Earwigs are one of the creepiest-looking insects that can be found in Utah. They have large, ominous-looking pincers on their back end that look like they could deliver a nasty pinch, not to mention the idea of them crawling in your ear at night! However, the truth about these bugs is that although they can be a nuisance they aren’t any more dangerous than a cricket, and they don’t have much interest in getting into your ear canal at night. Lets understand these bugs a bit more with 5 facts.
1. Earwigs Can Bite AND Pinch
But luckily for us they don’t often do either. The pincers on the back of the earwig are called “cerci” and many insects have them, however earwigs are the only ones that have curved to become pincers. They use these pincers for a lot of different things: self-defense, wrestling with other earwigs for territory, capturing prey, etc. However, they don’t really use them on humans. In fact a pinch from an earwig usually isn’t powerful enough to pierce our skin. They can also bite, but usually they prefer to pinch.
Another weird fact is that males tend to have curved pincers and females’ pincers are straight, likely because the males use their pincers to fight each other and the females don’t.
2. Earwigs Don’t Live in Colonies
Earwigs are actually solitary creatures. A female earwig will make a hole to lay her eggs and then she stays with the eggs until they hatch and even some time after that. She eats the mold that grows on the eggs in order to protect them. The eggs will hatch in late May to early June, the earwigs nymphs will mature into adults, and then will be active in the fall (which is why we see so many earwigs in the fall!). That said, earwigs all prefer the same type of moist environment so it’s not uncommon for large groups on them all to live in one or two places around your home, so it almost gives the impression that they live in a large colony, but they don’t.
3. Earwigs Don’t Invade on Purpose
Earwigs have a natural tendency to wander in search of prey and cool, damp environments. If earwigs are getting in your house it is very likely they aren’t actually trying to get inside, they’re just an “accidental invader” that happened to wander in. They’re so small that they can easily squeeze through windows and door jams especially if the weather stripping isn’t optimal.
4. Earwigs Love Apricots
As was mentioned a few times already, they prefer cool, damp environments, but what does that entail exactly? Well they love mulch so you’ll often find them in flowerbeds or other areas that get a lot of water. They also prefer to live under rocks, sidewalks, flower pots, and concrete stoops. Earwigs are omnivores meaning they eat almost anything, and one weird thing is that they really enjoy living near fruit trees. Their favorite fruits are peaches, nectarines, and apricots…with apricots seeming to be their absolute favorite. Go figure.
5. Earwigs Can Be Hard To Get Rid Of
If you want to eliminate earwigs first off you can control the environment around your home. Rake up leaf piles and other natural debris that they feed on, also you may be overwatering your flowerbeds or fruit trees, which can lead to a large population of earwigs in those areas. You can improve the weather stripping on your doors, and seal cracks in your home and/or sidewalks (yes, they love living in these large cracks where water leaks in!). Even doing all that they can be a tough bug to control, so you may want to call a pest control professional to eliminate the issue for you.
Well hopefully you learned a thing or two about Earwigs and maybe how to control them. Even knowing all this I still don’t have much sympathy for these bugs in my home! If you’re like me and can’t stand these critters make sure to call Newby’s Pest, Lawn, & Weeds at 435-586-7337 to make an appointment…we’ll send those earwigs packing! You can also click the link below to make an appointment online.
