Pincher bugs, formally known as earwigs, are common insects recognized by the prominent pair of forceps, or pincers, extending from their abdomen. While generally harmless to humans, these nocturnal pests can become a significant nuisance in gardens where they feed on tender foliage, flowers, and soft fruits, leaving behind ragged holes. Earwigs are strongly attracted to dark, moist environments. When conditions outside become too dry or hot, they frequently seek shelter indoors, often being found in basements, laundry rooms, and bathrooms.
Habitat Modification and Exclusion
The most effective long-term strategy for earwig control involves altering the environment to make it less hospitable. Reducing excess water sources around the home is the first step, as earwigs need damp conditions to survive. This includes fixing leaky outdoor faucets and pipes, ensuring rain gutters drain properly, and adjusting landscape grading so water flows away from the foundation instead of pooling.
Eliminating daytime hiding spots is equally important, as earwigs spend their days sheltering in dark, tight spaces. Move woodpiles, stones, and debris away from the house foundation, as these provide ideal cover. Mulch and dense groundcover should be pulled back several inches from the foundation to create a dry, bare-soil barrier. Seal any cracks or gaps in the foundation, around windows, and beneath doors to prevent earwigs from migrating indoors in search of moisture or shelter.
Effective Trapping and Physical Removal Methods
Hands-on removal techniques offer an immediate way to reduce earwig numbers. One successful method involves creating a simple oil trap, which exploits the earwig’s attraction to greasy substances. A shallow container, such as a tuna can or jar lid, can be partially filled with vegetable oil, often with a drop of soy sauce or bacon grease added as a lure. Earwigs are attracted to the scent, crawl in, and drown in the oil, and the container can be buried up to the rim in the garden soil for better access.
Another effective approach utilizes the insects’ need for dark, damp shelter during the day. Rolled-up damp newspaper, corrugated cardboard tubes, or short sections of garden hose can be placed in areas of high activity overnight. The earwigs will aggregate inside these moisture traps by morning, allowing for easy collection. The collected traps should then be emptied into a bucket of warm, soapy water to kill the trapped insects. For immediate physical removal, a simple mixture of water and a few drops of liquid dish soap can be sprayed directly onto visible earwigs, acting as a contact killer.
Targeted Chemical and Dust Treatments
When physical removal and habitat modification are not sufficient, targeted applications of specific dusts and chemicals provide a more direct method of eradication. Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is a popular natural dust that works mechanically, not chemically, against earwigs. This fine powder is composed of fossilized remains of diatoms, which have sharp, microscopic edges that scratch the earwig’s protective waxy exoskeleton upon contact. This damage causes the insect to lose moisture rapidly and die from dehydration, provided the DE remains dry.
For safety and effectiveness, only food-grade DE should be used. Lightly dust it along foundation perimeters, in garden beds, and into cracks where earwigs hide.
Boric acid is another dust-form agent that acts as a stomach poison upon ingestion or contact, disrupting the earwig’s metabolism. Due to toxicity concerns around pets and children, it should be applied carefully as a thin layer in hidden, dry areas indoors, such as under appliances or behind baseboards. For larger outdoor infestations, perimeter sprays and granules containing active ingredients like pyrethrins or carbaryl can be applied to the soil and foundation. These provide a residual barrier that kills earwigs upon contact.