It’s summertime in Yuba City, CA, which is great for pests. Warm weather, plentiful food, and promising breeding conditions make summer a prime infestation time.

Ants, spiders, and cockroaches are all more active during the summer. You may not be shocked that your neighbor has an earwig infestation.

Unfortunately, the idea of an earwig infestation is foreign to many homeowners. Unlike roaches and ants, signs or earwigs are harder to spot.

The issue with these hidden infestations is that it’s hard to use earwig control methods if you can’t tell they’re there. Below are seven key signs you have an earwig infestation and how to remove them.

What Are Earwigs?

Earwigs are small, flat insects ranging from a quarter-inch to an inch long. They’re brown or black and have forceps-shaped cerci. Cerci are paired appendages on the backside or abdomen of many insects.

These insects run fast and fly, though they don’t do it often. Earwigs have two sets of wings, which their pincers help to unfold.

Earwigs aren’t especially harmful to people and don’t crawl into people’s ears; those are urban legends. Another misconception is that earwigs bite — they do not.

They pinch with their cerci, but the pinch isn’t very painful. Earwigs can lay a prodigious amount of eggs. These bugs lay tens of eggs simultaneously in underground tunnels.

The eggs hatch within a week, making it hard to use earwig control methods before a population increases. Earwigs are common throughout America; there are over twenty species of these bugs in the United States.

Seven Signs You’ve Got an Earwig Infestation

One or two earwigs don’t mean an infestation; they can get inside through open windows or doors. They usually come inside during weather changes and periods of food scarcity.

As we mentioned, it’s hard to tell if there’s an infestation. This is largely because they aren’t social like ants or bees. They don’t gather together and there is no class structure — they don’t have queens or workers.

Succinctly, you can’t rely on social grouping and hierarchy to tell whether you’ve got an infestation. There are other ways you can tell if your house has been invaded, keep reading to learn more.

1. Foul Smells

Some species of earwigs release foul-smelling liquids when they feel threatened or are crushed. It’s yellowish-brown and many describe it as having a fecal or rotted flesh odor.

Earwigs emit another scent humans can’t smell, but that attracts other earwigs. You may not spot the other earwigs easily, but an abundance of the foul smell may mean a bug problem.

2. Large Groups of Other Bugs

Earwigs prefer decaying plants and wood, but they are opportunistic feeders and eat anything they can. The list includes dead insects, spiders, mites, and aphids. Crowds of these bugs may attract a congregation of earwigs.

It’s not that crowds of other types of bugs mean you have an earwig infestation. Rather, seeing one or two earwigs with nearby bugs may mean more pincher bugs.

3. Half-Eaten Indoor Plants and Fruits

Earwigs enjoy eating other bugs, but they also love plants and fruits. Other signs of an earwig infestation include half-eaten plant leaves and fruits (and vegetables) riddled with black spots and holes.

4. Dead Outdoor Plants

Dead or dying, once-thriving shrubs and plants may be infested with earwigs. The bugs are nocturnal and may hide in nearby dirt during the day.

At night, they come out to feed. Some plants cannot handle this damage, and the constant onslaught kills them. Look for chew marks and holes in the leaves.

Earwigs trail residue across the leaves they eat. Search for slime trails like what snails and slugs leave behind.

5. Live Our Dead Bugs Near Moisture

Earwigs enjoy moist, dark, cool areas. Bathrooms are a favored spot for these bugs inside the home.

You can find them hiding inside moist soil and layers of outdoor vegetation, like fallen leaves. Other hiding spots include carpet, underneath wet rugs, inside laundry, kitchen baseboards, broken gutters, and basement walls.

6. Earwig Droppings and Exoskeletons

Another way to tell if you’ve got earwigs is by their “leavings.” You may find droppings, which will appear as small, black pellets.

Young earwigs, called nymphs, will leave behind exoskeletons. You may see husks of old outgrown skin in and around their favored spots.

7. Groups of Earwigs in Lit Outdoor Areas

Earwigs prefer the night, but they’re attracted to lights. People often see them on your porch or deck during summer. If they’re not on your porch, they’ll gather around other yard lights, like ground stake lights.

Earwig Control Methods: Combating the Infestation

Your best choice for eliminating earwig pests is to call a professional pest control company. However, there are things you can do to mitigate this issue.

First, you should repair leaks and control humidity in areas where earwigs would likely be. You can use humidifiers in your bathroom and basement.

Vapor barriers can help in your basement. A vapor barrier or vapor-diffusion retarder is a material that reduces the rate vapor passes through walls and roofs. They’re often made of plastic or foil sheets.

Caulk over openings and cracks in walls and windows as the bugs can crawl through tight spaces. Tight-fitting door screens aid with keeping earwigs out of your home. Door stops will keep earwigs from getting in under the doors.

Removing piles of leaves limits the places earwigs can hide. Reducing lighting around windows, doors, and other entries means fewer attractive openings for the bugs.

If you can’t limit outdoor lighting, try changing to yellow lights. Yellow outdoor lights attract fewer bugs than white, halide, neon, and mercury.

Getting Quality Home Pest Prevention and Removal

Dealing with an earwig infestation can be rough. These insects breed quickly and are difficult to spot. We’ve given you seven signs of earwigs to look out for, but you’ve got to stay diligent for them to matter.

You can try eliminating earwig pests alone, but calling Fast Action Pest Control is better. We’ve served Northern California for over 15 years, offering rapid pest control with low-risk methods and materials.

You can contact us 365 days a year. Don’t hesitate to ask about our free inspection service or the Enhanced Service Program.