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Why do I have earwigs in my apartment or home?
The favorite and suitable living place for earwigs are those containing moist, shelter and adequate food supply. For this reason, earwig enters in apartments or homes. They do not make their residence inside our homes intentionally. Rather, they get in accidentally as a result of escaping from some danger.
1. How did they get inside
Earwigs get entered the home through a variety of ways:
- Earwigs usually make their ways inside the home through gaps, holes, and cracks. Such paths can be found around inadequately sealed windows and doors, around the assembling point of foundation and siding, around basement vents and attics, and main entry doors from where crawling space can be accessed.
- These creatures get inside the home through human activities. Like earwig hiding inside the newspaper, plants, books and they are carried by people inside their home.
- Earwigs sometimes also get attracted by light and move from the outdoor location towards inside.
- Earwigs’ infestation can also be brought inside the home by chance. For example, earwig tried to find some favorable box habitat inside the garage or plant pots and started living and reproducing there. When such boxes are taken inside the home, it results into earwigs entrance.
2. Weather condition
Weather condition is another big reason behind earwig’s entry in the home or apartments. For example, When outside weather condition becomes harsh for earwigs if it is too cold or too hot or dry outside. Then, earwigs usually start entering the homes to get warmth in outside cold temperature and moist during dry outside weather. They would come in the case of dry outside weather, only if they get basement like area with enough moist and clutter. These insects can also stay in those basements walls where water trickles on the floor and creates a suitable environment for earwigs. However, usually, earwigs do not prefer entering the human residence. They only do this in the result of poor maintenance or through human activities.
Are earwigs dangerous or poisonous to humans?
The presence of frightening looking forceps projecting from their abdomens makes people scared of earwigs. Furthermore, myth roamed about their entrance inside the ear of sleeping person has even worsened the situation. However, in reality, earwigs are not this much dangerous as people might consider them. They only use the presence of forceps for defensive purposes or to grab their food or to fight with other male earwigs. They do not usually hurt humans through their forceps. If they do so, it would only be the case they are either nervous or disturbed by humans.
Another important thing that makes earwig harmless for humans is the absence of their sting. Other insects like mosquitoes and bed bugs bite people and insert their strings inside the body. Few insects also possess venom, and they inject it through their sting. However, earwig can not do this thing as they do not contain a string. Furthermore, they also don’t have any venom or poison sac making them danger less for humans.
The earwig bite might cause a bit pain, and in very few cases it can also break the skin. However, still, the skin breaking would require a minor treatment as other scratches may need. It can cure by just washing the area and applying antibiotic ointment to prevent any infection. However, the only harm or danger that earwig might create for humans is through consuming their healthy garden plants.
Most effective commercial earwig repellents & traps
1. Ortho Bug Geta Insect Killer
- About the products: Ortho Bug-Geta Plus is a product that can kill earwigs and other wide variety of insects. This product contains Bitrex and Injection deterrent that kills insects.
- How to use: It is only required to sprinkle or scatter its pallets in a little amount, and it works perfectly for a vast area.
- Where to use: The product should be used around plants, fruits and vegetables, ornamental plants and inside lawn and gardens. This product can give best results if it is used in moist soil.
- Benefits:It stays active and working even after rain. Besides earwigs, it can also be used to get rid of other insects too.
2. Niban Granular Pest Control Insecticide Bait
- About the product: Niban Granular Pest control insecticide bait is a chemical that is spread to attract earwigs. When they consume it, it will block the growth of microorganisms inside their stomach leading towards starvation and ultimately their death.
- How to use: It is available both in 4 pounds bottle and in granules form. It can be applied through using a mechanical spreader or power duster for larger areas.
- Where to use: The product offers the equal effectiveness whether you use it inside or outside. Inside the home, it should be applied around crevices, attics, holes and other small openings. In gardens or lawn, it should be applied near infestation of earwigs.
- Benefits: It can endure four inches of rain and can also resist hot weather. You can apply both outdoor and indoor and kills the large variety of insects. It is odorless and harmless.
3. Safer Brand Diatomaceous Earth
- About the product: Safer Brand Diatomaceous Earth is a product that is available in the dust like powder form. It is made up of fossilized algae and seems like fine powder if it is rubbed on the hand. However, in reality, it is very dangerous for insects’ exoskeleton, and it can cut it away when insects contact with this DE.
- How to use: The product is very easy to handle and use as only thing required is to spread it around the affected area.
- Where to use: You can use it in both situations, outside and inside. It should be applied on the places where earwigs can typically be seen.
- Benefits: It is harmless to other pets and kids. It is odorless and can kill insects within 48 hours period.
