Pest Control - Home Garage Projects

When you find an earwig in your house, you will usually discover a lot more along with them. Earwigs, sometimes called “pincher bugs,” are an unwanted house guest and you are probably eager to find a way to get the earwigs out of your house. Earwigs are an insect that has a set of pinchers which is why most people believe them to be dangerous or harmful to humans. Earwigs, however, do not sting and have no venom, so this is just a misconception. I will admit that I definitely believed this as a child and was always scared to touch an earwig when I saw those mean looking pinchers! We have put together a guide to help you properly identify earwigs and to provide various methods for getting rid of them in your home. Earwigs will enter your home for several reasons including shelter, food, and moisture. Extreme weather conditions can drive earwigs to seek shelter and this is often when you will notice an earwig infestation in your house. Earwigs will also be attracted to just about any food they can find, so once they enter your home, they are happy stick around for the constant food and crumbs they can find. Where to find earwigs in your house Earwigs live in a damp environment in soil, rotting leaves, or mulched areas which is why often when you find earwigs in your home, they will be drawn to undisturbed areas where some moisture is present like the kitchen, bathrooms, garage, laundry room, or even basements. I always noticed that earwigs usually showed up in our house after a big rain and they would usually be near a door. Although they like moisture, when the ground gets too wet and saturated, they will begin to seek shelter. Mulch very close to the front door can bring earwigs closer to the main entry point of your home, so its important to make sure that the seals around the door are not damaged and are tight enough to keep these small insects out. How to get rid of earwigs in your house The fastest way to get rid of earwigs is to manually remove all the ones that you find and then place a homemade or store bought earwig trap to get rid of any that may still be hiding. You only need 2 ingredients for a homemade trap: soy sauce and cooking oil. Read on for complete instructions on how to make a homemade earwig trap. It is best to call a pest control specialist for very large earwig infestations because it can be difficult to tackle large infestations on your own. Earwig Traps Homemade earwig traps are simple to make and only require two ingredients. In a bowl, add ¼ cup soy sauce and 1 cup of any kind of cooking oil. After you have created the mixture, all you have to do is set the bowl out (preferably at night) in the area where you found the earwigs in your home. When you come back in the morning you will likely find your trap full of earwigs. Gross! Repeat this each evening until you find your trap empty. We always had great success with this method. I would see several earwigs out in the open, but it always felt like they just kept coming out of nowhere. When we would set this trap, I was always shocked at home many I would find in the trap the next day. Where did they all come from!? Give it a try and prepare to be shocked (and grossed out!). Watch this helpful video below on how to make your own homemade earwig trap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXMSqWDhVCg Homemade earwig spray If you need to get rid of a large number of earwigs quickly, you can create a simple homemade spray. You simply need to mix alcohol and water in a spray bottle and use the spray directly on the earwigs which will kill them on contact. Be aware that alcohol comes in different percentages. You will need to purchase one with 70% alcohol and mix it with equal parts water. This works great for me when I see a large number at a time. It's the quickest way to target all of them at once and then I'll usually set a trap to get the rest. Both methods have been really helpful. Do coffee grounds repel earwigs Coffee grounds have been said to repel insects and pests and because of this, it is possible that they could help keep earwigs away as well because insects are one of their food sources. Earwigs, however, have other food sources including decaying organic matter, plants, vegetables, and flowers so ridding the areas of insects doesn’t necessarily mean this would also drive earwigs away as well. Coffee grounds do have a very bitter smell, so this is definitely a method worth trying to repel earwigs since it will blend in with mulched areas and because it is so effective in repelling insects. My experience with spreading coffee grounds to repel earwigs is inconclusive because I did not do it consistently enough to know how well it would have worked long term. Do earwigs fly? Earwigs do have wings and can fly, but only in short bursts. You will almost always see them crawling rather than flying. If you do catch them flying, you will notice they are rather clumsy fliers and this is another reason you will see them crawling most of the time. I have seen a lot of earwigs in my life and have never seen one fly! How to prevent earwigs After you have gotten these pests out, you probably want to know how to keep earwigs out of your home. There are a few things you can try at home before going the route of using pesticides. Here are a few things that I have found helpful in preventing earwigs in my own home: Use a dehumidifier You now know that earwigs like moist areas, so running a dehumidifier in the rooms where you found them is a good idea. They need moist areas, so if you cut down on the humidity in rooms like your bathroom, they will be less likely to want to stay in these areas and will likely move back outside. Pest control Having regular pest control is a really effective way to keep insects and other pests away including earwigs. Once you have discovered that you have earwigs in your home it’s a good idea to consider hiring a company to maintain pests sprays around your home. Seal cracks and crevices Look around your home in the areas where the earwig infestation occurred and find any cracks that they may have entered through. Be sure to seal these areas really well, so that they no longer have a point of entry. This was a major reason they were getting into my house and fixing the seal around my front virtually eliminated the issue for me in that area of home. I then did the same around the rest of the house and added regular professional pest service and was able to completely eliminate the problem throughout my home!