Over the years as a bug man you get pretty good at figuring out what bug a customer is trying to describe just from a few tell tale words. Of course there is the other side to this where they say. “It’s black and has wings and I think it has teeth,what is it?” Then maybe even the best of us need a little more information.
The earwig is one that is almost always described as having ‘pinchers’. Technically it’s ‘pincers’ but nobody really calls them that. Some will say they are on the front and others will tell you they are the size of a pair of pliers but pinchers none the less is always a key word that leads me to an answer for my client.
The pinchers on an Earwig are almost completely harmless, I say almost because they can arch their backs and give you a wee tiny prick. So on the scale of harmless they are about a 0.001.
Actually the pinchers are used in their little world for defense, capturing and holding the prey that 
they catch so they can eat them and it’s also how you can tell the boys from the girls. For the most part Earwigs eat just a little of everything including plant leaves, other insects, dog food, garbage or organic material. Usually the leaf damage they do is very little and you wouldn’t notice much if any of your pets food missing if it weren’t for the occasional Earwig who gets trapped in the slippery bowl.
Preferring to feed at night this insect would rather be left alone but their high need for moisture can bring them into our homes from time to time. There are occasions where the ‘nuisance’ becomes a full fledged invasion and that is about the only time you really need to consider some type of control method.
The $64,000 dollar question / How to get rid of Earwigs?
I’m often asked this question and I see it on forums and comment sections of web sites all the time. The biggest reasons that Earwigs are entering your home are for food and for moisture. Eliminate those two and you’ll be left with only the few who just wander in by chance. Now you might be saying, “I don’t live in a moist house, why would they come in my home?” The answer is simply that they don’t know your home is not some Mecca for a nice moist bed of leafy green plants they can eat. They just know that outside it may be to dry and they’ve got to go on the move to find what they need. Or sometimes the sprinkler head may be pointed towards your home and the excess moisture in your mulch allows them to build up in large numbers and as they wander they find a crack or slip in under the door thinking they’ll find much of the same environment inside. Regardless the common denominator is the moisture and they are always in search of it. Food is the other reason and there is not much you can do about plant leaves or organic material. You can however try to limit leaving pet food just outside the door or inside next to the sliders. They will find it every time and once they have their fill it’s off to your bedroom to hopefully catch the Tonight show with Conan O’Brien.(He’s quite good) There are other helpful hints in this category that you can read up on that will help a great deal. Most often a simple crack and crevice treatment and a little baiting outside will be all that’s required from your pest control professional and the problem should subside. One other home remedy that I hear works quite well is to dampen some newspapers and roll it up. Place the paper just outside where you think
you have Earwigs and they will crawl into the papers seeking moisture and die. I’m not sure if it’s the ink that kills them or the story about the economy on page two but according to some old timers I know, they say it works.
Whenever I see an Earwig in my home I almost always try to scoop him (or her) up and put them back outside. The benefits of having them far out weigh the need for getting out my 300 feet of hose and blasting the exterior of my house with 30 gallons of insecticide. I used to pick them up with my fingers but then I got pinched a few times so now I use a dust pan or piece of paper. I guess you might say I have a low pain tolerance.
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Since Spring started I have seen at least 3 of the same kind of bugs in my bathroom but no where else (which is a good thing… i think lol) but I haven’t been able to find out what it is. It’s VERY small, has pincers in the front, all have been black or dark brown enough to look black, & looked like it has the body of a tick before it attaches itself to a host. Can you help me on what this is??
Please & Thank you
Hey Jennifer,
It sounds to me like a pseudo scorpion. Check out this article to be for sure and if not just write back and I’ll see if I can narrow it down for you. If so, they are completely harmless so no worries. http://pestcemetery.com/pseudoscorpion-needs-more-than-a-pseudo-identification/
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Thank you for the information. The first website about bugs with pinchers in the rear was yours with a photo of the culprit. Glad to know it’s almost harmless. I’ve found 3 inside – males – that I killed (they shouldn’t look so scary!). I’ll try the newspaper trick. Thanks for the help.