4. Monterey Sluggo Plus
- About the product: Monterey Sluggo Plus is a product made up of substances that are naturally created from the bacterium of the soil.
- How to use: The use of this product is very easy. It contains shaker that can help in its natural application. Scatter this product around the affected area, and it will kill earwigs completely.
- Where to use: It should be applied in outside location only. It should be used in gardens, on vegetables, lawns, shrubs, flowers and other non-commercial greenhouses.
- Benefits: Besides earwigs, it can also be used to kill other insects. It is inexpensive and easy to use.
5. BioCare Earwig Trap
- About the product: This product is made up of non-toxic material that catches the earwigs when they move on it.
- How to use: Apply some bait on the trap and put it near holes. It will trap earwigs when they walk on it to go inside the hole.
- Where to use: It can be used both inside and outside
- Benefits: Because of its high-quality material, it can be reused. It is a harmless and natural way of catching earwigs.
6. Trapper Insect Trap
- About the product: Trapper Insect trap is a non-toxic glue trap to catch and monitor earwigs. Besides catching, it can also be used to detect the severity of earwigs’ population.
- How to use: It can be used both as a large sized trap and can be cut into small size traps. It contains sticky back that can be attached to any clean surface.
- Where to use: You can use it both outdoor and indoor location where insects population can be seen mostly.
- Benefits: The product is non-poisonous and can be used to trap a large variety of insects.
7. Victor Poison-Free Insect Magnet Traps
- About the product: It is the safest and easiest way to attract and kill insects. It is designed in a unique way that helps it in attracting and trapping insect from almost all angles.
- How to use: You should place it inside the room where earwigs presence is suspicious.
- Where to use: It can be used for indoor areas only.
- Benefits: The product has multiple entry points lead towards higher insects catch rate.
8. Intruder The Better Insect trap
- About the product: Intruder 21000 is a food based trap that effectively traps earwigs. It is highly advanced non-poisonous sticky trap for insects. Its unique LO-LINE design can efficiently trap and monitor insects.
- How to use: The use is very simple. It should be placed in those areas where earwigs are present and required to be removed.
- Where to use: It can be used both indoor and outdoor areas.
- Benefits: The product is totally safe and harmless for pets and kids. It contains the large surface area that can catch a large number of insects.
How do I prevent them from hurting house plants?
Besides eating decaying vegetation, sometimes earwigs may also start living inside the pots of houseplants. As these pots are the rich source of moist and darkness, therefore, it makes a perfect atmosphere for earwigs. As they live inside plants pots, they also start consuming young plants, their soft roots, and seedlings. Therefore, it is crucial to look for earwig infestation in house plants.
When plants are brought inside the home, earwigs stays inside the pot and flourish inside the plant. Therefore, to prevent houseplants from getting damaged, one should remove the plant from the pot and shake it thoroughly to remove all earwigs present inside. After shaking, saucer should be dried, and soil should be inspected for other earwigs or their eggs. Remove all insects and their eggs. This process should be repeated on finding any earwig around house plants. Furthermore, areas around house plants like carpet edges and wall corners should be cleaned through vacuum properly to remove any earwig present there. Furthermore, check plants for any kinds of mulch or rotten material inside them. If that is present, remove it to prevent your plants from earwigs.
How to get rid of the earwigs in the bathroom?
Earwigs prefer moist places, and unluckily, the bathroom is the part of the home that remains humid and moist almost all the time. Therefore, the chances of finding earwigs inside the bathroom are the highest. On the search for earwigs inside the bathroom, following steps should be taken to get rid of them:
- Surroundings of bathrooms should be checked. What is on the other side of the bathroom walls is present or what is below the bathroom. If there are any leaks or sprinkler system outside or near the bathroom, it will welcome the earwigs inside your home. Therefore, they should be settled firstly.
- During taking a shower, exhaust fan should be turned on to reduce humidity level inside the bathroom.
- Drain stoppers should be put on the drains when not in use.
- All leaks around sinks and bathroom area should be fixed properly to stop earwigs from entering inside.
- If there are any plants or flowers outside the bathroom area, then they should be cleaned from mulch or should be taken a bit away from the bathrooms.
- Different insecticides can be used to remove the already present earwigs that would have long-lasting effects within one or two application.
How to get rid of earwigs permanently?
A shallow tin can be taken and should be filled with vegetable oil to make an earwig trap. It will attract earwig, they will come and would get drowned inside the oil. Another trap can be made by rolling an old newspaper and putting it near the base of plants in the presence of sunset. It will attract earwigs that can be removed later on. Another useful trap can be made through using a shoebox and putting a layer of bran or oatmeal inside. By making few holes at the outer side of a shoebox, earwigs will be attracted towards it and can be trapped easily.