Earwigs can become a nuisance indoors due to inclement weather that drives them indoors, especially around gutters and drainpipes. To combat this problem, regularly clean gutters and drainpipes while clearing away debris such as wood piles, shady areas, ivy growing over walls, twigs, and leaf litter from gutters and drainpipes.
To deter earwigs from coming inside your house, clean gutters and drainpipes regularly, as well as remove piles of wood piles from shady areas and debris like wood piles in dark places, wood piles as ivy covering walls as twigs, and leaf litter from gutters/drainpipes regularly and clear away. To deter them, clear debris such as wood piles from gutters/drainpipes and wood piles from wood piles/twigs/leaves, etc., from entering homes/buildings/apartments, etc. from access/eco. To maintain cleanliness within, clean gutters/drainpipes by clearing away all debris such as wood piles/shady areas/wood piles/shaded areas/ivy growing over walls/twigs/leaves litter. To help keep earwigs out, ensure all debris, as described above, such as wood piles/ drainpipes, is also clean. To keep out.
Earwigs may come indoors inadvertently through plants, firewood, newspapers, and boxes, then hide out at night to scavenge for food and moisture.
Moisture Issues
Earwigs are nocturnal insects that prefer relaxed, damp environments. You might spot them hiding among shady ground cover plants around home foundations, debris piles, and mulch piles.
Broken or clogged gutters may allow rainwater to flow down the sides of a house instead of away from its foundation, creating dark, moist environments perfect for earwigs. Furthermore, thick underbrush on trees or bushes makes shaded areas that keep moisture at bay and attract earwigs.
Earwigs can enter homes through cracks and crevices, giving them access to food scraps or harborage inside. They can also enter through newspapers, bundles of plant material, boxes, or rotting wood – keeping a yard free of these habitats will reduce humidity levels and discourage these pests from living nearby; inspecting for gaps, holes, and cracks will prevent their entry.
Food Sources
Earwigs don’t mind tight spaces; they thrive in them (they’re called thigmotactic). Earwigs can often be found lurking under stones or hiding beneath tree bark in gardens – looking out for any small spaces to exploit and eating any potential threats such as aphids, insect eggs, larvae, and grubs they find there.
Earwigs feed on living plant matter and seedlings and prey upon other pests. Their young offspring, called nymphs, feast on each other’s molted skins as well as frass (feces) to promote good bacteria in their guts and encourage overall gut health.
Earwigs become especially abundant during the fall as they seek places to overwinter and avoid the colder climate of winter. As days shorten and nights lengthen, exterior lights on your house may draw in earwigs from around the neighborhood or from people carrying plants or weeds into your home.
Traps
Although earwigs don’t pose any direct threats, their presence indoors indicates moisture issues. Preferring warm and damp conditions, they often gain entry to homes via bundles of newspapers, boxes, lumber or books brought inside; cracks in walls, floors or foundations offer them access as well.
Earwigs are omnivorous insects that consume decaying organic matter, leaves and flowers as well as dead insects, making them beneficial in gardens due to helping control pests such as aphids.
Homemade traps made out of tin cans or jars filled with a mixture of fish oil and soy sauce can be an effective way to catch earwigs. Fish oil lures them out from crevices, while soy sauce stops them from escaping once inside the trap. Placed near affected plants or buried into soil beds, inspect and empty regularly.
Eliminate earwig habitats by clearing away heavy ground cover, such as ivy growing up walls and leaf litter and debris piles, along with any over-fertilization in vegetable gardens and debris, such as fallen leaves or branches from beneath shrubs and trees.
Insecticides
Earwigs are nocturnal insects that feed on garden plants. They enter houses through cracks, crevices, unscreened doors, windows, piles of debris, and mulch, and are attracted by light and give off an unpleasant odor.
You can try various natural solutions to rid yourself of this pest, such as placing traps around the perimeter of your home and using essential oils that have scents of peppermint, eucalyptus, and cinnamon-scented critical oils to repel them or spreading dry food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE). However, this method should only be used during dry weather as this method will protect sensitive pollinator plants against such an attack!
Earwigs can also be discouraged from entering your house by setting out rolled-up magazines or pieces of cardboard where earwigs like to hide at night. Check them in the morning, then dump them into soapy water in buckets. Alternatively, boric acid sold at hardware stores may help control them in and around your house; just be sure to read and follow any label directions when using any product.
