Earwigs are nocturnal insects feeding on a wide variety of plant material, nectar and some insects. They populate areas of high moisture such as potted plants, mulch, wet welcome mats or under a variety of things that may keep them cool while providing moisture. 
Earwigs grow via ‘gradual metamorphoses, in other words the babies look like the adults. Female earwigs will lay 50 to 60 eggs either while in hibernation or early spring. Generally just one new generation per year for these guys’. Earwigs have wings but rarely fly. They are easily recognizable by the forceps which look menacing but pose no threat to you or I.
As stated earwigs feed at night and it is not uncommon to find them in your home. No real spray measures are needed for the occasional pest but sometimes outside numbers are so high that homes may get many more than desired in living areas. Since earwigs hide during the day a thorough crack and crevice treatment might be in order. Such sprays as Demand CS or Suspend SC will work nicely for baseboard hiding spots. For void areas such as where plumbing pipes are you could use Delta dust. It has some ability to hold up under moist conditions making it ideal for theses spots.
Your best bet is to alter the exterior near your home since this is where they’ll be coming from. If possible elevate potted plants, remove wet ‘welcome’ mats or alter any such thing that allows moisture to be contained under or in it. Rake mulch turning it to allow for some drying, point sprinklers away from home and regulate them so you are not over watering. In areas where it’s not possible to alter use Talstar PL granular insecticide, simply lift up the mat or pot and sprinkle the area. The same can be done in soil or mulch around the foundation of the home creating a barrier. Niban bait is also a good choice and should be used as the granules.
If you should experience a sudden influx of earwigs do a little investigation before you reach for the sprays. It may be a wet rug, a trim board on your door frame that is constantly soaked and perhaps rotting. Maybe it’s been cold so you’ve brought some plants inside. Look for the moisture source first and you’ll find your earwigs. Remove the source a maybe a touch of spray at the entry point and your problem will be solved.
There are rare occasions of mass earwig invasions and if you find this is happening to you please leave a comment with some details of your situation and I’ll see if I can help.
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{ 31 comments }
You mentioned rare occasions of mass earwig infestations…well, I’ve got one. My whole yard is full of them. I have them all over the lawn and garden (especially a few grassy flax plants that are crawling with them), my patio is covered with them and they come pouring out of my kids’ plastic play structures. I have been using an Ortho spray product around the house and patio which works a bit – leaving the ground covered with the bug carcasses…but more come the next day!!! I’m not sure what my next move is, so I’m hoping you can help. I live in Southern California in a typically dry climate and irrigate my lawn.
Matty B,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write and being very descriptive. On first read of your comment I would venture to say that the earwigs are ‘migrating’ towards your yard for the moisture. The play structures and things like that provide some safety as well as hold moisture (I’m guessing). While the Ortho treatments do work it’s unlikely it has any residule effect especially once the irragation comes on.
I would suggest baiting the yard with Niban FG as mentioned in the article and cutting back the water for a week or so. You don’t have to turn it completely off but if it is set for 3 x’s per week see if you can do just once. The earwigs should slow down tremendously and the bait will eliminate a huge section of the population. Depending on how big the play structures are, see if you can put them on their side or some way that only a few small points contact the grass. This reduction in hiding spots will help too. Use the Ortho on the patio still and near the home and this should be enough to claim back your yard. If this sounds as though it may be to much then you can call a pest control professional and have them treat the entire yard which would pretty much do it all in one fell swoop. The Niban is available at any ‘do it yourself store’ or you can find something comparable at Lowes or Home Depot probably for less.
Please let us know how you make out and if there is any other way we can help.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
pestcemetery.com
I have a BIG problem with earwigs (ewww), and a smaller problem with (for the lack of proper name) “piss” ants. I just moved into this house (last week), it was vacant for nearly a year, over the winter, in Ohio… I thought the biggest problem I would have would be with spiders. HAH! I have earwigs coming out of places I had no idea about!
