Are You Ready For Earwig Season?

07/30/2017

Earwigs   

Are you are starting to shake earwigs out of your towels when you get out of the shower? They may have tagged along with the laundry from the moist basement that has proven to be a great place for them to hide. Earwigs are beginning to show in bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens all across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. These are surefire signs earwig season is getting closer and closer as fall quickly approaches. Have you pest proofed your home before the temperatures start dropping this fall?

When is Earwig Season?

Outdoor earwig species burrow underground during the cold winter months. As the ground warms, earwigs lay their eggs in the springtime, and the female stays with the eggs until they hatch and are skilled enough to find their own food. For the most part, earwigs remain outside. They live under rocks, in flower beds, under paving stones, and even in the deep crevices of the hydrangea leaves. Earwigs prefer to live in areas where it is dark and damp. At night, they emerge to feed on plants and other insects.

As the weather cools off, earwigs head indoors to find food. Unfortunately, your home is the best target.

Problems Caused by Earwigs

Contrary to popular belief, earwigs are not poisonous or dangerous. They won’t sneak in your ears when you sleep at night and use the big pincer to eat your brain. The biggest risk earwigs pose is to your plants and plant seedlings, as they are an excellent food source.

That’s not to say earwigs pose no threat at all to humans. If you pick up an agitated earwig, it will use its pincer to pierce your skin. While they won't do much damage it can cause skin irritation.

What to Do About Earwigs

If you are already seeing these signs of earwigs, perhaps your home isn't as safe you’d hoped. If you see earwigs inside or outside your home, you need to take steps to prevent them and other pests, as well as control the ones you see already.

• Reduce moisture throughout your home by improving ventilation and fixing leaks.

• Examine and repair gutters and spouts; ensure that water flows away from the foundation.

• Change the outdoor lighting around the outside of your home, moving it away from the house so it doesn’t invite the earwigs to come closer.

• Move wood piles and yard debris away from your home.

• Use dehumidifiers in damp areas of your home.

• Vacuum and mop often.

• Contact a pest control service.

American Pest is ready now to prepare and protect your home from an earwig invasion in the fall. Now is the best time to prevent earwigs because they are mostly still outside; but as it cools, your home will be their target. American Pest has residential pest control services in DC, Virginia, and Maryland to get rid of earwigs. We offer interior and exterior home treatments that come with our pest free pledge guarantee. Call now to learn more about our services.