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How to Get Rid of Earwigs

How to Get Rid of Earwigs

When you start seeing pincher bugs in abundance in your home and garden, people just want to know how to get rid of earwigs! These tiny pests will wreak havoc on your garden plants and vegetables, chew through your flowers, and leave a mess wherever they go.

While earwigs tend to stick more to the outdoors, they often find their way inside your home and show up in all sorts of unwanted places. So, let’s go over not only how to get rid of earwigs but how to prevent them from becoming a problem for you in the first place. If you’ve got earwig problems or you need some earwig prevention, contact us for a free quote or click here to see pricing

What Is an Earwig? 

Earwigs or pincher bugs are strange-looking insects with forceps protruding from their abdomen. They may look scary but in actuality aren’t poisonous and don’t spread diseases like roaches. Because they are nocturnal creatures, they are fairly elusive during daytime hours. Earwigs produce a pheromone or foul odor that they use as a defense tool. 

Do Earwigs Bite? 

Earwigs have pincers that they use when defending themselves against other earwigs or bugs but they don’t bite humans. They are able to pinch which may resemble a bite mark or scratch but that’s about it. These misunderstood bugs have gotten a bad reputation over the years due to folklore and myths. But contrary to popular belief, their name didn’t derive from crawling into human ears and laying eggs. This could happen, but it could happen with any species of insect and is highly unlikely. Earwigs may be a nuisance but aren’t a threat or danger to humans. 

What Causes Earwigs to Come In Your House? 

If you are seeing earwigs inside your home or apartment, there are a few explanations for this. Earwigs typically prefer moist soil areas that offer a food source and shelter from the elements. So, oftentimes earwigs unintentionally enter your dwelling through human activities. Maybe we bring them in when returning from a camping trip in the woods or when bringing in firewood or plants from outside. 

They also may enter your home because they are searching for an escape from the outdoor conditions they are currently living in. Whether it’s too hot,

too cold, or not enough food and water sources, they are not afraid to relocate to your lovely home. 

Earwigs often enter your home through tiny gaps, cracks, or holes that haven’t been sealed properly. The most common areas of entry are around door and window seals, gaps where your foundation meets your siding, crawl spaces, unscreened attics, and vents. Lights may also attract them into your home as well. 

Earwig Prevention 

There are several precautions you can take to prevent earwigs from becoming a problem in your home and yard. Earwigs thrive in damp, moist, cool areas. So, a good place to start is to eliminate the areas where they love to hide. Here are some simple preventative steps you can take: 

  • Trim back trees and shrubs near your home to avoid creating the shady, cool areas earwigs enjoy. 
  • Make sure gutters are cleared regularly and drainage is directed away from the house. 
  • Seal any gaps, cracks, or holes around your foundation.
  • Check all windows to make sure they are tightly sealed to avoid water leaking in and providing gateways for earwigs to enter. 
  • Replace window or door screens with any tears or holes in them.
  • Remove piles of excess mulch, debri, dried leaves, or vegetation from your property. 
  • Stack firewood a good distance away from your home or eliminate them completely. 

What If I’m Still Seeing Bugs After Getting Pest Control

How to Get Rid of Earwigs in Your House 

Homeowners often find earwigs where there is water. Under kitchen and bathroom sinks, basements, or around drains, are all earwigs hotspots. They are attracted to damp, moist, cool areas but will work their way into the other living spaces in your home. They show up in living rooms and bedrooms also but rarely start an infestation. If earwigs are settling into your property, there are several very simple home remedies you can try.

  • Rubbing alcohol and water mixture- The combination of rubbing alcohol and water is deadly to earwigs on contact. Keep a water bottle of the mixture on hand for when an earwig scurries out in the open.
  • Boric acid powder- Boric acid is a natural insecticide that kills earwigs on contact. It can easily be found at any hardware store. Simply sprinkle the powder in areas earwigs are known to frequent. Along your baseboards or in window sills are both locations highly trafficked by bugs so they’re a good place to start. The powder can also be applied around woodpiles or damp corners of your yard or garden. It’s important to note that boric acid can be harmful to children and pets so keep the powder away for safety reasons.
  • Soap and water- Mix dish soap and water to spray areas where you commonly see earwigs around your home.
  • Earwig Pesticide- Apply an earwig pesticide roughly 5-10 feet away from your home. You can apply it to the surface of your garden or lawn. Be sure to water immediately following the application to ensure the pesticide penetrates deep into the soil, killing earwig eggs.
  • Vacuuming- When dealing with a large concentration of earwigs, the vacuuming method often works very well. Suck up all the earwigs you can see and thoroughly vacuum the premises to gather as many eggs as possible at the same time. Take care to immediately dispose of the vacuum bag or empty the canister right away. Instead of emptying them in the garbage, empty them into a bucket of soapy water to exterminate them and avoid the earwigs returning to the same spot.

