hello, my name is Leigh and i think i have a big earwig problem. we just moved into a house about a month ago, and i started seeing long black bugs in my carpet. well the home was vacant for 188 days before we bought it so i killed every bug i saw thinking that they were just coming out since we occupied. we had the house sprayed by a company before we moved in so there were a lot of bugs coming out and dying. then my 2 year old daughter starts getting little bug bites all over her little tummy, face and chest area. i looked on line and found out we have earwigs, and they are everywhere in her room and in between the carpet and wall leading to her room. in a matter of about 4 ft of wall i see at least 5 to 10 dead ones and sometimes they are still alive. they are also in her room along the walls but worse in the hallway. and only on the one side. its very strange. but i need to know if this is just a mild summer case or am i infested? i dont want her getting bit anymore. my vaccuum is full of bugs! i need something non toxic to put down in here so she can be safe and they are kinda creepy lookin. we spray the outside perimeter of the house once a week so im not sure whats going on. if you could respond with your opinion that would be great thank you
Earwigs are a perimeter pest that will readily invade most any unprotected home as explained in our EARWIG CONTROL ARTICLE. They eat just about anything and seem to love moist damp areas. Out in the yard this will be under mulch, rocks and leaves. In the home this will be under rugs, carpeting and inside wall voids.
It sounds as though you clearly have a full scale infestation that would be able to persist year round if not properly treated now. In other words, since the home is kept warm in the winter, I am sure you will have activity all year unless the problem is corrected now. Though spraying the outside will help, undoubtedly there is plenty of food for them to thrive inside and I believe a more aggressive program inside the home is warranted if you wish to get “earwig free”.
Fist, continue with the outside spraying. If you are using some weak, ready to spray over the counter formulation, I recommend you change to ESFENVALERATE we have listed in our Earwig Control article. It will work much better, last longer and is odorless. It can be used inside as well so it will effectively become the only spray you need.
Second, set out some EARWIG TRAPS in any area where you see activity. These will help cut down on the amount of foraging activity you have going on.
Third, treat the yard 2-3 times a year with the BIFEN GRANULES. This will insure the grass and mulch areas aren’t breeding earwigs which in turn will lead to them getting inside. You could use the Esfenvalerate in this area but the granules will work much better.
Fourth, I highly recommend dusting any wall void with PYGANIC DUST or MOTHERS EARTH DE DUST. Both formulations are safe to use inside and ideal for void treatments where insects like to live. Use a CRUSADER or CENTROBULB HAND DUSTER to do the application. You will need to make small entry holes to get the dust into the wall void but these only need to be 1/4″ wide. Make them in between the studs of the wall which means they’ll be spaced 15-20 inches apart. Treat any wall where you are seeing activity. I suspect you have a slab home and if so, the treatment of partition walls with this dust will really help stop any insect activity. Slab homes lend themselves to insect infestations and I suspect that’s what has happened here.
All these products are safe to use in the home, around children and pets, and if you have any safety concerns, just watch the videos we have posted for all of them on their “product” pages. The videos explain in detail how to mix, use and store all these items. And if you still have questions, give us a call on our toll free at 1.800.877.7290 and one of our agents will be able to further assist.
guest says
Hi,
I have a pest control service and have been using them for about three years now. We have sprayed and treated around the foundation, the crawl space, the attic, windows, and so on. I consistently see earwigs in my home. I usually don’t c them during the day but I always do at night and in the morning. I don’t know what else to do. They will not go away. I see about 3 to 5 earwigs each night. What do I do?
Tech Support says
@guest: Earwigs tend to be active mostly at night so this isn’t a surprise. But here are some things that could help.
1) Be sure to install some Earwig Traps and Insect Monitors where you see them. These will no doubt help and can be seen here:
Traps: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/pheromone-and-food/earwig-4-pk
Monitors: http://www.bugspraycart.com/traps/glue/trapper-insect-glue-boards
2) Make sure they’re earwigs. We get many customers confusing silverfish with earwigs. Silverfish are also active at night. They have similar body shapes but tend to be lighter. Also, silverfish tend to move around on the ceiling, around light fixtures, etc. Earwigs will be on the ground or baseboard but not commonly found on the ceiling. More information on silverfish can be found here:
http://www.bugspray.com/articles98/silverfish.html