361 comments
What is the best way to get rid of earwigs?
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by GESWHOSBAC
May 01, 2013
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by PREYLUDE
March 04, 2013
by EDHEJL
November 02, 2012
They're nasty multi-legged bugs that dwell in wet or damp areas. And they bite! Crush 'em.
by BEN3948
August 19, 2012
by BOBLAT9
May 23, 2012
by MOMOF2_2
May 06, 2012
We call them pincher butt bugs & they are 1 of the few bugs I really hate!!! I have sprayed them with a bit of rubbing alcohol in a spritzer bottle & have even used hair spray if they have been in the bathroom. They seem to like mulched areas as well as dark spots... Good luck!!!
by WEDGEL
April 24, 2012
when I lived in CA we called them pincher bugs... nasty critters..
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-ear-wigs/
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/pest-control/how-to-get-rid-of-ear-wigs/
by PUPPYDUPPY
April 24, 2012
Haven't had them come in the house but one day discovered a lot of them under my bushes. cleaned out all the leaves under the plants and they must have move on - phew!
by LSCHRADE
April 24, 2012
they are gross. They love my grill so when I go open it they fall all over the place.
by ALSL8R
April 24, 2012
wish I had an additional suggestion but looks like you got a number of good ones! Good Luck!
by NOMOMOMO
April 23, 2012
they sure are creepy looking ! UGH good luck getting rid of them.
by DOONERME
April 23, 2012
They are gross and get all over my mail box in the summer...I am afraid to get the mail and the newspaper so us my 15 year old son they pinch if they can. I use bug spray from the hardware store...ewe
by 92651
April 23, 2012
Never had them but be careful of using poisons if you have pets around.
by SHERIBOOP
April 23, 2012
If Earwigs are like Ants or Slugs use Dry Gritts, they eat it they blow up.(because the gritts will exspand inside of them), That way It is Safe around your pets & children!! Apply around Homes base after each rain, that is only problem with this.
by BARBWIRE4471
April 27, 2012
really? That seems to be the easiest and safest for my dogs. I will try this first.
by ONFIRE4HIM316
April 23, 2012
great suggestions. Hope one of them works for you.
by OLYMPIAR
April 23, 2012
heard of them - never had them - just check the bug sprays
by JOY11
April 23, 2012
There are good sprays you can purchase. Just check at your local hardware store.
by DONNASWA
April 23, 2012
Hubby just sprays bug spray around foudation,he gets at Lowes.It works ,so head to Lowes and talk to one of the garden center folks as they will know the name of the product.It works great for these nasty bugs.
by PLG24
April 23, 2012
These you see up North. I'm from Connecticut and saw them alot I used beer or something like that for them to drown in.
by BROOKLYNBABY65
April 23, 2012
dry out areas near house and use spray first, then boric acid powder. Reapply after heavy rains
by COMPMAMA
April 23, 2012
If you have a lot of vegetation(flowers or low bushes) close to the house the earwigs will hide in there and get in under your siding. I dug out all the flowers around the foundation and the earwigs seemed to disappear almost overnight. They are nasty bugs. Good luck Barb.
by MOMMYPIE55
April 24, 2012
We don't have any vegetation close to the house but still get a few inside (YUCK!)
by BLA1228
April 23, 2012
yuck. stepping on them here, but we're not normally inundated. Probably would use some spray otherwise.
by HEATHER (OHIO)
April 23, 2012
Don't see these too often though I know people who have had problems with them. They don't hurt anything, but are a nuisance.
by BARINSKY
April 23, 2012
Seldom see these where I live, but with all the rain we've had in the past few days, we might be seeing them more often. Nice to know there are ways to dispose of them.
by BABAWAWA
April 23, 2012
We use the Ortho earwig spray from Home Depot. My husband sprays all around the outside of the house (near the ground) at least twice as soon as we see the first one. It usually does the trick and we only see one or two after that. We live near the water where it is very damp all the time and we used to have l00's of the little suckers. Good luck
by MIKEJO
April 23, 2012
they are a nuisance! I hate these things! It's good to know how to get rid of them!
by IDG1
April 23, 2012
Best thing I've found for defense agains these pinching b... uhh bugs is chickens. They seem to love eating them.
by BARBWIRE4471
April 23, 2012
I have 2 dogs...I don't think that will work. But, what kind of chickens? Any kind?
by RUTHIE37
April 23, 2012
they like damp places and hide there the can with either beer or oil helps
by ICANWATCH
April 23, 2012
i see one or two here at home-usually small ones-they just get stepped on or squished-the "bug man" sprays so i am sure that helps
by TOREYY
April 23, 2012
don't guess we have these in Mississippi - never seen one anyway! Yikes! good to know what to do if I do ever see one!
by JESUS IS LOVE
April 23, 2012
Ortho® Flower, Fruit & Vegetable Insect Killer Ready-To-Use
Control Earwigs Outside
Apply Ortho® Bug B Gon Garden & Landscape Insect Killer Ready To Use around flower pots, woodpiles, and porch foundations. Those are the kinds of places where they like to hide during the day.
http://www.scotts.com/smg/solve/solution/solutionArticle.jsp?detailId=11900028&campaign=o-ps-google-bbg-Earwigs-20120401
Control Earwigs Outside
Apply Ortho® Bug B Gon Garden & Landscape Insect Killer Ready To Use around flower pots, woodpiles, and porch foundations. Those are the kinds of places where they like to hide during the day.
