Learn how to get rid of your earwigs or pincher bugs with these tips.
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Preventing an Earwig Infestation
Don’t worry. These menacing-looking insects don’t have a fetish for ears (or wigs), but they will go after garden plants. Here are tips for identifying, preventing, and getting rid of earwigs, also known as “pincher bugs,” in the garden.
What Are Earwigs?
Earwigs can be found in almost any growing zone, although they are more likely to inhabit warm, humid climates. You might have trouble spotting one—not only are they quick movers, but they are also nocturnal and tend to hide out during the day when you are tending the garden. They like decaying wood and plant material and dark, damp spaces. Oftentimes, they can be found in basements and woodpiles.
Earwigs are the sole members of the insect order Dermaptera, ancient bugs that began crawling around Earth about 208 million years ago. Today, nearly 2,000 species are scattered everywhere but in Earth’s polar regions. The name “earwig” comes from the Old English ear-wicga, which means “ear wiggler”—so named because the insect was once thought to seek out human ears to reside in. In France, they’re called “ear piercers” (perce-orielles) and in Germany, “ear worms” (Ohrwürmer).
In North America, we’re most familiar with Forficula auricularia, a European species. Earwigs were first reported in the early 1900s and have now spread to most of the United States and parts of Canada.
Earwigs enjoy a lively social scene. They congregate during the day because they tend to find the same hiding places. Their nests can number in the thousands, and they aren’t territorial, so they often live together.
What Do Earwigs Eat?
Pincher bugs are omnivores, meaning that they’ll eat pretty much anything that’s made available to them. In the garden, they primarily feed on dead or decaying plant and animal matter. However, when their population gets out of control, they may turn to feast on living plant matter, especially the seedlings or young foliage of vegetables and flowers. They will also readily prey on aphids, insect eggs, maggots, grubs, and armyworms.
This creates a conundrum for gardeners… Should earwigs be allowed to remain in your garden to eat up aphids and other pests? Or should they be removed before they turn their attention to your plants? Generally, earwigs do not cause enough damage to be worth fighting. However, if you do see large numbers of them around your plants, you can consider taking action.
Do Earwigs Pinch?
The pincers at the end of an earwig’s abdomen look rather formidable. They are capable of pinching (and sometimes biting) humans, but the pinch is not particularly powerful. Earwigs usually use their pincers to ward off enemies like toads and birds, or—in some species—to catch prey.
The pincers, called “cerci,” are also important for romance. They are indicators of gender, like tusks on an elephant. A male earwig’s pincers are long and curved, while a female’s are shorter and straighter.
How to Identify Earwigs
- Earwigs get to be about 3/4-inch long. They’re reddish-brown insects with appendages on their tail-ends that look like forceps. Few other insects have a set of scary-looking pincers like the earwig has. This is why some folks call them “pincher bugs” or “pinching bugs.” Attached at the insect’s abdomen, these appendages are called cerci.
- Earwigs run very quickly and can also fly, though they rarely do so. They actually have two sets of wings, and their pincers aid in unfolding the wings.
- What do earwigs eat? Nocturnal by nature, an earwig’s main meal is decaying plant material and wood, but it will attack living plants, including vegetables, fruit trees, and ornamentals, if given the opportunity. Earwigs are especially fond of flowers, lettuce and other tender greens, celery, and fruits.
- Female earwigs lay 40 to 50 shiny eggs in underground tunnels. Oddly enough, the eggs are diligently cared for and protected from predators by the mothers. They hatch in about a week, making it very difficult to control earwig populations before they hatch.
- Nymphs simply appear to be miniature versions of adult earwigs. They shed several skins, and ten weeks later, they reach adulthood.
- Earwigs often hide underneath pots during the day and then eat the flowers in the pots at night.
Signs of Earwig Damage
- Leaves will appear jagged and full of holes. Plants will become ragged overnight, and some leaves will only be partially eaten. There will also probably be a scattering of earwig excrement, which will be small, black pellets.
- Damage will often occur after rainy weather, which forces earwigs to seek dry shelter and climb up into plants and leaves.
- You might find earwigs under pots that contain damaged plants.
- Earwig damage looks similar to that of slugs and snails. To tell the difference, look for the tell-tale sign of slugs and snails: a trail of slime residue on foliage.
Photo Credit: Barbara Pleasant.​​​​​​
Catherine Boeckmann
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I FOUND OUT ANOTHER WAY TO CATCH EARWIGS AND IT WORKS VERY WELL. I use dry dog kibble or cat kibble as bait, use about a small hand full of kibble and put it into a stainless steel bowel or glass bowl about 3 inches deep. make sure the sides of the bowl have straighter sides (not angled to deeply). The bugs can get out much easier with an angled side. Place the bowl into a depression of the soil so it has easy access to the top of the rim. The thing I have noticed is the earwigs do not get out when the sun comes up in the morning. they just hide under the kibble. The bugs seem groggy after eating the kibble, so they do not run away very quickly. I can catch about 50 bugs a night this way. I then dump all the bugs into a bucket of water and let them drown. Use as many bowels as you see fit for the size of your garden. If you find that my method works please pass it on to as many gardeners as you can. Do a Youtube about it if you are gifted. Happy gardening.
All of these comments are making me itch!!
The next time I kvetch about how I can't grow certain moisture/humidity-loving plants here in the dry So-Calif desert like I did in PA, I will remember these comments.
I got the heebie jeebies!!!
Right...so true lol
An upturned flowerpot loosely stuffed with straw or similar on a short cane will attract them. You can collect earwigs and feed then to your chickens if you keep them. If earwigs are a problem inside keep your upstairs windows closed in the evening as they’ll fly in.
Don-
That is a wonderful tip, thanks for sharing!
We have a rather large colony of earwigs at our house. They are around the foundation and under the siding. If you bang on the siding they will fall out by the hundreds. So I think they do have colonies. Also we have an old apple orchard and they r in the base of the trees by the hundreds every year
How do I get rid of them up inside the siding of my home?
We had terrible issues with earwigs until I started using diatomaceous earth. Sprinkled it along the edge of our foundation (house and raised garden beds) and the problem was solved almost immediately. And it lasted two years. Only spread it on the ground so no flying pollinators we’re affected. A bit messy but so worth it!
You’ll need to seal, caulk, plug, and close the gaps in areas where foundations meet siding. Also, make sure all seals around doors and windows are tight. Finally, remove any newspapers, boxes, lumber, plants, or debris near the siding. Make sure there are no damp spots in your basement or home for moisture or cover. Earwigs do not actually like to be in human homes but they are attracted by the light. So if you do fix and maintain screens and doors, they will not be able to enter.
Every year earwigs are a severe pest to our flower beds. I try not to water at night because the wet earth makes it worse. This year I have gone out after dark with a flashlight and there are hundreds of them, just swarming my plants. This year I planted flowers such as geraniums and snapdragons because they usually don’t bother them, but now they are destroying them too. I have tried neem oil, dish soap, etc. We have a lot of gardens, but I do go out at night, cup in hand of hot water with dish soap and olive oil and literally push them into the cup, but this year there are just too many