This house is very old (my 87 year old grandma said it was old when she walked to school past it), it has no basement, or real crawlspace(actually cannot find outdoor access to get under the house at all), it is built directly on the ground. I am close to town, but far enough outside, I can only see a few neighbors, and cant hear any of them. I have had the misfortune of having to take up a few floorboards, for replacement, and the dirt seems very dry, under the house, and is powdery, instead of hard packed (like I think it would be, if it had been wet on and off), and for as old as the house is, the joists(original as far as I can tell, not planed smooth on either side) are in very good condition, and no termite damage, as far as I could see, so I do not think moisture is the issue.
There is also a couple out buildings, a big shed, built after the house, seems to have no moisture problem, and even the (I think it is called) root cellar, that is a small area, built into the side of the hill, lined with brick, doesn’t smell musty, and has wooden furniture from the previous owners in it, that seems fine(haven’t got to the buildings yet, just working on house and yard, for now). We don’t have a sprinkler system or anything like that either. I guess the rule of thumb was, if it cant survive without human help, it didn’t need to be there. Seems to have pretty good drainage, no puddles of water anywhere(and it has been rainy for about a month).
I find the earwigs everywhere… I killed over a dozen on my door one night, in just one killing spree, and HUNDREDS more when I cleaned the fridge. I have found one pinching bug, that was the size of my pinky (I nearly had a heart attack), and just based on the body similarities I knew they were related, before coming here(took an entomology course in college).
The ants aren’t as big of an issue as I would have thought they would be. I pretty much have that problem taken care of (dish soap lining the counters at night, and scrubbing the counters in the moring, as well as taking trash out at night).
The people that lived here before me were NASTY, I found empty beer bottles in all the cabinets, home canned food that expired in 1997(!?!?!), and the likes. There were holes from the inside out, some big enough for a raccoon to come through(I was afraid of getting bit on the butt, lol)! I have patched all of the major holes, until I can really get to them), and continue patching the small ones, as I find them. The grass was about 3 foot high too, and the plants are out of control (although beautiful), but not too close to the house. I have cut the grass, and I am working on trimming the plants back, without killing them. Would have thought roaches would be a problem too, and in this cleaning endeavor, I have found none(*crosses fingers*), so far.
I have been trying to clean the yard, when I go outside to take trash out(which is about 25 foot away from the house), and make sure there isn’t any unruly plants around the house. So far, I haven’t found any concentration of bugs in any one place on the outside or inside, they are just everywhere.
I have a few questions;
I know there are certain plants some bugs do not like (such as, plant marigolds around your roses and you won’t have aphids). I also know that there is a pesticide made from “mums”. What are the type of “mums” AND if I planted them, would they have any effect on the earwigs?
The “sidewalk” is made of stone (which looks like they made it out of stone they found while leveling the lot for the house). Would taking up this sidewalk and replacing it (with uglier cement) possibly have any effect on the bug population? Honestly, there are plies of stuff in the yard, for now, and I know removing these will help, but that is waiting until I have a guy that will come out and pick it up.
My dad told me to do 2 things, that will help keep them away (he said), once I cut the population, get a mouser (cat), and find a gardener snake and throw under the house. I don’t really have a problem with snakes, I would much rather have a few non-poisonous snakes than thousands of bugs. But would either of these things work or even help?
I am not against chemical means either, I am just waiting for the boric acid to get here (I ordered it from town, along with supplies for the house), and I was also thinking of the diatomaceous earth, but would both be over kill? I think I would actually prefer to use diatomaceous earth, because I have 3 small kids.
I have always lived in apartments with a “bug guy”, so I never had any major problem like this, although, I got 4 toads one time while leaving the door open during rain:). The bugs aren’t the beginning of my nightmare, unfortunately, but getting them under control would greatly improve my sleep
Thanks, in advance for taking time to read this, I figured the more background info on the place the better.
Sarah
Sarah,
Thank you so much for reading my article and taking the time to be descriptive. let’s see if we can make your nights a little more enjoyable.
First it sounds like you have a lot of opportunities for the earwigs to enter the home and sealing them is great but I can see that this may take along time and with older homes you might never get it 100%. So let’s get them out with what we have!
