Featured
The Ultimate Guide to Rodent Control
Call Us
Licensed Technician
Keep finding earwigs inside your home? These small, dark critters often enter homes in late summer. As a registered technician with four years in the field and part of a third-generation family business, I’ve dealt with many earwig issues.
Earwigs may wander inside by accident or when seeking shelter. They can hide easily in piles of firewood or behind ornamental plants. As temperatures drop, they seek shelter indoors. Let’s explore why these pests invade and how to keep earwigs out of your house.
Earwigs are an occasional pest and a common nuisance because of their presence. They’re more of an annoyance or nuisance than a danger. They have prominent pincers or forceps on the end of their abdomen. In the Mid-Atlantic, you’ll meet mainly European and ring-legged earwigs. These insects and other pests often hide in soil crevices outdoors.
Peak entry happens July–September when outdoor soil dries or floods after storms. During periods of prolonged dry weather, earwigs crawl along damp walls to find moist conditions near the house.
They’re drawn to porch lights and can cluster on window sills and door thresholds. Garden lighting plays a role; bright lights near the home are attracting earwigs. This behavior speeds entering your home.
Like many insects, earwigs are about ½–1 inch long with a flat, reddish-brown body. You’ll spot forceps on the end of the abdomen. Nymphs look like smaller, paler versions without wings.
Indoors, earwigs hide along baseboards, under sinks, and in crawl space vents. You might also find earwigs in your home behind appliances or in damp closets. They squeeze into small cracks and crevices to stay hidden.
Leaky faucets and air-conditioning units drench soil and channel water from rain gutters, creating damp areas. Excessive moisture leads to debris or in rotted wood and wet leaves near foundations.
Thick landscape mulch and mulch beds against walls stay moist. Piles of firewood and stones and other debris give daytime cover. Decaying plant matter and rotting wood lure earwigs out of your house perches. Wood rot also creates more hiding spots. Learn more in our Termite Prevention & Control guide.
Clogged gutter spouts often dump water too close to the foundation. Rain gutters and spouts away from the house foundation help keep moisture moving away from walls.
Earwigs flatten to under 1/8 inch and slip through small cracks in foundation walls. These points of entry let them enter houses easily.
Missing door sweeps and gaps in doors and windows invite earwigs. Sealing these gaps stops earwigs from coming inside.
Unscreened vents give earwigs direct crawl space access. They enter by accident or when seeking shelter in floor joist gaps.
To get rid of earwigs, set oil-filled can traps near walls. Bait with bacon drippings and fish oil. Earwigs enter traps in search of food. Empty daily for best catch.
Vacuum clusters of earwigs and spray light soap mist on walls. For more on vacuum removal, see How To Get Rid of Spiders in House: No More Webs & Crawlers. That erases trails and cuts earwig population quickly.
Seal cracks and crevices bigger than 1/8 inch with silicone. Even tiny crevice gaps let earwigs in.
Fix leaks under sinks and faucet areas, slope soil away from walls, and use a dehumidifier in basements. All steps help eliminate damp spots indoors.
Keep mulch depth under 2 inches and pull it 12 inches from the foundation. Clear dead leaves, decaying plant bits, and move firewood away from the house.
If you keep finding earwigs after DIY fixes, call our licensed technicians. We offer free unlimited callbacks until we clear your earwig infestation. Check our service price guide for details.
Our expert phone consultation includes a 78-point inspection inside and outside your home. We use EPA-approved products vetted by our research team in our seasonal pest control plan.
Prevent these bugs from entering your home with exclusion, habitat fixes, and expert help. For questions or an estimate, call 703-683-2000 or email [email protected].
Earwigs often signal excessive moisture or rotting vegetation near your walls. Address leaks and yard debris to reduce their numbers.
It’s rare, but they can enter through drains when flooding pushes them inside. Keep drain covers clear to block this pathway.
Combine traps, vacuum removal, and habitat fixes. Seal cracks and reduce moisture. For heavy cases, call a pro.
A single sighting often arrives by accident or when seeking shelter. Repeated finds signal an earwig infestation.
They follow moisture gradients and light sources into homes. Check for leaks, fix small cracks, and trim mulch to break their pathways.
With five years of hands-on experience in the pest control industry, George Schulz is a registered technician with the Virginia Pest Management Association and a proud third-generation professional in a family business that’s been protecting homes for over 57 years. He manages and trains a team of service pros while also leading internal research efforts—recently spearheading a deep-dive review of thousands of documents on pest control materials to hand-pick the most kid and pet friendly, most effective solutions tailored specifically for homes in the DC metro area. Read his bio.
