Continued
In spite of their antiquity, silverfish have succeeded in exploiting the new opportunities created by man. In southern Europe and in parts of Asia they live out in the open, under stones and in crevices, but elsewhere they are almost exclusively associated with human habitations - house, stables, outhouses and so on. Most people must have seen these small silvery insects run to shelter in the evening when the light is turned on in the kitchen, or may have found them in the bath or wash basin. They do not, as many believe, come up the drainpipe, but become trapped after sliding down the walls of the bath whilst searching for food during the night. They are particularly prevalent in kitchens and bathrooms for they require a high humidity or access to water.

Silverfish are pleasant animals which are easy to keep in captivity and they live for quite a long time, sometimes over 5 years. On the other hand they are not very prolific. Silverfish thrive on the tinniest scraps of food, they prefer starchy food but are quite able to digest cellulose, they also eat the dead members of their own kind.

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