The ‘crawl’ may not provide the optimum place for moisture but the darkness alone may be enough in this case and my guess is that the space is being used for nesting sites. If possible try to get as much boric acid or DE(diamataceous earth) in under the home especially near the edges. You can also sprinkle Niban bait granules under there wherever you lift the boards. Look at my article for dusting and that should help. http://pestcemetery.com/kill-bugs-dusts/
A good dusting in the living areas will also go along way. Any void or crack big enough to ‘puff’ some dust in will be where you want to put it. Then a liquid residual spray of the base of the walls and thresholds should be fine. Nothing to expensive , any hardware store ‘rid a bug’ in a self contained ready to spray bottle will work for our purposes right now.
Outside I would use the Niban bait around the home and along the walk. You could also do DE around the house but don’t overlap the bait and realize it will wash away with the first rain or several mornings of dew. I would also try the rolled up newspaper trick listed on my other earwig article. Damp newspapers rolled up and set next to the home.
The ants probably will go away with this same treatment.
If you do not wish to get involved with all this work then I would suggest a professional. Someone who can power spray the lawn and has the tools to treat the space under the floor as well as treat inside. Karl is a frequent reader of this blog and he is in Columbus Ohio. Not sure if you two are close but here is his site.
http://www.myenvirocare.com
I’m thinking you are planning to do it yourself however since you ordered the Boric acid and that is fine. The Niban you need can be found at any do it yourself pest control store and you should pick up a duster as well. Be advised that the Niban is about $45.00 for a 5 lb bag. You may be able to get something comparable at say Lowes or Home Depot, just make sure it is a bait that has Earwigs listed as a target pest on the label. You don’t need to put a ton of it down all at once. A medium type sprinkling and they will find it.
About a week or so after your baiting put out some more and things should be better. Keep trying the news paper traps and you could even put them inside too.
As far as the cat and snake, I really don’t know. Never heard of that and I think the cat would be wanting to eat the snake.
Again thanks for being so descriptive and maybe read the other articles on earwigs I’ve written to see if there is something that may help. It’s so hard to try and put it all out in one writing.
Let us know how you do.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
I have earwigs really bad on my rhubarb. They have been eating my rhubarb and I am afraid they are going to go over to my squash. What can I do that would be safe for my vegetation? We have had a high amount of rain here in Colorado lately, but I don’t want my garden to be ruined by these pesky little creatures. Can you help?
Lisa,
Gardens are a lot of work so to have earwigs sharing in the crop is not good. Here’s a trick that you can use and see if you get results.
Take an old garden hose and cut a bunch of 8 inch sections. Wet the inside by putting them in a bucket and place them around the garden or areas where you have earwigs. The next morning fill that bucket with soapy water and go around to each hose section. Hold the hose up over the bucket and tap it. The earwigs will drop out into the soapy water and drown. You may need to do this a few days in a row. The other trick is fill empty but not rinsed tuna or cat food cans with 1/2 inch or so of cooking oil. Set those out in the garden for the same type of results. Niban bait will also work wonders and is not something that will ‘leach’ into the plant systemically. Just sprinkle it up and down the rows. They’ll find it.
Niban is available at any DIY pest control store or something similar at Lowes and Home Depot.
I hope all works out so you can enjoy some rhubarb pie this fall. Let me know how this worked or if I can help further.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Thanks for this article and your replies to the comments – this is going to help a lot, I think. I am another with a yard full of earwigs and I find them just horribly gross and want them gone. They are everywhere out there and I do not enjoy my yard at all. And this is weird so thought I’d write about it. I just opened my black, hot street-side mailbox to find it lined with earwigs. They were even crowded in under the flag! I banged on the side of the box and they fell out like rain – gives me the willies just to think about it. So, for our mailman, I cleaned that up and sprayed the ground around it. And then hit the internet to get advice.
I think your mailman will appreciate your efforts. It’s hard sometimes to understand the mind of an earwig but it sounds to me like you have more than your share. If so the mailbox may have offered at least a dark spot in which to hide which they may have been crowded out of elsewhere. I have found them in bird nests, feeders, car trunks you name it. Based on what you’ve read what is your strategy?
If it were me, I might be looking for a local bug company for help. If you are going to attempt it on your own then load up on baits such as Niban and then whack them with a residual spray a few days later. Or vice versa-just make sure to hit all the hiding spots you’ve read about.
