How To Keep Your Fulshear Home Earwig-Free: Prevention And Removal Tips

Finding insects in your home can be troubling, especially if they have black pincers. If you're seeing earwigs indoors or noticing more of them near your house than usual, you likely have questions. We hope to answer many of those questions for you today. We will drill in and tell you everything you need to know. So, what is an earwig anyway?" Don't worry. We'll answer that for you, too. We'll cover all of the bases today.

We want to quickly remind you that help is available if you need it immediately. Your Modern Pest Control team knows all about these creepy pests. We're your local earwig exterminators in Fulshear. You can access information about service options, pricing, and other earwig questions through our Contact Us page; we look forward to hearing from you soon.

That said, let's look at all the facts you need to keep your Fulshear home earwig-free.

What Are Earwigs? A Brief Overview

Earwigs range in size from about 1/4 to 1 inch in length. The big ones can be a bit intimidating because it is easier to see their scary pincers. But you don't have to worry about those pincers. They aren't strong enough to harm you. The most you're likely to get is a small pinch. You also don't have to worry about earwigs biting you; they don't bite people.

In the United States, there are more than 20 different earwig species. They're all slightly different, but they have those pincers in common. You'll find the pincers on the end of the earwig, opposite its head. If they're on the head, you're probably looking at a soldier termite. It is another common Fulshear pest that has pincers. But it is quite a bit smaller. A soldier termite is just about half the size of the smallest earwig.

You shouldn't need more of a description to tell soldier termites apart from earwigs, but it is fun to compare them. The comparisons provide more insight into what you can expect from earwigs on your property:

Earwigs are omnivorous insects. They'll eat insects, general bugs, and plants. Termite soldiers only eat a nutrient created by worker termites through a process called trophallaxis.
You'll find earwigs crawling around on plants, wood, and in the soil. You may discover soldier termites on wood or in soil, but never on plants. Soldiers stay near the worker termites, and the workers don't eat plants.
You may find earwigs crawling around inside your home. You're unlikely ever to see a soldier termite unless you lift something and find one. Termites avoid the light. Earwigs gravitate to light, so keep this in mind if you're hoping to keep them away from the exterior of your house.
Earwigs sometimes enter the ear canals of sleeping people, though this is extremely rare. It's an old wives' tale that they crawl to the brain to lay eggs. Other insects also do this. Soldier termites never enter ears because they don't leave their hiding places for long.

As we said, the rumors floating around about earwigs getting into ears and wreaking havoc are just that. We can assure you that you have little to fear. Earwigs seek damp and humid places far from where you're likely to sleep—unless you sleep in a basement. They prefer to stay near dirt, so a clean environment is somewhat resistant to earwig activity. While they're attracted to dark holes, they'll have difficulty scaling you to get into your ear. You're much more likely to have a cockroach get into your ear.

If an earwig should ever find its way into your ear, it isn't likely to lay eggs. Your ear canal is not a suitable environment for an earwig. And you have zero chance of earwigs attempting to tunnel to your brain; they just can't do this. Hopefully, these facts put those silly questions to rest. Now, let's discuss what you can expect from earwigs in your house.

Earwigs And Wood: Risks To Your Home's Infrastructure

Once again, discussing the differences between soldier termites and earwigs is fun because it reveals unique traits that each insect possesses. It also shows a bit about how they're the same. In this section, we will explain a condition that can attract earwigs and termites.

Just like termites, earwigs have a relationship with wood. Here are a few ways earwigs and termites are the same:

Both earwigs and termites require moisture to stay hydrated. They seek out damp soil and wood.
If you lift a dead branch in your backyard, finding an earwig or a soldier termite is possible.
If you have rotted wood on your house, it will attract both earwigs and termites.
If you have damp landscaping, the moist soil will draw both of these insects.

Earwigs and termites present different issues when they find decaying wood. When earwigs stumble onto a rotting piece of wood in your home, they will look for fungi to eat, and their search can lead them into your house through areas where the wood is compromised. If termites stumble onto a rotting piece of wood, they'll drill into it and consume the interior. The takeaway is that earwigs don't harm the infrastructure of your home like termites do. So, it is much better to have an earwig infestation. But, in either case, you'll definitely want to locate rotting wood and replace those timbers. While you're at it, address any wood-to-soil contact.

Natural Earwig Prevention: Protecting Your Garden And Home

If someone were to ask, what are earwigs attracted to, what answer would you give after reading the facts above? Did you pick up on them? Earwigs are attracted to food, which means a yard with lots of bugs and plants provides the perfect environment for these insects.

Earwigs are attracted to light—ground lighting especially. You'll find earwigs under brush piles, campfire wood, wooden flower beds, and other sources of wood. Earwigs like dark holes and are prone to get into entry points in exteriors. They are particularly attracted to decaying wood and the damp conditions that cause wood to rot. Once inside your home, they'll look for humid spaces because they need moisture to stay hydrated.