http://www.scotts.com/smg/solve/solution/solutionArticle.jsp?detailId=11900028&campaign=o-ps-google-bbg-Earwigs-20120401
by BARBWIRE4471
April 23, 2012
Thanks. I have tried sprays before. There just seem to be so many...can't seem to get them all. How often do you have to re-spray?
by CPOGIE
April 23, 2012
No help here....we do not have these up here in the mountains.
by SASSYSUEFL
April 23, 2012
gross nasty looking bug...we have all kinds of gross looking bugs here in FL & you have problems with them ALL year long..Thank You
by MARRISA0733
April 23, 2012
Diatomaceous Earth powder does the trick for any soft-bodied bugs/insects. Basically when bugs are in contact with this powder, it will dry out their natural moist in their body and dry them to death. It works!
by ENDLESS FAITH
April 23, 2012
This is what I use, Had a problem with roaches, sprinkled this around, and I haven't seen one in about 3 years. This is also safe around pets and children. It will not harm them if ingested.
by MSLILY64
April 23, 2012
dunno, not much of a problem right now. If I do see any I step on them with shoes on...
by SHOP2CHIC
April 23, 2012
salt, it works the same as boric acid they require alot of water. Salt and/ or boric acid will make them dry out.
Earwig spray
1.Mix 8oz of distilled water into a small spray bottle.
2.Add 2 tbsp of Baking Soda to bottle and shake for 30 seconds.
3.Add 1 tbsp of dish soap to the mixture.
4.Distilled white vinger (50:50) can also be mixed with water as an alternative.
Spray can be safely used around plants, door frames, and light fixtures but you will want to avoid using the vinegar solution around plants.
Earwig spray
1.Mix 8oz of distilled water into a small spray bottle.
2.Add 2 tbsp of Baking Soda to bottle and shake for 30 seconds.
3.Add 1 tbsp of dish soap to the mixture.
4.Distilled white vinger (50:50) can also be mixed with water as an alternative.
Spray can be safely used around plants, door frames, and light fixtures but you will want to avoid using the vinegar solution around plants.
by PRINCESSPOWELL
April 23, 2012
step on them??? Bug spray? A cat they eat any bug
by SWEETIEWHEATIESCOTIE
April 23, 2012
Boric acid seems to work for us. Thanks for all the other good ideas.
by DFULCHER99
April 23, 2012
yuck, I hate all bugs but don't think I have ever seen one of these and hope I don't.
by SANDY314
April 23, 2012
we had an invasion of these couple years ago..we had to buy bug bombs and bomb our house ....
by NAPOLEONBAKER
April 23, 2012
I've seen them, but only outside. They have never come into my house.
by CHILPEP
April 23, 2012
Unless the cat brings them in on his fur. Then they get "stomped"
by CLAUDIA229
April 23, 2012
I don't like seeing these things in or around my house. We have an exterminator which helps.
by RONNAN
April 23, 2012
The biggest thing is to remove dampness then probably any pest control product will work.
by PEPSIGRANDMA
April 23, 2012
No idea except have a pest control service come out.
by MIKEINTEXAS
April 23, 2012
I don't know, but I remember an old Night Gallery episode that was horrifying. That was the one that got my dad to watching the show w/ me.
by SEAYA712
April 23, 2012
I remember that one about a female earwig...skin crawling about now..............
by BLIZZARINO
April 23, 2012
earwigs are creepy bugs and I am sure boric acid does the trick in getting rid of them. Boric acid is great for all kinds of pesky bugs - even fleas.
by FRANNY-LU
April 23, 2012
In the spring, I spray outside, under the lower edge of siding. All around the house. Works like a charm. Also helps to not leave any wet clothes(towels)on the floor.
by SJFISHER
April 23, 2012
No idea sorry - and I hope I never need to know either
by LRDORN
April 23, 2012
Couple of good ideas! I have used boric acid and know that works. Moved into a house with a basement full of spiders and I put boric acid around the entire perimeter of it and worked like a charm. Not many of any bugs!
by B.J. IN ILLINOIS
April 23, 2012
same here boric acid works and is cheap and works on many pest
by FAMJR
April 23, 2012
by CHRISUSA46
April 23, 2012
I thought an earwig was a tune that's stuck in your head!
by JOERACER
April 23, 2012
No, you got it all wrong. It is a very small wig that covers your ears!!! They come in left or right and various colors!!!
by WEENIEWIFE
April 23, 2012
I did a google search and there are many ways to get rid of them, including the boric acid.
by SCHEEPY
April 23, 2012
by CAROLAB
April 23, 2012
I've set out clean tuna fish cans with beer in them. The earwigs drown in it. Never heard of the vegetable oil idea but going to definitely try that one. The little critters do bite!
by SNSMANE
April 23, 2012
Are they affecting humans or animals? Unsure of what an earwig is or does.
by BIESTEK
April 23, 2012
They chew up a lot of plants, They thrive in rotting wood (wood chip mulch) and wet areas. You can make a trap to get some ... roll up a few pages of a newspaper and put them out at dusk. Dampen them. Late at night or early a.m. collect them (be careful to hold them flat so the bugs don't drop out. I seal them up in a big plastic trash bag. The best way to get rid of them is to get rid of the rotting wood and leaves they like to live in.
by CKSTIGER
April 23, 2012
A shallow pan of vegetable oil will attract and drown them, or you can dust the area where they are coming in with boric acid which, once they walk through it, will help exterminate them.
by SHINAR00
April 23, 2012
I think SS had a hint some time ago. sorry I can't help.
by DADISH
April 23, 2012
Gross...just saw the photo they attached. I could've gone without every seeing one. Now my skin has that 'crawling' feeling.
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