Earwigs in House: A Guide to Causes, Control, and Prevention

What has six legs, three body parts, two antennae, and a long set of pinchers at the bottom of its abdomen? The answer is an earwig! While they might be fascinating insects to look at, chances are high that you don’t want them in your home. 

Whether you’ve spotted just one in your home, or you’re dealing with an infestation, it’s time to get those unwanted visitors off your property for good. Today, we’re sharing a go-to guide for anyone dealing with earwigs in house!

What do they look like? How did they get into your home? How can you get rid of them and prevent another occurrence? 

Let’s take a look at the answers you need. 

Why Do Earwigs Invade Your Home?

Most of the time, earwigs are content to hang out outdoors. These nocturnal insects prefer cool, damp areas, where they can feed on dead plants and insects. However, it’s not uncommon for homeowners to notice an earwig infestation in their house. 

When these creepy-crawlies move indoors, it’s usually for one of three reasons. These include:

1. They’ve experienced a change in their outdoor conditions
2. They found their way inside via holes or openings in your home
3. They were attracted to light inside of your home

Note that earwigs are especially attracted to bright lights. For this reason, you may notice them right at your entrances or at the foundation of your home, near your exterior lights. When they shine at night, those lights naturally pique the interest of many nearby insects, including earwigs. 

Signs of Earwigs in Your Home

Wondering if they’ve set up shop inside your home? There are a few telltale signs that could point to an earwig infestation. These include:

• A foul smell
• Activity near outdoor lights
• Dead plants and shrubs
• Live or dead insects near food, plants, or areas of mold growth 

Let’s start with the smell. Earwigs create a yellow-brown secretion when crushed, which can occur if you or someone in your family accidentally steps on them. If this happens, then the secretion will give off a distinct, foul-smelling odor to tip you off that something is wrong. 

As mentioned, you may notice heightened activity around your outdoor lights at night. If you see earwigs at these locations, be careful to close your doors and windows carefully. If your once-thriving vegetation is now dead or dying at those same spots, this could be another sign that earwigs are nearby.

Once they’re inside your home, they’ll continue to look for cool, moist places to live. For this reason, you may notice a cluster of bugs in the damp soil of your indoor houseplants, under waterlogged rugs and carpets, and around the baseboards of your bathroom and kitchen.

How Can You Control Earwigs in Your Home?

Now that we’ve established what they look like and how they enter your home, let’s talk about how to get rid of earwigs in your house. 

A quick internet search will inform you that there are many different DIY methods that you can try, such as rubbing alcohol, dish soap, or boric acid. While these can be effective to an extent, the reality is that it’s best to trust a professional pest control company to fully eradicate an earwig infestation.

Otherwise, you could wind up spending money and exerting energy on ineffective solutions that ultimately do more harm than good. Plus, in the time it takes you to try each method, the earwig infestation could continue to grow. Instead of spinning your wheels, let a local team you can trust take the reins. 

The Fast Action Pest Control Approach

At Fast Action Pest Control, we can provide an Enhanced Service Program, designed to protect your property from some of the most common pests in California, including earwigs. Under this program, our team of qualified and experienced technicians will provide effective, long-term pest control. 

Our methods and materials are low-risk and effective. They’re also based on our team’s in-depth knowledge of the earwig’s biology, behavior, and seasonal trends. In addition to earwigs, some of the other pests we can help treat include:

• Ants
• Spiders
• Wasps
• Fleas
• Cockroaches
• Centipedes
• Rodents

While conventional pest control methods rely on creating a barrier around your home to target and reduce pest activity, we take a different approach, based on methods from Integrated Pest Management. Instead of barricading the pests in, we deliver treatments that affect and eliminate them right at the source. We’ll work with you to identify the main harborage areas inside and outside your home for prompt and direct protection. 

Preventing a Future Earwig Infestation

When our team visits your home, we will perform a thorough inspection of the interior and exterior of your property. During this time, we will identify conducive conditions that may have drawn the pests into your house. 

Then, we will provide expert tips on how to control this issue and prevent it from occurring again down the road. If you’re an active Fast Action Pest Control customer, we’ll also re-visit your home to perform a follow-up treatment at no additional cost if you find that the earwigs return. 

Our services are guaranteed effective for 365 days after treatment. From our office in Elk Grove, we can cover the full Sacramento area, responding to a variety of pest-related needs. 

Eliminate Earwigs in House Today

As a California homeowner, you deserve to enjoy your property to its fullest extent. While it can be disheartening to find earwigs in house, the good news is you’re only one call away from treatment. Instead of relying on risky at-home attempts, go ahead and give our team a call at the first sign of a pest problem. 

Our reliable technicians at Fast Action Pest Control can help you reclaim your home and your peace of mind. We’re always available, so feel free to schedule a free inspection online today!