Good Luck, Keep us posted
& Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Hello,
We too have earwigs all over our backyard. We suspect because it rained for the entirety of June and part of July, they are here to stay for the summer – and our backyard is damp and moist because it is (so we thought) nicely shaded. It puts a damper on my children playing with their backyard toys, as they hide in the slide, in the crevices of the playhouse (along with the spiders) and hang out on the picnic table. We just don’t go back there anymore. Reading above I saw mention of Niban bait, but research showed me it’s not recommended for use near children. Is there anything that would work to get rid of these pests that would also be safe for my children to be around?
Thanks,
Chris
Chris,
Been raining a lot here too and the earwigs are loving it. That is one good reason to use Niban because it is weather resistant. The other is that it is only a 5% boric acid solution. I’m not great with math so bear with me. But a pound is 16 ounces. 5% of that is the amount of the actual ingredient that is in the bag you buy from the store. So that is 0.8 ounces per pound. I guess my point is that you are really only putting out less than 1 ounce for every pound of Niban you spread out on the yard or around the foundation. The label calls for 6 ounces per hundred square feet so in reality that is not a lot of exposure. I have kids too and 1000′s of them on our routes so I’m in no way diminishing your concern–In fact I applaud it.
The label does say to keep children and pets off area until the treatment is completed but that’s about it for precautions.
If you’re still concerned you could try a bucket of soap and use a pressure washer on ‘soap’ mode. Spray the yard and this will drive them up and out but you still need to collect them and kill them.
Insecticide sprays would be a very quick way to reduce the population but the precautions are more for this method and I would recommend a professional for a full yard spray.
http://www.nisuscorp.com/pdf/products//niban40lb_label.pdf Here is a link that may help set your mind at ease. Granted it is from the company itself but there is a pdf of the actual label and that is something that is Federally governed.
Man, I can turn a quick question into a book, can’t I. Good thing I found this blog business when I did so I could release all this stuff in my brain.
Chris, let me know if I helped at all and feel free to ask or voice any other concern. I’d love to help you get rid of your earwigs and if you don’t feel comfortable with using the baits we’ll find another way. I’m here for you.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
we moved into our home last year and now when it got cold .they started upto 30 in a two hour period…in kitchen,bathroom,laundry,living room and such were invaded,,,,,,i have used tottal kill all over the base boards. and all around the kitchen were most of them are…all the doors and windows are sealed good outside i used tottal kill granuals with no aval…..some help but going nuts,,,,,we live in south carolina,,,,,greenville…ive checked my plants i brought in from outside with roughing up the dirt and looking but cant find any,,,,plus i sealed around pipe,toilets and such with caulk,,,,and used granuals under stove and stuff to help….but wow here they come again…………….. is it true thier in the roach famely???? ive never had them and am mortified if they are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i do have small kids and a boxer dog that eats everything!! so what can i do? how do i find the nest??? and wear? any idea’s thanks so much kenneth
Kenneth,
The plants you brought in may be the answer because earwigs will burrow pretty deep to escape the cold. Perhaps a plastic bag tied around the bottom will reveal your answer. ie; if any are in the bag after a night or 2 you’ll know the plant is hiding some. Earwigs are not a roach so don’t worry. It sounds like you’ve done well with your efforts so more spray may not be the answer. Try the newspaper trick or other traps described in the comments above. In the pest control world there is always a common denominator and just from what you said the plants are the prime suspect.
I hope this helps & do not hesitate to contact me for further help.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
I had a friend who had an earwig climb in her ear (no pun intended) and rupture her ear drum. She is now deathly afraid of them and it kind of scares me too.
That would scare anybody if it happened to them or someone close to you. I have a customer that had a roach go in her ear years ago and she sleeps with cotton in her ears to this day. It is kinda rare though so don’t worry to much.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
I have lived in my home for 20 years, it is kind of old, and there is a huge crack running along the entire wall of the laundry room which is downstairs, to paint a clearer picture there is a crack (about a pencil’s width) down one entire side of my house (in the basement) and half of the wall next to it. There is also a drain, which is a big gaping hole pretty much, in the laundry room, also my father finished the basement (well, half of it) and there are a LOT of gaps and cracks between things as well as a leaky pipe in the landry room. Furthermore, all of the windows are a little drafty because of gaps, same thing for both the front and back door, my mail slot is not sealed, there is a dog house which is surrounded by constantly soaked mulch, and also a pile of mulch next to the backdoor/ the mail slot.
