Simple Things Everyone Can Do To Avoid Earwigs

Earwigs. These bugs are so creepy that they have become the stuff of legends. Though it does happen, on occasion, that a bug will crawl into a person's ear, the myths about these insects are unfounded. The story is told that earwigs will crawl into a person's ear and then burrow into the brain, where they lay eggs and make people go insane. This is totally untrue. However, earwigs inside homes can cause other problems. They may not burrow into your brain, but they can crawl out from underneath a tub and scare the wits out of an unsuspecting person who has just stepped out of the shower.

What Are Earwigs?

These insects have 2 antennae, 6 legs, 3 body parts and a formidable set of pincers on the end of the abdomen. Earwigs range in size from 5 to 25 millimeters, depending on their species. Generally speaking, earwigs are harmless to the health of humans, but they can make themselves into a frustrating pest when they invade gardens, flower beds, and homes.

What Habitats Do Earwigs Prefer?

Earwigs are a moisture pest. This means that they love moisture and humidity. This is why, if you have an earwig problem, you will notice that they love to hang out in wet, humid areas such as bathrooms, basements, or laundry rooms. Outside, earwigs are likely to be found underneath a pile of wet leaves, under lawn clippings, or beneath a bed of mulch. If there are objects lying on the ground, such as flat rocks or the cushion of a lawn chair, earwigs will probably be hanging out under them. And, if there are moist areas up near your foundation or walls, earwigs are likely be found there, and are likely to find their way inside. They may take up residence in crawl spaces, but they are also happy to move throughout the structure, settling into moist areas.

What Problems Do These Pests Pose?

Though earwigs do not bite, they can pinch. But a pinch from an earwig is unlikely to break the skin. These insects are not known to spread harmful bacteria or human pathogens. However, if you are seeing them inside your home, it is likely that other pests are getting in that do spread disease and illness. And if they get in, chances are good that they are disturbing folks living in the home. They can give quite a scare with their creepy, alien-looking appearance. And if they have invaded your garden, they can cause holes in garden plants and do damage to tender shoots.

How Can You Keep Earwigs From Invading Your Home?

The key to keeping earwigs out of your home is in removing wet/moist areas around your home, and inside your home, and then in sealing things up.

• Remove any areas around your yard where earwigs will congregate. Clean up any leaf piles, grass clippings, and things that lie on the ground and provide harborage from earwigs. Also, if you are able and willing, remove mulch from around your perimeter and replace it with a dry material such as crushed rock.

• Inspect the outside of your home and seal up any gaps or cracks you find. If you can't get things properly fixed, consider using a caulking gun to fill in holes.

• Make sure your door sweeps make a good seal all the way across. It doesn't take much of a gap for earwigs to squeeze through.

• Make sure the weather stripping on your sliding doors are in good working condition.

• Inspect your gutter system and make sure there are no clogged areas. Clean out clogs and repair any damaged areas where water escapes and runs down the outside of your home. Moist, rotting wood is an attractant for earwigs and other moisture pests.

• Keep areas inside your home dry by using fans or dehumidifiers.

• Reach out to a professional pest control company for year-round pest control.

Here at American Pest, we have the tools, the experience, and the knowledge to completely seal out earwigs and a whole host of other, more dangerous and damaging pests, from your home. And, if you have already been invaded, we can help you with that as well. Reach out to American today. Life is just better when your home is not being invaded by pests.

Preferred Care Pest Control

Our Preferred Care Plan is an affordable pest control solution for eliminating common insects that enter the home from the outside. You will receive an initial interior and exterior inspection and treatment for your target pest problems, along with those we uncover during our inspection. Exterior treatments continue once every quarter to control ants, mice and rats, spiders and 30+ home invading pests. Guaranteed service quality backed by our Pest Free Pledge.

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