No. Silverfish don’t bite, sting, or carry disease. They lack the mouthparts to break skin, and they have no interest in people. The damage they do is to your belongings, not to you.

Take away the humidity first, since they can’t survive long without it. A dehumidifier, a working bathroom fan, and repaired leaks do most of the work. From there, clear out old cardboard and paper storage, move keepsakes into sealed containers, and treat the cracks and voids where they spend the day. Store-bought traps catch individuals but won’t reach a population living inside a wall.

Paper and anything starchy. Book bindings, wallpaper paste, stored documents, photographs, cardboard, and fabric are all on the menu, with linen being a favorite. The feeding shows up as irregular chewed patches and yellowish staining rather than clean holes, which is why people often blame age or damp before they suspect an insect.

Usually from somewhere damp, either outdoors or another part of the house. They also arrive in boxes of books and papers brought in from a basement, garage, or storage unit. New construction is its own case, since fresh plaster and green lumber keep walls damp enough to support large numbers.

Longer than you’d guess. Silverfish are nocturnal; they hide during the day, and they can live several years, so a population builds slowly and quietly. By the time one turns up in the open, they’ve usually been in the walls or the storage boxes for a while.