I have never had a problem with anything but spiders every now and then, but now i have earwigs and centipedes in the basement only, i have never seen them upstairs. The only things that changed over winter/ spring is that i brought in an old couch and chair set from an elderly couples’ home, and also i have a potted Easter Lilly plant which is the only potted plant in the house, or has ever been in the house.
I am at my wits end with these earwigs, i can’t sleep in my room anymore, which happens to be in the basement. I called the Terminex guy to come and spray tomorrow, but i am afraid that it won’t be enough because of everything that is wrong with my house. I just don’t understand why i am getting these bugs all of a sudden.
Sorry it seems like i wrote a book here, but i want my house back!
Chelsea,
Everything you described is perfect for the earwig. I can only guess that they were happy outside for the longest time but as the population grew they had to get on the move for food and a place to live. There are tons of things you can do as home remedies and a lot are brought up in the comment section of my other earwig articles. Just click the topic tab and go to the earwig topic and peruse the different posts. You should be able to pick up quite a few tips that will help.
Also, I think the exterminator coming out is a good thing. They’ll have the tools and products to get it down to a livable level where you’ll be able to enjoy your room again and maybe start in on making your home a little less earwig hospitable. The furniture you brought in was most likely not the cause. It was probably just the perfect storm brewing just outside for quite some time.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Hello,
I was just doing some research on some of the bugs I’ve been seeing recently and came across your article. I think a lot of these tips will really help me out, but I wanted to get your opinion on some things that I haven’t seen in the comments thus far.
I just recently moved back in with my step-dad after finishing up with college here in MI. Of course, being the average American middle-class male, I moved into the basement, looking for work while not having to pay rent. The house itself is rather old, having been built in something like the ’30s (I think), and is made out of limestone. The basement is semi-finished in that it has painted cinder-block walls, with some tile floor and sort of tile ceiling (I’m not sure what the material is, but it’s not a regular drop ceiling) in the section where I’m staying and regular cement floor with exposed ceilings. There are 2′x1′ windows about 10′ apart that are at ground level, but they don’t really open.
When I moved into the basement, everything seemed ok, but after a while I started to notice a few earwigs here and there, along with quite a few spiders in the windows. After a few days, I took the advice of my step-dad and got a bug bomb for the room. After setting it off, I vacuumed out the windows of all the webs and spider bodies, but then the earwig problem seemed to have gotten worse.
I decided to get some Ortho Home Defense spray, as I figured I could spray this outside as well as inside to help mitigate the problem. I sprayed this on the perimeter of the house outside and around all the edges in the basement inside, along with the inside and outside of the windows. After laying this spray down, the earwigs, along with a couple house centipedes and squash bugs, started coming out in slightly higher numbers. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m being overrun by the bugs, but it is a bit unnerving to be killing 6-12 earwigs before I go to sleep.
A few ideas have crossed my mind after reading your article and comments, and I wanted to find your opinion, as well as your advice for a solution.
1. I’m thinking that the ceiling that is in place in the basement might be housing the bugs, since it seems a nice dark, most likely damp, place for them to live. There is a cavetto molding around the edges of the ceiling, but there is a wide enough gap that I believe that the earwigs could easily pass through it. Is there anything to treat this area at all?
2. The windows aren’t exactly sealed, even though they don’t seem like they’ve been open in a very long time. Is there something specific I should treat these with?
3. At the edges of the house, especially around the area where I am staying, there are several plants that seem to have been there before my step-dad moved in a few years ago. I’m not entirely sure what these plants are, but after reading your comments about the potted plants, I’m starting to think these might be one of the main reasons the bugs are finding there way in. Should I ask my step-dad about just removing these plants, or is there a better way to treat them?
This was a bit lengthier than I wanted it to be, but I thought being specific with the differences I’m having over other people commenting on the sight would help find a solution.
