Earwigs are truly gross-looking bugs. They have two poker-like projections from their rear ends, long antennae, and long, slender bodies that are enough to make most people grimace. If you find these bugs in your home, you'll surely want to get rid of them as soon as possible. Here are some ways that you and a local pest control service can work together to address the issue.
1. Tidy up the landscaping around your home.
Often, earwigs take up residence in the weeds and plants around the foundation of your home. Then, they slowly start wandering into your home through any cracks or holes in the foundation. While plugging up any holes in your foundation can help exclude them, you may not find every tiny hole the bugs can squeeze through. Thus, you should also clean up the landscaping around the outside of your home. Trim back any plants, remove weeds, and dispose of any twigs and debris that have accumulated.
2. Have a barrier of insecticides put down.
A pest control company can come put down a barrier of insecticide on the soil surrounding your home. This is a good step to take if you have a lot of plant growth in your yard, but not directly against your home's foundation. The earwigs can live in the plant growth, but the insecticide barrier will keep them from coming over into your house.
3. Lay out some oil traps.
A pest control company can put some oil traps down in your home wherever you have been seeing the earwigs. The oily substance will attract the earwigs, but then they will fall into the oil and ultimately drown. Your pest control company can even give you a few extra traps to set down if you start seeing earwigs in different places. These traps are a safe choice for homes with kids and pets.
4. Spray bugs you see with alcohol.
Ask your pest control professional for a bottle of alcohol-based spray. This is a relatively safe spray to use since the alcohol evaporates quickly after you spray it. When you see an earwig, you can give it a spritz. The alcohol will disrupt its exoskeleton and cause it to die.
5. Eliminate moisture indoors.
Earwigs thrive where there is moisture. So if you take steps to dry your home out, such as installing a dehumidifier and fixing leaky faucets, you should start to see fewer of these bugs.
Earwigs are not fun to have around, but if you follow the steps above, you can eliminate them.
