Although finding any type of insect in your home may be unpleasant, earwigs are one of the easiest pests to deal with.
Most homeowners can resolve the underlying problem and get rid of earwigs on their own without seeking professional help. A good place to start is to understand why earwigs enter your home. This will point you in the direction of a permanent solution and help you decide if pest control services are the right course of action.
USA TODAY shows how homeowners can get rid of earwigs and prevent them from coming back.
Why earwigs come into your house
Like many pests, “earwigs often crawl indoors in search of moisture, food, and shelter,” say entomologists at the SC Johnson Insect Science Center, makers of Raid®.
Most earwig problems start outdoors. There, piles of damp leaves, firewood, and other debris create an attractive environment for insects. Earwigs, like other pests, can move indoors during dry weather or when outdoor food sources become scarce.
“Once indoors, they tend to gravitate toward moist, secluded areas such as bathrooms, laundry rooms, basements, and under sinks,” experts say.
How to safely remove earwigs from your home
If you notice an earwig in your house, trap it under a cup, slip a piece of cardboard under it and carry it outside. Earwigs feed on rotting plants, so they are generally beneficial to the garden ecosystem and also contribute to the natural pest control of other insects such as aphids.
If you have an earwig infestation and notice a large number of earwigs in your home, our entomologists recommend using DIY insecticides to control the population.
“Raid® Ant & Roach Killer will kill earwigs when used as directed and can be applied to cracks, crevices, and other areas where earwigs hide,” our experts say.
Always follow instructions and take appropriate safety precautions to avoid inhaling the spray.
Natural ways to get rid of earwigs
DIY insecticide treatments can help eliminate small earwig infestations or prevent them from getting out of hand, but the best course of action for initial treatment and ongoing prevention is to make sure your home is earwig-free.
There are several important things you can do, most of which involve trapping or focus on eliminating food, moisture, and habitat that attract earwigs. To prevent common spring pests such as earwigs, you should:
- Trap with oil: Place a shallow can with 0.5 inch of oil in the bottom. Fish or vegetable oils with cooking oils are effective at attracting earwigs, who will get stuck in the oil.
- Newspaper trap: Place rolled up newspapers in areas where you see earwig activity indoors, usually near indoor plants. Earwigs naturally seek shelter indoors, so you can leave them out in your garden.
- Repair plumbing leaks quickly. Plumbing leaks can create moisture behind walls, which naturally attracts earwigs indoors. Schedule annual plumbing inspections to monitor problems and fix leaks as soon as they are identified.
- Install a dehumidifier. According to experts, “running a dehumidifier in a humid space like a basement can make a big difference.” Installing a self-draining dehumidifier in the area under your home eliminates the need to keep emptying the collection bucket.
- Be careful with indoor plants. Indoor plants don’t necessarily attract earwigs, but rotting plant matter or mold in the soil can attract earwigs, a common problem with overwatering. Be careful not to overwater, place the pot on a drainage tray, and add perlite to the soil to aid drainage.
Professional earwig treatment
“Earwigs are generally thought of as occasional nuisance invaders rather than structurally or medically important pests,” say experts.
Therefore, professional earwig treatment is often not necessary unless you are dealing with a large infestation or notice other pests in your home at the same time. In that case, you will need to contact an exterminator.
“Professional treatment for earwigs often begins with identifying where the earwigs are entering your home, sealing entry points, cracks and gaps, and reducing conditions that attract earwigs, such as excessive moisture,” the entomologist said. “From there, professionals can target insecticide treatments around foundations, cracks, crevices, and other hiding places.”
General pest control treatments can keep earwigs out of your home, along with common pests like ants and spiders.
How to prevent earwigs from recurring
Once you have your earwig problem under control, there are several things you can do to permanently prevent the pests. Again, DIY strategies for getting rid of earwigs revolve around avoiding providing insects with moist areas that attract them.
- Keep them away from home. “Outside, it helps to clear piles of leaves, mulch, wood clumps, and other debris near the foundation where earwigs like to hide during the day,” our experts say. Removing outdoor triggers will reduce the risk of earwigs entering your home. “You can also check your garden hose for leaks, as slow drips provide the best water source for earwigs.”
- Seal cracks in the exterior walls of your house. “[Earwigs]often enter indoors through small cracks, gaps around doors and windows, or openings in the foundation,” experts warn. Closing these cracks will prevent pests from getting outside of your habitat.
- Clean gutters and downspouts. Earwigs can live in mats of leaves and wood debris in your gutters and downspouts, so scheduling twice-yearly gutter cleaning can help keep the insects at bay. You may also consider investing in a gutter guard from a company like LeafGuard, which can keep your gutters clean without ongoing service.
- Pay attention to the flower beds in the garden. Earwigs naturally live in gardens, where they find shelter, moisture, and food. Mulch can create a natural breeding ground for earwigs and is beneficial, but be careful not to overdo it. “Reduce excess mulch and organic debris near the foundation,” our experts say.
- Limit indoor humidity. Minimizing indoor humidity is one of the best ways to prevent earwig infestations. These pests typically enter indoors in search of moisture and hiding places, so fixing plumbing leaks, installing dehumidifiers, and removing debris, especially in basements and crawlspaces, can all help.
Common mistakes when trying to get rid of earwigs
The biggest mistake homeowners make when trying to get rid of earwigs is treating an earwig infestation but not solving the underlying problem. You can also control the population in your home using DIY insecticides available at your local hardware store, but if you don’t remove everything that attracted the pests in the first place, the problem will only continue.
Check where earwig activity is most active in your home and look for leaks or sources of moisture nearby. We check for leaking pipes, overflowing HVAC drip pans, and cracks in the foundation that allow water or moisture to enter the interior, and we fix the problems to prevent future moisture problems.
When to contact a pest control professional
In most cases, you can get rid of earwigs yourself, but if you find any of the following, call a professional.
- Even if you try to fix the underlying problem, the infection will continue to get worse.
- At the same time, you’ll notice other more dangerous insects in your home, such as carpenter ants and termites.
- I continue to have problems with earwigs in my house.
- You don’t feel comfortable using commercially available insecticides, but want to quickly resolve the earwig population in your home.
- You need a permanent solution that can also be applied to other common household pests.
FAQ
What is the easiest way to get rid of earwigs?
The quickest way to get rid of earwigs is to spray them with a DIY insecticide like Raid® Ant & Roach Killer. However, initial treatment should be combined with comprehensive pest control measures, such as eliminating sources of moisture in your home and removing debris that earwigs may be using as hiding places.
What smell do earwigs hate the most?
There is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that strong odors such as citrus, peppermint, and lavender may repel earwigs, but the best way to get rid of earwigs is to remove sources of moisture that attract earwigs. If you don’t feel comfortable using DIY insecticides to kill earwigs, you can solve your earwig problem by simply making sure your indoor areas are dry and clutter-free.
What are earwigs warning us about?
Earwigs are attracted to moisture, so an earwig infestation could be an indication that there is a plumbing leak, foundation leak, or other moisture or water problem in your home. Ignoring the underlying problem can lead to mold growth, other pests invading your home, and in the worst case scenario, structural damage.