Thanks,
Jeremy N
Hey Jeremy,
Thanks for all the detail, it actually helps me figure out how to attempt to help you. First let’s tackle the drop ceiling. I would look into ‘dusting’ the ceiling around the edges, ie next to the foundation walls. Check out my article on dusting for tips and perhaps check out my store if you need a tool to apply it. http://pestcemetery.com/kill-bugs-dusts/ You could also put a sticky trap up there and see what you get as well. Sticky traps might also be good if they’ll fit in the window area but if the window is flush that may not work. If you have window wells outside–that is the best place to treat the window area. Niban bait will work real well. You can get this at any DIY pest control store. This will also work around the trees or plants rather than ripping them out. The spray job you’ve done sounds like you did well. When you’re out of the product you’re using try and by a ‘wettable powder’ to spray. This might work better for you on the earwig and tends to stick if you spray higher cracks and crevices and will give you a better residual. The last thing which I’m sure you read about is to try and make life inhabitable for them outside. Reduce the moisture, lift things up off the ground and turn any mulch and caulk what you can.
With all this I’ll bet you’ll reduce your nightly kill a lot. From there it’s just a matter of keeping a barrier up and sealing here and there as you find new places where they are getting in.
Let me know how it goes.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
While it seems I do not have as big of an issue as some on the site I am killing about 4-5 earwigs a day. Most are either in my bedroom which no water running by or under it and then in my bathroom, which I assume they flock to because of the water. I do not know where they are coming from, I do not have plants outside, I do not have trees in my yard, I do not have a garden and I do not have any plants in the house. I have found, as many have that Raid does not kill them. I am deathly afraid of bugs, I can not sleep and doing anything to capture them would most likely cause me a breakdown because I could not dispose of them. I know I have an irrational fear. However I need some advice on why they would be coming into my house. As I said we do not have any thing that would draw them here. I also notice in our basement we get a lot of house centipedes, really big ones with tons of hairy looking legs, I know that is because our basement is damp and we are trying a dehumidifier, is there anything else we can do to get rid of these bugs? I would love to get a good nights sleep. Thank you so much for reading this.
Natasha,
I completely understand and your fear is not one that I would put into the ‘irrational’ dept. just based on reading your entire comment. The dehumidifier is a great way to reduce the time the earwig is alive in your home but they are coming in from outside so I feel you should concentrate out there. It may be that the damp basement is drawing them because it’s a little dry outside-I’m not sure. Some earwigs are actually attracted to light more than others like the ‘striped earwig but almost all earwigs like a lot of bugs are lured toward a home that is well lit. See if you can change some bulbs to yellow or make sure the curtains keep the light inside as much as possible. This can be done after dark simply by walking around the house and taking note. Check doorways and thresholds etc. and do what you can to seal these areas. For control why not try a bait scattered as a barrier all around the home. Niban is a great bait to use but there are several others you can find at the big box stores. Earwigs eat just about anything but try and see if you can find some with earwigs listed on the label. An exterior spray will also work nicely. The house centipede lives almost exclusively indoors and I find that moisture control (which you’re doing) and dusting voids is the best approach. An added plus is that the dust will also kill the earwigs and that’s a good thing. Please visit these two articles and don’t hesitate to get back to me should you need any further help. http://pestcemetery.com/pest-proofing-series-exterior-chemical-barriers/ is an article on dealing with the exterior and it links back to other pest proofing articles that should help immensely. http://pestcemetery.com/kill-bugs-dusts/ will help you on learning some tips for dusting.
I hope this helps and you can get a good nights sleep soon
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Dear the Bug Doctor,
Thank you so very much for taking the time to offer some valuable suggestions and insight about these little critters. Unfortunately, I am an absolute bug a phobic and have been recently terrified by the influx of earwigs in our basement. My husband and I are in transition and are currently residing in his parents basement until we find our own home. The house is just under 20 years old but there are many tiny holes in the borders of the walls, that I just know most of the earwigs are coming from. We hired an exterminator two days ago whom sprayed the entire vicinity, giving us a 6 month guarantee that we would not find another creepy crawler. However, I have already seen a few moving around quite healthily and not in the least bit ready to die. I absolutely screeched when I saw them: crawling on my couch, in my shower curtain, on my bed sheets, and even by my toothbrush. I am so overwhelmed and even fallen into a state of panic. My in-laws think I am being very unreasonable. We only had the outside and the inside of the basement exterminated, as opposed to the whole house. How long will it take for all the critters to die off from the chemicals that the exterminator just sprayed? How do I get rid of them for good?
