What do Wild Silverfish Eat? Silverfish are famous for eating wallpaper paste. ![enter image description here]( The paste is made of starch mixed with water. Wikipedia says silverfish love starch > They consume matter that contains polysaccharides, such as starches and dextrin in adhesives.[4] These include book bindings, carpet, clothing, coffee, dandruff, glue, hair, some paints, paper, photos, plaster, and sugar. But all of these are artificial substances. I wonder what do they eat in the wild? I suspected they eat wood but a cursory search suggests they do not. Or maybe the articles I found are talking about them not eating wooden furniture. Perhaps they prefer to eat damp wood such as rotting logs in the wild. Most of the obvious info on Silverfish is about what they do inside your house, rather than in the wild. Does anyone know what they eat in the wild?

Silverfish are **shredders**. Shredders are...

> ...responsible for processing coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM). CPOM is greater than 1 mm in size and typically derived from allochthonous sources, such as **woody debris** , **leaves** , and other **vegetation** [..].

Their **diet** includes sources of starch and protein, including grains, vegetables, fibers, sugars and fabrics. Silverfish can actually digest cellulose, a feat not shared by many animals. They are able to do so thanks to cellulase activity in microorganisms that live in their gut (Lasker & Giese, 1957).

**Reference**
**-** Lasker & Giese, _J Exp Biol_ (1957) **33** (3): 54–553