Thank you Patty,
Yea it kind of takes the “scariness” out of it when you know the answers. I’m also known to ruin the ending of movies for people.
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my blog.
You made my day.
The Bug Doctor
Hi, I was just wondering if you had any ideas for outdoor toy storage that would prevent any bugs from getting in the box or container. Thank you.
Do earwigs carry an type of harmful deseases
How can I kepp these insects away from my kitchen and should I clean with bleach or lysol I feel the area I’ve found this insect needs to be dysinfected.
Hey Colleen
I apologize for not responding in a timely manner. I’ve been swamped a bit but regardless I should have gotten to you sooner, I’m sorry.
To answer your question it is difficult to raise outdoor things up off the ground and not look a bit unseemly but that is the best option to keep earwigs out. They like to hide in cool, dark, damp places during the day and potted plants, toy boxes and the like offer just that. If you can put a brick under each corner that would be great. Or you can sprinkle a insect granule under the toy box and that too would be effective. For them getting inside perhaps some granules around the box but some still might cross the barrier & not have enough time to contact the material to get enough to die. I like Niban bait (sprinkled the same as granules) Most DIY pest control stores have this or something similar at Lowes or Home Depot. For chronic problems try spraying Pam non stick cooking oil around the base of the box. It’s not a long term solution but depending on the surface it make keep them from climbing the slick sides until your pest control barriers have enough time to work.
Let me know how it goes and again sorry for the delay in getting to you.
Thanks for readin
The Bug Doctor
Heya Fran,
Excellent questions. No earwigs do not carry any disease that effects humans, Thank goodness
Normal cleaning should be fine for wiping away any trace of the earwig in your kitchen as they are not filth carriers like a roach.
Earwigs inside are just hunting for food & I have a hunch they won’t find much in your home. They will however find water in things like dog dishes, wash cloths hanging on the strainer or drippy faucets. Make sure to eliminate any of these things to discourage them from setting up shop. That said, the earwig is actually coming from outside and he’s just foraging and doesn’t really want to come in. Check out my article http://pestcemetery.com/3-easy-steps-rid-earwigs/ and i’ll bet you can find the information you need.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Hi I saw a bug outside that looked very strange. It looked like it had a face on its back and it had two legs and two arms. Just wondering if you have an idea what it could be.
Moses,
I’m not really sure of that one. Perhaps if you can get a pic and send it along to my Ask The Bug Doctor tab I might be able to help. http://pestcemetery.com/bug-doctor/
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Just wondering, are you from the Baltimore area?
Hi, ever since the summer began I’ve had one of these in my bedroom almost every other day. I call them sliver bugs and I can not stand them! Why do you think they are in my room? I’m a teenager so my room is messy, but I don’t think I have any food in my room? Would cleaning my room completely help get rid of them? Please help!
Hey Samantha,
Cleaning might help when and if you decide to treat for them but it doesn’t draw them in. It’s most likely they are coming in from the window or from under the basebaords from outside. The best thing to do is spray their hiding spots just outside your room. I have a lot of articles that will give you ideas of what to look for and how to do it. http://pestcemetery.com/category/earwigs/ You could also roll up a damp newspaper and set it on the floor or window sill. (not real wet and be careful not to damage any surface like wood floor-put something under it) The earwigs love moisture and will crawl in it and you can throw it away the next day.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
I just found one of these outside my room. The pincers scared me a bit, so I decided to check up on what kind of bug it was. Typed it “bug with pincers” in Google and yours was the first picture I found. I’m glad to know they aren’t dangerous, either directly or indirectly. The name “earwig” worries me, though. My grandmother told me earwigs hide in human ears while we sleep. Is that true? And, if I’ve seen one, what chance is there more are hiding in my house?