Hi Liz,
I understand your frustration with the slow results. I’m a bug man and I get frustrated too when pests seem to laugh at my treatment and not die instantly (or quickly enough).
It takes time for some treatments to work but I’m confident you have dead earwigs inside and out that you you will never see. The ‘tiny’ holes are probably not where their coming from and I only say that because I envision a hole close to the size of a small nail hole by your description. Earwigs are pretty good at getting in so don’t get me wrong but that doesn’t sound big enough. If it won’t damage the wall put some scotch tape over a few and see if that helps or not.
If you want to help the treatment along check out the different things you can do to make it less hospitable for the earwig. A lot of times just a few simple modifications outside will really slow down the activity levels of the earwig. This link will take you to the entire topic and you’ll find all the articles I’ve written on earwigs. http://pestcemetery.com/category/earwigs/ and make sure to check out the comments too as they have some great hints as well.
In short I’d encourage you to give your treatment some time and trust the judgement of the professional but maybe in about 10 days or so if things haven’t calmed down maybe see if they can help out a little more.
Thanks so much for reading my blog and your kind words and please don’t hesitate to check back in should you need further advice. I’ll be most happy to help.
The Bug Doctor
I have never seen an earwig before a couple of years ago. We live in a low lying area and the river is around 300 feet behind our house and our yard doesn’t connect to it. It is an older house that we have completly gutted and remodeled (new floors, insulation, drywall, ceilings, windows, doors, siding, everything) and has a partial basement with crawlspace. We have landscaped the lawn and have used bark around the house and all of the trees. All of this work was done before we had an earwig problem. We also bought a pool 6 years ago. It is one of the easy set pools that is 15′x42″. Now we have a major infestation of earwigs.
The pool has areas where they can hide and we kill a ton of them regularly. The are in the cracks of our kids wooden playset, under the boards on the sandbox, in all of the kids play toys, everywhere. If you shake these things they fall out like rain. My husband has been spraying around the house with Ortho home defense, we have been putting out cans of oil, and making nightly rounds to kill everyone we see. It seems to make a dent and then they just repopulate again. We live in town and the neighboors 2 houses down have a haven for them. They have sheds that are filled with “stuff” with the doors open and you can smell the musty air when you walk past their house.
Now it seems that they are making their way into our house. This weekend I am going to bugbomb, spray the baseboards with Ortho Home Defense as well as outside, but I was wondering what else I can do to get rid of them. I want to spray around the house inside and out before I bug bomb.
I see you suggest Niaban. Is this something that can be spread all over the yard? Should we take down our pool? Would this possibly help? It seems the earwigs concentrate in the back yard by the pool area. We rarely see them in the front as we have bark in the front as well. Or is there anything we can spray around the pool that would be safe. We also have a lot of slugs in the back which we have read they eat. Should we try to get rid of the slugs first?
Thanks for any help you can give. We have 3 kids and a lab who eats and licks everything!
Crystal
Hi Crystal,
Earwigs are bad this year, let’s see if I can help.
Earwigs rarely make a meal from full grown slugs but the smaller ones I’m sure. There is a ‘slug’ and snail bait that works quite well which you can pick up at Lowes,Home Depot or a DIY store. I wouldn’t bother with a bomb as this will only be temporary. I think you’re onto something with the back yard though.
If I were treating your home this is what I would do based on what you’ve stated.
#1 I’d spray the entire back yard and heavy at the base of the pool and home. You can get a ‘hose-end’ sprayer from above mentioned stores with a little jar or container that holds insecticide. I’d hand spray (Ortho defense is Ok) all those cracks and places you mentioned of play areas and be careful to just get it in crack.
#2 I’d wait for about a week and then put out my slug bait and Niban–if you can’t get Niban then there should be something comparable at store. You do not need to put it down heavy as the earwigs will find it but in protected areas like under a potted plant you can be more liberal. A light sprinkle around the areas like the pool should be fine and– the dog would need to eat about 9 lbs or more to have a problem so I’m pretty sure he’ll be Ok.
