Are You Ready For Earwig Season?

Are you are starting to shake earwigs out of your towels when you get out of the shower?

They may have tagged along with the laundry from the moist basement that has proven to be a great place for them to hide.

Earwigs are beginning to show in bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchens all across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas.

These are surefire signs earwig season is getting closer and closer as fall quickly approaches. Have you pest proof your home before the temperatures start dropping this fall?

When is Earwig Season?

Outdoor earwig species burrow underground during the cold winter months. As the ground warms, earwigs lay their eggs in the springtime, and the female stays with the eggs until they hatch and are skilled enough to find their own food.

For the most part, earwigs remain outside. They live under rocks, in flower beds, under paving stones, and even in the deep crevices of the hydrangea leaves. Earwigs prefer to live in areas where it is dark and damp. At night, they emerge to feed on plants and other insects.

As the weather cools off, earwigs head indoors to find food. Unfortunately, your home is the best target.

Problems Caused by Earwigs

Contrary to popular belief, earwigs are not poisonous or dangerous. They won’t sneak in your ears when you sleep at night and use the big pincer to eat your brain.

The biggest risk earwigs pose is to your plants and plant seedlings, as they are an excellent food source.

That’s not to say earwigs pose no threat at all to humans. If you pick up an agitated earwig, it will use its pincer to pierce your skin. While they won't do much damage it can cause skin irritation.

Why Are Earwigs In The House?

Earwigs can typically be found invading homes in large numbers when the weather cools down in the fall; though it is important to know that they really can become problematic inside your home any time of the year.

Earwigs can be found living outside in dark, damp areas like underneath mulch, under piles of leaves, grass, or under other organic debris.

They can find their way inside your home after foraging for food or after being attracted to your home by outdoor lighting.

Once inside a home, earwigs tend to congregate in large numbers and will live and hide in the hard-to-reach areas of your home (basements, crawl spaces, behind walls and underneath floors), making them difficult to eliminate without professional services.

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 to 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.

How to Control Earwigs in the House

If you are already seeing these signs of earwigs, perhaps your home isn't as safe you’d hoped.

If you see earwigs inside or outside your home, you need to take steps to prevent them and other pests, as well as control the ones you see already.

⭐ Reduce moisture throughout your home by improving ventilation and fixing leaks.

⭐ Earwigs are attracted to light, switch out white outdoor light for yellow, insect repellent lights.

⭐ Change the outdoor lighting around the outside of your home, moving it away from the house so it doesn’t invite the earwigs to come closer.

⭐ Place a stone or rock barrier between your home’s foundation and any mulch, grass, or soil.

⭐ Install gutters and make sure that they are working properly to direct water away from the outside of your home.

⭐ Move woodpiles and yard debris away from your home.

⭐ Use dehumidifiers in damp areas of your home.

⭐ Vacuum and mop often.

⭐ Put into place a year-round, professional pest control service from the professionals at American Pest.

American Pest is ready now to prepare and protect your home from an earwig invasion in the fall. Now is the best time to prevent earwigs because they are mostly still outside; but as it cools, your home will be their target.

American Pest has residential pest control services in DC, Virginia, and Maryland to get rid of earwigs. We offer interior and exterior home treatments that come with our pest-free pledge guarantee. Call now to learn more about our services.