Earwigs, known by their scientific name as “Forficula auricularia,” are small insects with pincers on the end of their abdomen. Earwigs are common in most places around the world and prefer to live outside, so it is possible for these insects to enter your home. If you have earwigs inside, then chances are you have some moisture problems. The good news is that there are a number of things you can do to make your house less appealing to earwigs and prevent them from living in your home.
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What Do Earwigs Look Like?
Earwig are brown or black in color and range from 1 to 2 inches long. They have pincers at the end of their abdomen, which they use to grab insects and other small animals. These pincers can also cause damage if you get too close!
Earwigs have a pointed snout, wings that cover their abdomen and antennae. You may see these creatures during the spring when they emerge from hiding places such as crawl spaces or cracks in walls. When it’s warm outside, earwigs will often come out because they’re looking for food: insects like mosquitoes and flies.
How Do Earwigs Get into Your House?
Earwigs like to hide in dark, damp places. They can get into your home through cracks in the walls, holes in the floor, or even the pet door. Earwigs are also attracted to light and food and moisture, so they may find their way inside your house if you leave a window open or let water accumulate on your floors.
How to Get Rid of Earwigs
There are a number of different ways to get rid of earwigs in your home. These include:
- Using traps
- Using pesticides, insecticides, or repellents
- Placing diatomaceous earth around the house (also known as DE)
- Boric acid dusting
- Essential oils and neem oil
- Castor oil applied at night on the outside of the house and wiped away during the day
Peppermint and lemon oils applied to cotton balls placed near entry points such as windowsills and doorways will help repel earwigs from entering your home
Get Rid of Moisture
- Keep the area dry. The best way to get rid of earwigs is to make sure they don’t have anything to stay in. If you live in a humid climate, and/or have moist areas in your house, you may want to consider investing in a dehumidifier or fan. These can help dry out the moisture that’s attracting earwigs.
- Use a humidifier and keep it on 24/7 until all signs of the bugs are gone from your home (which may take several weeks). Keeping an area of your house moist makes it ripe for an infestation by these critters—so once you see them around, start using this method immediately!
- Keep the area warm and dry—in other words: hot air is bad for earwigs because they cannot survive extreme temperatures like humans can; so if you’re having problems with infestations then try going up north where temperatures don’t get too cold during winter months!
Remove Food and Shelter Sources
You can use the following methods to remove food sources:
- Remove garbage, litter, and dead plants from around your house. Earwigs are attracted to all types of waste food, so keep these areas free of debris.
- Check your trash cans for any earwig larvae or adults that may have crawled inside. Allowing insects into your home can lead to an infestation, so take care in disposing of trash properly.
- Keep pet food covered when not in use so earwigs do not have access to it; this includes putting away leftover bird seed each day after you feed birds outside.
Seal Wall and Other Cracks
Sealing cracks and crevices can prevent access to your home by earwigs. You can find these areas using a flashlight, as earwigs will hide in dark places. Use caulk or other sealant to seal cracks and crevices, such as around windows, doors, pipes and vents. Apply the sealant with a caulking gun so it’s more durable than if you use only your fingers to apply it.
Put Away Firewood
One of the best ways to avoid earwigs is by not letting them in. If you have firewood, be sure to store it far from your home and off the ground. You should also remove any dead leaves and other debris from around your house so that earwigs and other insects cannot hide there. Finally, keep an eye on your firewood so you can pull it indoors before nightfall—if you’re storing any outside at all!
Earwig nests are typically found under rocks or logs near woodpiles or other similar areas where they can find shelter (the dark crevices between rocks make perfect hiding spots). The best way to prevent these pests from getting into your home is by keeping them out altogether with careful planning:
Turn off Lights at Night
The first step to eliminating your earwig infestation is to turn off the lights at night. This will prevent them from getting into your house in the first place, so it’s important that you do this as soon as possible.
You should also turn off lights when you leave a room for any reason. If you have a lamp with an on/off switch, make sure it’s set to off whenever you’re not using the room or before going to bed at night so that there aren’t any bugs around when they come out of hiding during their hunting hours (which are usually between 4-12 AM).
If possible, try turning off all unnecessary light sources and making only one room fully lit at night—this way there won’t be anywhere else for earwigs to go besides where they were directed by their pheromone trails.
Earwigs are a nuisance but you can use the above tips to get rid of them.
Earwigs can be a bit of a nuisance, but they’re not hard to get rid of. Follow the tips above and you’ll be able to keep your house free of earwig infestations in no time.
Conclusion
Earwigs are not the most pleasant of insects to find around your house, but they aren’t dangerous, either. Still, you don’t want them in your home. Use the above tips to keep it just that – a home for you and your family.