#3 Make sure your home is sealed up ie; threshold, screens, cracks in foundation etc. Usually a little caulk will go a long way and then if you don’t already–put a yellow light in place of any outside lights on the house that you have.
#4 Spray inside is fine but if you just concentrate on areas around windows and doors that should be enough–maybe a little in bath or kitchen as these areas have the moisture they’ll be looking for if they do get in.
Here’s 3 other articles you might not have seen but may spark more ideas for you. http://pestcemetery.com/prepare-and-prevent-the-earwig-this-year/
http://pestcemetery.com/3-easy-steps-rid-earwigs/
http://pestcemetery.com/top-3-reasons-you-have-earwigs-the-7-links-to-get-rid-of-them/
Follow all label direction on sprays you buy and you should be fine.
I hope this helps
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Hi we have had a lot of earwigs coming in our place. It’s on a slab. First i put down some granular pesticide (maxforce i think?) around foundation/yard that was about 4 weeks ago then 2 weeks ago my dad came and sprayed spectracide, still earwigs, then i got smart and today put out the Terro bait (like Niban). So i am wondering did i wait long enough? I still can see some of the old granules on the dirt from previous pesticide (that was watered in a bit) and i am worried it will make the Terro boric bait ineffective? Or no? We have not had any rain in this time either. Hot hot!!
Oh i forgot to add i also did the ortho home defense inside on all baseboards nooks crannys and still earwigs!!!
Jessica,
Your treatment sounds pretty well coordinated– I don’t worry too much about the bait and granules mixing but it can nix some of what you do. My granules are sand based so they sink further to the thatch and bait tends to sit higher. I’d go on a search and destroy mission now with looking under anything and everything they can hide under and then make sure any entry ways into the house are sealed. You still may get an occasional earwig but it should be a whole lot better after that.
Thanks for reading and your great questions
The Bug Doctor
You have stated in this article several times that these creatures are harmless, I beg to differ. Just because it is uncommon these things do sting or bite humans I am not sure which it is but I do have a scar on my back to prove it. When I was asleep in my bed a few years back I was woken up by this sharp stinging sensation, to find one of these earwigs in my bed, plus it was curling it’s tail appearing to want to strike again. Where it bit/stung me became swollen and full of puss. It took nearly three weeks for it to heal (I am typically a fast healer) and left a scar for me to remember it for the remainder of my life.
Hi Mary,
Sorry to hear of your experience. Typically earwigs pinch is nothing more than a prick but it sounds like you may have caught one on an extremely bad day. Earwigs don’t have venom in their pincers nor as any part of their bites. (They do have chewing mouth parts so they can bite) I think for you and anyone else who has had a ‘pinch’ from an earwig it’s a good thing there’s no poison- cause if there were, there’d be a whole other reason to fear the loathsome earwig.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Thanks so much for the great information in this article. I just moved into a house about a couple of months ago and just found out the backyard is crawling with them!! Our down stairs is unfinished and is really damp and dark. We broke down one wall in the basement and literally hundreds of earwigs scattered all over the place; gross!!!! I’m definitely am going to have to call a bug man because it’s out of control. I was just wondering though; I left my bed downstairs because we didn’t have room for it upstairs and I found a couple of earwigs dead on top of my bed. Can they crawl through and be hiding in my bed? Like inside the bed itself?
Hi Mona,
Wow that sounds like a lot of earwigs. Love a pic if you can get close enough-lol
Yes the buggers can get in if there’s a tear or opening. To keep this at a minimum put the mattress up on blocks and some sort of shield either under the bricks like a pizza pan with soapy water or on top-just the pizza pan upside down. Be careful though because you’ll have to lean it up against a wall to stand it up (I think) You might need to get creative with that. Perhaps draped plastic or a pole of some sort between the wall and mattress. Also an earwig trap will be good until the pro can get there. A tuna can (unwashed) 1/2 filled with cooking oil should work nicely, just set it (or more than one) on the ground near the bed.
Great question & I hope you’ll enjoy your new home earwig free.
Thanks for your kind words as well
The Bug Doctor
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