 26, 2009
i need help with silverfish,they are in the bathroom I found one in my bed the other night I almost fainted !!!!
By lea benites on Nov 24, 2009
Occasionally I will find a silverfish in both restrooms of my home. My concern is that is if I only see them in the restrooms they are sure to be more throughout my house. I do not want this to become a problem so I would like to rid this pest before they become a huge problem.
By Maronda Blankenship on Jul 8, 2010
There is nothing more annoying and scary if your like me and hate creepy crawly things then these creatures. I hate them with a passion, and I have been spraying everything to get rid of them. In fact my family has named me “chemical girl” due to the fact that I have tryed everything. Please help me lose my new nickname, and the bugs!
By John Hite on Dec 17, 2010
I have been tole that I have Firebrats in my home. These bugs are in my attic and down stairs walls. Also they come out in the bathrooms during the summer. I need somthing that is a nonevasive chemical to get rid of them and not make my houshold sick.