Earwigs: pesky insects creatures invading your home in the hot summer months. It was once told that these insects will crawl into our ears and possibly eat our brains. Fortunately, this is not true. Earwigs are nocturnal insects that like dark damp areas. They can be somewhat useful in the garden area as they move debris such as leaves and bark around. Earwigs tend to make homes in outdoor locations such as patio furniture, jars, under rugs, wood and of course soil. However, they can also find small crakes in homes and scurry their way throughout your house. Once these insects have entered your home, you’ll likely find them in your bathroom, under indoor rugs, in showers, under toilet rims, in small cracks along molding or door entrance ways.
How To Get Rid Of Earwigs In Your House Naturally
Protect Your Home: In order to safeguard yourself from these determined insects, you’ll need to take a few precautions. Firstly, ensure that you seal any cracks or small openings into your home. You will also want to maintain as moisture free your bathroom and shower. Next, make sure that you have no damp papers lying around your home. Rake up loose leaves, turn over any large stones, and regularly change/remove moist rugs.
Set up Traps: Now that you’ve done all you can to protect yourself from allowing insects to enter your home; it’s time to make some traps.
- Find a spot where you’ve seen earwigs that aren’t too close to your homes foundation or entry ways.
- Take old newspaper and loosely roll it.
- Secure the paper and lightly soak it in water being careful not to get the paper so wet that it falls apart.
- Leave the paper out overnight. The paper will have attracted earwigs and they will make a new home in the paper.
- Sweep the paper into a plastic bag and seal it tightly.
- Throw the plastic bag in your outdoor garbage bin (do not use it for compost).
Another option is to partly fill a low sided cup with vegetable oil. Leave the cup where you’ve seen earwigs and where it won’t get knocked over. You may even put a fruit slice into the cup to make it attractive to insects. Leave it overnight. The next day the earwigs will have made their way into the cup and drowned in vegetable oil.
More Options to Get Rid of Earwigs: If you have found a few earwigs hanging out in a group, suck them up with your vacuum cleaner. Be sure that your vacuum bag is empty before you begin this process and get ready to do some work because these little buggers will scurry. You can also attract predators such as bird by installing bird baths or bird feeders. Birds enjoy most insects so inviting them to come to your garden will assist greatly in the removal of earwigs. Also adding dish-washing soap along with your plant fertilizers will assist in poisoning them and thus lightening the earwig population.
Last Resort – Chemicals: If these steps don’t do the trick in getting rid of earwigs, there are various chemicals that can assist in eliminating your insect troubles. But, before I use hazardous chemicals, I would prefer to try all natural methods. You can use a substance called Boric Acid. For people and animals, it is relatively safe. You apply the substance in the areas where you believe the earwigs are passing through and it should help to kill the insects. There are several insecticides that are available. Many carry the chemical called pyrethrins and are typically not harmful to humans and dogs. However, please remember that earwigs are generally not harmful and you will need to keep any insecticide away from animals and children. Read the labels on these products carefully before using.