Hey Kaye,
The name earwig is loosely based on an old wives tale but there is no truth to the matter. They no more want to be in your ear than they want to be inside. It’s normally to dry for them inside but obviously at least one has found it’s way in. For tonight, wet a newspaper and roll it up with a rubber band around it (not to tight) If there are any earwigs inside your room they’ll go to the moist paper, climb inside and you can discard them in the morning. Hopefully that’ll help you sleep better. Tomorrow you should check outside to see if there is something you can either spray, move or seal up to keep the rest of them out. Here are some good links for you to find out what to look for. http://pestcemetery.com/prepare-and-prevent-the-earwig-this-year/ http://pestcemetery.com/3-easy-steps-rid-earwigs/ and this one will dispel the myth….. http://pestcemetery.com/legend-earwig/
Thanks for reading
Get a good nights sleep
The Bug Doctor
I came across your site because I have a problem with two bugs, on of them being the earwings. Thanks for the info on them. Both bugs are always outside but are taking over. The other one is a flying beetle type bug. It is brown with wings and a fat body. I can’t find any info on them online. Do you know what these are. I had the outside light on and I just went out there and they were all over my door, right next ot the light.
Hi Linda,
Glad I could help on the earwig front let’s see if I can on your mystery bug. Exterior lights attract a gazillion different kind of bugs and one thing that will help is yellow bulbs. You can read why here; http://pestcemetery.com/yellow-light-bulbs-bugs/ and what you’ve described could fit a lot of different ones. I hate to venture a guess and steer you wrong so I’ll give you a little trap you can make yourself and it really won’t matter what kind it is because you should be able to trap a ton. Here are step by step instruction to make a simple trap. The trap is mostly used for gnats and flies but it’ll work for beetles too. The ONLY difference is the bait to attract them. Instead of juice or a banana slice use whole wheat bread dough. Beetles can’t resist the aroma and your porch may be beetle free once again. (don’t put it right next to the door-maybe a couple feet away) The link for building your trap is here; http://pestcemetery.com/gnat-trap-gnat-trap-gnat-trap/
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
My bug mystery solved with one click! These things are swarming my daisies, and one stung me when I leaned on my porch rail the other night. Glad to know they are not harmful, thanks!
So glad to help Bekah,
Sorry you found one in a bad mood though.
Thanks for reading and come back soon.
The Bug Doctor
hi, earwigs are chewing up my garden! they particularly like my basil plants. is there an organic way to rid myself of these pests?
Hi Lesley,
Earwigs are bad this year. You could try some of the trapping techniques found in some of my other earwig articles and that may help. http://pestcemetery.com/category/earwigs/
DE (diamataceous earth) works well but there is some debate as to whether it’s organic or not. http://pestcemetery.com/naturally-confused/ (it lacks carbon) Get food grade DE and simply spread it around and it will do a great job on killing your earwigs. Of course limiting water (moisture) and modifying places where they can hide works too but I know that would be very difficult in a garden and still keep the plants alive.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Hi there, I have to say they seem like they are every where this year! We had a few the start of last summer but this year we have them in the house, garage and garden and lots of them! What a pain! I’m going to have to try the newspaper trick, I was at a loss of what to do…
Hey Doc,
I did some pest control in the military for about 8 months, I’m currently working as a dispatcher for Ecolab’s Pest Elimination division. I’m trying to get into the pest control field, but it seems hard to find a permanent position in such a large company.
What do you suggest for someone that want’s to learn more about this field?
Thanks.
-Shawn
Hi Shawn,
First let me say Thank You for your service to our country and keeping this great land free so people like me can write my little thoughts down on a blog and not worry about things like other people have to in other parts of the world. It means more to this nation than you may realize.
I’m not sure where you are but I’m almost positive you’re experience in the military would count for required time in order to take the tests needed to be licensed. Billy The Exterminator who has his own show also got his start in the armed forces. http://pestcemetery.com/5-days-billy-exterminator/ and others I’m sure as well. Check out this link to search your states Agriculture or regulatory sites and you might get a better idea of what you need. http://pestcemetery.com/links-pest-control/ I warn you, government sites are hard to navigate and don’t make sense–but you probably know that already better than me lol. As far as just moving ahead I’d say you’re in with a very good company now. I’m not sure what dispatch entails but if you want to get on a route you might have to become the squeaky wheel to get some grease. Eco Lab as far as I know is a quality company and if you can get in there and make it you can move up the ladder in time I’m sure. You could look also at the other large companies and see what they have to offer. I worked for Terminix and moved up quite a bit and I also worked for small and mid sized companies and found a place to fit in everywhere I went. With you’re experience you should be able to get your foot in someone’s door and then of course it’s up to you to make it happen which I’d be willing to bet is no problem for you. Here is my e-mail in case you need more help in anyway. thebugdoctor@pestcemetery.com If I can assist you further it would be my honor.
