Word: silverfish
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...termite and the brown dog tick are among the most menacing-their population is growing rapidly. But even in modern, skyscraping Manhattan, man's worst insect enemies are still the ancient, hardy foes against which he has waged long and barely equal warfare-the cockroach, bedbug, ant, moth, silverfish...
Technology has been a boon to the silverfish. This swift, slithery, scaly insect, less than half an inch long, is an old inhabitant of forests, where it nests under stones and in the bark of dead trees. But it has recently migrated to the city in prodigious numbers because of its fondness for a modern product: rayon. It also likes linen, starched cotton, flour. Unlike the moth, which feeds slowly, the silverfish is a ravenous eater, can make lacework of a shirtfront in a few hours. It is also very hard to starve out ; a well-stuffed silverfish...