Homeowners are being warned over a tiny and seemingly harmless insect that may be spotted in their houses or apartments.
The tiny creatures themselves don't cause any damage, but they could be a sign of something more serious, and the issue may prove very expensive to fix.
Silverfish are strange, shiny silver (hence the name) insects shaped almost like a teardrop - and you might shed a tear if you find some in your home.
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The insects are harmless to humans and they themselves don't damage your house. It isn't the insects themselves that are the problem and you don't need to kill them.
The issue is that the existence of silverfish indicates that your house has damp, Yorkshire Live reports. Silverfish love damp conditions and thrive around water and moisture.
If you see one darting in or out of your skirting boards, or on gaps around windowsills, it's a pretty good sign that you have damp and that there's moisture inside your property. If left unchecked, damp can cause a whole host of issues.
It can cause bricks to crack, joists to rot, plaster to decay and mould spores to spread, destroying the very fabric of your house and the air quality too. Of course, damp can be caused by all sorts of things from leaky drainpipes to condensation, ageing damp proofing or just poor ventilation, especially around bathrooms or kitchens where a lot of water is left hanging in the air.
The cause can be hard to pin down but either way, spotting silverfish indoors can be a sign that there's damp to be sorted out.
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