Thanks for your service &
for reading my blog
The Bug Doctor
Hey Erika,
Also try some of the other tricks listed. A lot are in the comment sections of the different articles I’ve written. I think now I have 8 total http://pestcemetery.com/category/earwigs/
Oatmeal is another favorite of the earwig and you can use a sticky trap to catch them with that. Let me know if it gets more out of hand and you need more specific answers for your particular situation.
I’ll be most happy to help.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor.
Googled “insects pincers on the rear” because I had a critter stuck on the edge of my cat’s water bowl. It didn’t look like a roach, so I just took it out to my balcony and after a couple of tries, managed to dislodge it from the bowl onto the balcony.
We had a heavy rain the other day, so I was surprised to find it in my 3rd floor apartment though, based on what you said…
I am glad that earwigs are basically harmless, though. Thanks for the info!
Stubborn little guy, maybe he knew how high he was and wanted to avoid the trip back down. ha ha
Earwigs don’t go to far too fast as they seem to run a little and then pause but they could climb even higher if they wanted to.. I would think the higher they go on a bldg., the less abundant the moisture but maybe your big rains made it tempting for this little guy.
Thanks so much for taking the time to look through my site and then to write a nice comment. Come back anytime.
The Bug Doctor
hello can you please email me so i can email you a picture of this bug i have found it looks like this one but it has pichers in the front instead and i cant find any that look like it online
Hi Tony,
My Ask The Bug Doctor tab is all set up for you to send pics, I get a lot of them that way. Just click and attach your photo.
Looking forward to seeing what you got
The Bug Doctor
Thanks so much for posting this helpful article! “Bug with pinchers” turned up your site as the first hit. My basil plant looks like one huge doiley right now because of the damage these guys have done. I probably found a dozen of them in my potted plant of basil! Glad to know they aren’t as scary a they look.
I’m so glad my site was able to help you and Thank you so much for taking the time to write up your kind comment. I hope you & your basil fair well and live in health.
The Bug Doctor
Dear Bug Doctor,
As if you haven’t heard enough people say it….I HATE EARWIGS! But thanks for your blog because I am glad to know they are not dangerous and I am driving my husband crazy with saying they are!!
My question is, we live in Manchester NH do they have a season? We have dogs…hence the dog food and we have a little pool under our deck that gets filled with old rain water (we will get rid of immediately) but this is my second year with earwigs and I hate them. Thanks so much for the blog! Heather
Hi Heather,
Does this mean your husband was ‘right?’ If he’s like me tell him to mark it down cause I’ve only been on that side of the debate 3 times in 27 years
We love your area of the country and visit once per year at least, Unfortunately it’s when most the bugs are asleep except for maybe some cluster flies.http://pestcemetery.com/cluster-flies-and-christmas-lights/ Your earwig population is quite busy in the spring time but the numbers are very small to start out UNLESS they’ve been building up for a few years. (that’s when they get way out of hand early) This is the time of year when they will be most active for you June-August. My guess is that your deck may be a source of harborage and moisture. If there is a leaf build up then all the better for the earwig. Rather than getting rid of the pool I would simply drain it treat with insect granules underneath it, put the pool back down and fill it up. You may need to do that once or twice per summer. For the pups food you could try and elevate it on a stand of some sort but earwigs are pretty good climbers. Some of my customers use the spray “Pam’ or other non stick cooking spray at the base of their stands and that does quite well at keeping them at bay for awhile. This will need to be done quite a bit all summer long. Then of course check out my other articles on the earwigs to hopefully spark some ideas on what else you can treat or modify around the home that will help stop the earwig.http://pestcemetery.com/category/earwigs/
I hope this helped.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
I see them out on my porch and its an apartment building. I am literally petrified of them. In the past i gotten pinched twice and they have to be one of the ugliest bugs besides centipedes! I’m afraid to sit on my porch.. It seems almost impossible to do anything since their outside and there’s probably millions of them.. what do i do?
