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In the Garden and in Your House! : Four Lined Silverfish

-(Ctenolepisma lineata)

The Four Lined Silverfish is the only species of pest-Silverfish that is found outside and inside the home. They are found throughout the house in basements, wall-voids, and attics, where they are seen in particularly large numbers (especially in houses with wooden shingles).

For more details about the Four Lined Silverfish:

• Diet and Habitat
• Identification

Diet and Habitat

When living indoors the diet is similar to the Common or the Giant Gray Silverfish (starchy foods, paste in wallpaper and books, etc.).

They have also been known to reside in garages (whether or not the garage is attached to the house), and in the mulch of flower beds or gardens around the foundation of a house. In their outdoor habitat the Four Lined typically resides in damp places like under rocks where they subsist on lichens.

A subspecies (Ctenolepisma pilifera) has been encountered entering rural homes in California.

The range of the Four Lined Silverfish is similar to the Common and the Gray with habitats in the eastern US, as far south as Georgia and Arkansas, and also in California.

Safely and effectively get rid of the Four Lined Silverfish in your home with EcoSMART Home Pest Control.

Identification

The average length for an adult is around 5/8 of an inch, and the scales are marked with 4 brown lines that run the length of the abdomen.

The Four Lined Silverfish is noticeably less shiny and more stout than the Common or the Gray, and all 3 styli are considerably longer.

The young are light brown, and often tinged with pink until the fourth molt (approximately a month after hatching).

They’re often confused with Firebrats and Jumping Bristletails.