Damage caused by earwigs
Earwigs as a household nuisance
Earwigs can enter homes and other buildings during summer (July and August), sometimes in large numbers. They may also be seen at other times of the year.
- They do not cause damage to people, property or food.
- They do not reproduce indoors and are only nuisances.
Earwigs cannot use their pincers to attack. They are harmless to people.
- They can grab onto objects with their pincers, but cannot squeeze very hard.
- Earwigs can give off a foul odor due to the liquid released from their abdomen.
An individual earwig does not live long indoors. Earwigs can continue to enter buildings throughout the summer.
Earwigs as a garden pest
Earwigs feed on a variety of vegetables and flowers and are active from late June to October.
- They chew irregular holes in leaves and flower blossoms of marigolds, dahlias, butterfly bush and hostas.
- They can attack corn silk and seedlings.
- Larger plants can tolerate this feeding.
- Large number of earwigs can damage or even kill seedlings and flowering plants.
- Earwig feeding may look like slug feeding. Slugs leave a slime trail but earwigs do not.
- Earwig damage can also be confused with cutworm and even rabbit feeding.
To find out which pest is causing the damage, use a flashlight to check under plants, at night.
How to get rid of earwigs
Some steps can be taken to reduce earwig numbers in your home and garden. But, when earwig numbers are high, you might have earwig problems even after taking these steps.
Keep your home and garden clean
- Clean up debris that earwigs can hide under, such as leaves, plant debris, bricks, piles of lumber and similar things.
- Thin out or remove mulch.