It sounds like you’re on the ground floor. If so I’d ask you to get a tool not normally needed when you live in an apartment. A rake. When my son was in college he too was on the lower level. The leaves built up so much and the earwigs LOVED it. We raked em around the corner and it got better quick. Also he began picking up his welcome mat each night and hung it over the rail. (they hide under the mats) I also sprinkled a bait called Niban around the door area–you may find a BAIT–make sure it’s bait at Lowes or Home Depot and put it around the foundation of your unit. Make sure your door is sealed as best you can. And maybe a yellow light to replace the white light if needed.
I hope you can enjoy your porch again!
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
This spring and summer we have seen earwigs all the time in our house. We just took out all of our bushes in front of our house. Is that possibly why they are finding ways to come into the house? How can we effectively get rid of them or atleast deter them from coming in especially if we don’t have any idea where there coming in at?
You might have uprooted some for sure when you disturbed the soil. If you have siding, windows or a door near by do your best to seal it up especially at the base. A good spray job of the foundation and surrounding cracks will help as well as a bait and or insecticide granules on the soil or grassy area around the home too. Niban bait is what I like and for granules and sprays there’s a lot to choose from at the big box stores, just read the label to make sure earwigs are on the list.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
This article has been very helpful in identifing that what I have are earwigs. But we have them BAD. I’ve seen them in the past, but NEVER like this. There are dozens in my potted plants on my deck. I don’t even want to “dead head” my flowers because there are so many of them. My husband went to re-hang some of our solar lights and there was about 3 dozen of them living inside of one of the lights (it was stored under our porch while our deck was being rebuilt)
I hate bugs and between ants, japanese beetles and earwigs I don’t even want to go out and enjoy my deck. Everything has been really thick this year and I don’t know if stuff was stirred up from the construction of my deck, if stuff came in with the wood or what…..I live in Minnesota. Please tell me what to do!
Hi Julie,
You do have em pretty bad. I doubt very much that they came in with the wood but I’m sure they took advantage of the free and cool hiding spot under the deck. I just went through a major landscaping myself and we stored things a little longer than we wanted. Just today I found so many earwigs and other bugs living under all of my piles of rock etc. The mere act of getting the storage off the ground will help somewhat but it will also make them move to different spots if they can find em.
For the underside of the deck I would put a liberal amount of Niban bait. You can use a gloved hand and just throw it. (this is assuming it’s high enough to get some under) I think you may have to get Niban at a DIY store but maybe your Lowes or Home Depot has it. If you can’t find that I’m sure the store will have something else you can use bait wise. Make sure to read the label and that earwigs are on the list. Bait can also be used in the potted plants but an insecticide granule might work better, just sprinkle on the dirt and water in. If you have a sprayer you might want to treat around your windows and door frames as well to try and keep them out of the home. I rely heavily on baits but limiting where they can hide and moisture control is also key. Check out my article http://pestcemetery.com/3-easy-steps-rid-earwigs/ for more details on 3 easy steps you can take to keep your earwigs to a low roar.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Ps. We’ll take Brett Favre back if you’re using him– It’s to weird to root for my Pack when he’s playing for your team.
This summer, for the first time, my home has been inundated with earwigs. When I get dressed in the morning I shake out everything because I found an earwig hiding in a pocket. If I pick something up it’s a good bet there’ll be an earwig under it. I opened up a bag of pita and there were THREE earwigs in the bag (it was a type I hadn’t tried before and I was really looking forward to tasting it). I wondered if they got in there here or in the bakery. Today, when I lifted my shaving brush out of the cup with the shaving soap there was an earwig and three specks about the size and color of grains of pepper which definitely hadn’t been there when last I looked. I’m guessing that was earwig scat and I’m wondering if this bugs poop could be infected with something that might make me sick. I didn’t eat the pita, but what if I hadn’t seen that first earwig…. I must have read thirty on line articles and, if they say anything at all, they just say earwigs are harmless. I’ve read that people can get some nasty illness’s from cockroach feces so I’m hoping you can help clarify this for me.
