Low relative humidities may reduce population growth or eliminate silverfish. In heated buildings, only food availability limits silverfish populations, and their numbers vary little throughout the year. Silverfish may enter buildings by way of boxes, books, or other materials carried inside. Thysanurans are primarily important as archival pests although they may infest foodstuffs. Individuals are long-lived and reproduction rate is moderate, so populations grow slowly.
Large populations can cause severe damage to paper and paper products.
Book bindings will show minute scrapings. The sizing of paper will be removed in irregular fashion, and the edges of paper will appear notched. In cases of high populations irregular holes will be eaten directly through paper. Other signs of feeding include feces, scales, and small yellow stains. In addition the feeding activities of silverfish can be observed by coating a piece of paper with a thin layer of flour paste and placing it in an area suspected of harboring silverfish.