Earwig Bug Killer 

While it isn’t often necessary to take drastic measures when dealing with earwigs, it’s always smart to know your options when it comes to getting rid of them. Keep in mind that when you’re working with pesticides, it’s best to let pest control professionals take over. But if you want to try the DIY option, here are some guidelines.

We recommend applying pesticides in the evening just before earwigs come out in the dark to feed. There are a number of insecticides that we recommend. These include esfenvalerate, bifenthrin, malathion, azadirachtin, diatomaceous earth, and permethrin. As we mentioned earlier, be sure to use enough water in the application to ensure the chemicals reach deep into the soil where earwigs hide and lay their eggs. Check the labels on the pesticide you choose to go with when spraying fruit trees or garden vegetables as not all insecticides are safe for edible plants. When using any insecticides inside your home, be sure to use a cyfluthrin-containing pesticide that is approved for indoor use.

How to Get Rid of Earwigs Conclusion 

If home remedies haven’t worked for you or you’re still feeling overtaken by unwanted pests of any kind, give Vinx Pest Control a call. Our experienced technicians are skilled at what they do and are trained to keep your family safe from any pest or rodent infestation. If you live in the Dallas, Charleston, or Greenville areas, we can help you with your pest control needs. Around Dallas, we serve Grapevine, Arlington, and Garland. In Charleston, we serve North Charleston and Mount Pleasant. In the Greenville area, we serve Greer, Spartanburg, and more.

Pest Control in Apartments

Carpenter Ants Texas

Carpenter Ants Texas

What are carpenter ants? 

Carpenter ants in Texas are a wood-destroying species of ants that can cause pretty severe damage to homes and any other structure they invade. Carpenter ants in Texas can specifically prove to be a problem as they are a common sight around Texas homes throughout the year. Even though their natural nesting sites are in trees, carpenter ants can also invade your indoor space. 

Identifying carpenter ants 

Carpenter ants are one of the larger species of ants you can find in Texas homes. The state is home to 18 different carpenter ant species. The most common of these ants have a reddish head and thorax with a black tail. They grow larger during mating season and also have wings. We refer to these winged carpenter ants as “swarmers”. Other species of carpenter ants are black and yellow in color. 

Are carpenter ants dangerous? 

While carpenter ants can certainly inflict a painful bite, they are a much greater threat to property than to people. These insects are attracted to areas of your home with water-damaged structural wood. Areas like under your sinks and near drains. They seek out moisture. Carpenter ants are like termites in the fact that they tunnel through your structural wood, but they differ in that they do not feed on it. But, they build satellite nests near their newly found food source. 

What do they eat? 

Outdoors, carpenter ants feed on living and dead insects. They also feed on honeydew, which is a sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects. There are a variety of food sources they are drawn to inside your home. Any sweet substance like honey or syrup, pet food, or any source of protein. They do not eat wood. 

Where will I find them? 

Most often, carpenter ants build their nests outside in wooded areas such as dead tree stumps, mulch piles, rotting fence posts, and under rocks. Since you really don’t want them coming into your home, it is imperative you know their go-to spots if they make it inside. Once again, any moist area where structural wood has been compromised is a target.

How to prevent carpenter ants 

Once you start seeing carpenter ants around your property you may already have an infestation. Here are some helpful ideas you can follow to prevent these pests from invading in the first place. 

  • Use dehumidifies inside your home or business, and properly ventilate your crawlspace. 
  • Remove any wood debris from your yard, including fallen trees and tree stumps. 
  • Store your food in airtight containers. 
  • Vacuum and sweep your floors regularly. 
  • Wipe down countertops and kitchen appliances on a regular basis.
  • Install quality weather stripping around all your windows and doors.
  • Routinely check your gutters to prevent water from seeping into your building. 
  • Inspect the exterior of your property, sealing any cracks leading into your home or business. 
  • Remove piles of leaves, mulch, or debris from your property
  • Make sure all your garbage cans and recycle bins have tight-fitting lids. 
  • Place a stone or crushed rock barrier between your foundation and mulch or grass 

How do I get rid of carpenter ants? 

Carpenter ants in Texas are an extreme annoyance and can be very hard to control. There are natural remedies you can try before venturing into chemical sprays and insecticides. A simple mixture of soap and water is toxic to carpenter ants. Mix one part natural dish soap to two parts water in a spray bottle. Spray as needed to kill the ants and eliminate their pheromone trails. You can continue to treat problem areas and nests until the ants no longer return. 

Quite often, home remedies will only work temporarily and you will likely see the pesky ants return. So, many homeowners choose to bypass these less effective home solutions and contact their local pest control experts. When it comes to pest control in the Dallas area, the experienced team at Vinx Pest Control are the ones to call. We guarantee your satisfaction or

we’ll keep servicing until you are completely satisfied. Our team of professionals is knowledgeable and skilled at every service we provide. Contact us today for a free quote and we can begin developing a specific treatment plan for your property. Click here to see pricing