Thanks,
Ze’ev
Ze’ev
Even in our foods that we normally think of as bug free there is an ‘allowable’ amount of bug eh hem, particles. People in white coats have done tests and determined that bug parts and yes probably some feces under a certain amount is considered harmless to humans. It could be that they just figured there’s no way to stop it from happening so they had to come up with something to ease the consumers mind.
You bring up an excellent point and one I hadn’t considered. Rather than spout off what I don’t know please allow me to dive into this subject a bit and I’ll contact you through your e-mail when I have some sort of answer. (good or bad)
Thanks for your insightful question and please look at my article http://pestcemetery.com/top-3-reasons-you-have-earwigs-the-7-links-to-get-rid-of-them/ This seems to be helping people out quite a bit with treatment and exclusion tips.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
Hay doc
So I woke up this morning with a bloody nose and after I plugged it I blew it and an ear wig flew out of my ear so is there anything I should do like go see a doctor or am I fine???
Sounds like you had a bad night Ian– You might want to get that checked out:)
thanks for the information because we didn’t now what it was
Glad I could help, not knowing and seeing pincers like that would be a little un-nerving.
Thanks so much for reading my blog
The Bug Doctor
Thanks for the great information that helped me identify this terrifying bug. It’s definitely good to know that they aren’t heralds of doom!!
But still…I’ve got the bugs bad! I’m living in Denver, CO in an apartment on the third floor (top floor) of my complex. During the winter I had noticed a couple of the bugs here and there. No problem, they were easy to deal with. However for the past couple of months they’ve seemed to grow in population.
I have seen a couple crawling along the baseboards all around the apartment (carpeted expect the kitchen and bathroom), they are usually alone. I have not seen any inside my cat’s water or food bowl, or in the large bag of food in the pantry. They seem to hang out in the bathroom underneath a spare towel that I keep on the opposite side of the bathroom from the bathtub. When I come home from work in the evening I can lift the towel and there are 4 or 5 of them latched to the bottom.
My concern is that a trap isn’t going to go much. I’ve inspected my bathroom time and time again, and I can’t figure out where they are getting in from. The bathroom is the furthest room away from both the front door and the balcony, could they be coming in from a vent? Why are they attracted to the dry towel in the bathroom? Surely it’s cool and moist (I shower in the morning), but the bath mats that I step on as I exit the shower are bound to hold more moisture.
I have found them in my clothes several times now, so I too have adopted a habit of shaking everything before putting it on. What can I do? I have dealt with approximately 3 dozen of them in the past two weeks, and I’m not really one for sharing! At least not with creepy crawlers!!
Hey there Dae,
Although earwigs aren’t as skillful as other insects climbing is not a problem apparently-man the 3rd floor? Bummer. My guess is their coming up from the plumbing. If your complex has extermination service see if you can get them to ‘dust’ the voids especially in the bathroom. After that I’d caulk up all the cracks I could find and seal up around the pipes where they enter the wall. ie; under the sink. Now I know you’ve seen them in other places but earwigs are scavengers and wanderers so start with the bathroom first and do more sealing if you still see them it those areas. Also traps might work well for you if you keep the kitty out and put the towels up for the day. I think void dusting will be your best bet and here is a link on how you can do it if the complex doesn’t have anyone. http://pestcemetery.com/kill-bugs-dusts/
If it gets to much call an exterminator. I met two guys from Colorado at A.C.E. (associate certified entomologist) testing in Orlando–http://www.mugabugpestcontrol.com/ They seemed knowledgeable and hey they both passed the test. Tell em Jerry from pestcemetery.com told you to call.
Thanks for reading
The Bug Doctor
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