What can you do with all these facts? You can use them for natural earwig prevention:

Managing damp conditions in your landscaping will reduce the plant-damaging insects earwigs eat. Water plants in the morning, clean gutters, and remove weeds.
Reduce or remove heavy ground cover, such as ivy and kudzu vines, to reduce the food sources and shaded earwig hiding places.
Removing habitats, such as leaf litter, dead branches, and plant debris, can reduce the number of other bugs earwigs eat.
Reduce all insects by managing exterior light. Consider installing yellow lights or lights that only come on when motion is detected.
Store firewood, sticks, and other wood scraps on elevated platforms or in bins to keep them dry and off the ground.
Refrain from using bark mulches as earwigs prefer them.
Replace wood landscape elements with other man-made materials.
Trim plants away from your exterior, particularly near windows, as plants will provide a bridge for earwigs.
Use expanding foam to fill in gaps around pipes or cavities in your exterior.
Replace rotted wood.
Make sure the seals around all exterior doors are tight.
Replace damaged screens on windows and doors.
Cover vents with screen material.
Use mortar to patch cracks in your foundation wall.
Repair damaged window panes or framing.

These methods will reduce earwig activity near your home and deter them from finding pathways into your house. If you need more control than these methods offer, you may use sticky traps or duct tape to catch these insects as they attempt to enter. You may also make traps using small cans and fish oil. Coat the interior of the cans and sink them into the ground until the tops are flush with ground level. The earwigs will drop in and be unable to climb back out. If you want an even easier trap, you can place a folded newspaper in areas near your home where earwigs crawl around. In the morning, pick the newspaper up and shake the earwigs into a bucket of soapy water.

Keep in mind that traps don't solve the problem; they only reduce the number of earwigs. A pest control treatment will target the source of the problem. We recommend having a licensed professional apply pest control, as improper application of pest control materials is more harmful than an earwig infestation. For assistance in Fulshear, contact Modern Pest Control. We use family-friendly pest control to manage pests like earwigs.

An Effective Earwig Removal Method: Contact Us Today!

What do you do if you already have these pests inside your home? Let's take a look at how to get rid of earwigs. Some of the methods are similar to those we've already discussed. We're sure you'll see the similarities; however, the application is unique to indoor environments.

Exclusion Work

Earwig removal begins with altering the conditions that allow these insects to get into your home. You'll need to seal interior pathways. If earwigs get into your wall voids from outdoors, it doesn't mean they'll have access to your interior. Unlike termites, earwigs don't chew through wood. Use these exclusions to keep them from coming out of your walls:

Apply expanding foam around the pipes under your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room sinks. If you have a laundry room, do the same around the sink pipes in there.
Use a caulk and a caulking gun to seal along baseboards and around door frames and window frames.
Take vent covers off and look for gaps around interior vent ducts. Seal these with expanding foam, caulk, or tape.
Make sure all wall outlets have covers.
Inspect the edges of tiled floors and seal gaps where the tiles touch the wall or go underneath your baseboards.
Inspect all of the sweeps on your exterior doors. If you can see out, earwigs can get in.

Moisture Control

Earwigs can't live in a dry home. Every step you take to reduce dampness, moisture, and humidity will make earwigs unhappy. Here are some examples:

Repair that leaky faucet you've been meaning to fix.
Repair leaky shower heads and other fixtures.
Address weeping pipes and garbage disposals.
Turn the fan on during showers and baths.
If you don't have a ventilation fan in your bathroom, consider installing one.
Install fans and ventilation in humid basement spaces.
Install a dehumidifier to reduce humidity in key areas of your home.

Direct Removal

If you find earwigs, you can suck them up with your vacuum. After sucking them up, dispose of the bag outdoors to prevent the insects from finding a way out and continuing to pester you.

These methods will help you deal with earwigs in your home. If you don't mind putting in the effort, you can get on top of most earwig problems with natural pest management. If control products are needed, contact Modern Pest Control for assistance. Our QualityPro-certified team uses an Integrated Pest Management approach to systematically deal with earwig infestations in a healthy way. We analyze the infestation and evaluate the conditions allowing them to survive inside. Our trained and experienced technicians then create a home pest control plan to deal with the issue.

When your home is free of earwigs, you can maintain your earwig prevention practices or continue with a pest control service plan. All of our plans, starting with Modern Plus pest control, offer layers of protection. We address the insects that earwigs eat in your yard. We help to protect your plants from insects that damage them so those insects don't become food for earwigs. Most of all, we apply routine treatments to your exterior to prevent insects from entering your home.

Want to learn more? Connect with us by phone or online. When it comes to dealing with pests in Fulshear, you're never alone. Contact Modern Pest Control today.