[adelia]

adelia  asked the Naked Scientists:

Chris,
 
Have owned several properties and maintain a pretty clean household. All have had baths. Very regularly the bath has the insect we call SILVERFISH running around the bath, apparently trapped.

How do they get there?
 
With thanks
John from Greensborough , Victoria , Australia
What do you think?

[RD]

Walk / climb ? , they've got plenty of legs ...

  [ Invalid Attachment ]

http://www.sciencephoto.com

possibly fell into bath after climbing a wall.

[blakestyger]

They're bristletails and they love damp, warm places such as bathrooms and kitchens. They climb up things and then slide down into baths and basins that are too smooth for them to climb on. They do minimal damage to paper and stuff containing starch and sugars. They're fascinating, share your home and were on the planet before we were - can you learn to accept them? []

[techmind]

Sometimes the damage to paper is not-so-minimal. If you have a large book-collection, then you don't want to see too many silverfish.

[blakestyger]

True - books should be kept dry though, which is why I could never understand the pularity of those Globe-Vernica book cases with the glass fronts. Air circulation is more beneficial than keeping a bit of dust out.