I get tons of e-mails on the subject of earwigs and the comment sections at the bottom of all my articles are chock full of people asking advice or explaining their dilemmas with this pincer beast. So many people are perplexed as to why they have earwigs showing up inside their homes and how everything they try seems to be ineffective. In my business I’m paid to solve problems but so many of the fixes I come up with involve little or no chemicals at all. With earwigs it is often the case that just a few modifications will dramatically reduce this demon from hells, (not my words but an e-mailers) presence that you too, may just need a little spray job rather than the 100 gallon all out assault you were planning on. The top 3 reasons are;
#3 Light; Did you know that earwigs are attracted to it? Seems funny since they are nocturnal and spend all day hiding out in a dark secluded place. If you have lights going all night or your windows and doors are leaking light the chances are that the earwig is going to be drawn to it and find it’s way in. Proper outdoor lighting will help curb the curious earwig. For more info on lighting look here and here’s a good one too.
#2 Places to hide outside; Earwigs like to spend their day time hours resting in a cool dark and damp place. This could be under the mulch,
in a potted plant, under the welcome mat or any of the many decorative landscaping items we put around our home. While it may be difficult or undesirable to get rid of something like your favorite garden gnome that guards the door it may be wise to reduce at least some hiding areas. Excess or rotting mulch should be scraped away, potted plants flat on the ground could be slightly elevated with bricks or even a new welcome mat to replace the old thick flat one that holds so much moisture underneath it. Each house is different and you really just need to take a look around and see what it is you could change to give the earwig less choices of a comfortable respite. For more on reducing their hiding spots check this out and this is a must read as well.
#1 Control the moisture; As with so many pests earwigs thrive best in moist conditions. While I agree it is very difficult to do this outside, there are still some positive steps you can take to make your home less earwig friendly. Dripping spigots, heavy mulch, clogged gutters, tall grass next to the foundation, a/c drip lines, moist basements and even bowls of water set outside for the pets provide the coziest situations for the moisture loving earwig. Take the necessary steps to evaluate where they are getting this precious life giving liquid and you’ll achieve the fastest results in controlling them. While it may be as simple as rerouting the water or plugging in a dehumidifier some moist conditions can’t be helped. If this is the case then at least you know this is an area that will need some traditional pest control
applied. For some ideas and treatment techniques look at this link. For moisture tips how about this? To see all my earwig articles follow this link and be sure to check out the comment sections.
