Spotting an earwig in your home or garden can be unsettling, especially with its long body and intimidating pincers. Fortunately, these insects are far less threatening than their appearance suggests. While earwigs aren't generally dangerous to people, they can become a nuisance when they invade your home or begin damaging plants and landscaping.
If you've noticed earwigs around your Phoenix-area property, understanding why they're there, what attracts them, and how to help prevent them is the first step toward keeping them under control.
Do Earwigs Really Crawl Into People's Ears?
One of the most persistent myths about earwigs is that they crawl into people's ears to lay eggs. Despite the insect's name, this simply isn't true.
Earwigs prefer dark, damp hiding places outdoors and generally avoid human contact. While they may occasionally wander indoors in search of moisture or shelter, they are not interested in people and do not burrow into ears or lay eggs inside humans.
Are Earwigs Dangerous?
Although their large pincers can make them look intimidating, earwigs are relatively harmless to people.
The pincers, known as forceps, are primarily used for defense, capturing prey, and mating. An earwig may pinch if it is handled or threatened, but the pinch is typically mild. Earwigs are not venomous and are not considered a significant disease threat to people.
Why Are Earwigs Considered Pests?
Even though earwigs don't pose a significant health risk, they can become problematic around homes, gardens, and landscaped areas.
Earwigs are omnivores and may feed on:
- Flowers and ornamental plants
- Vegetable gardens
- Seedlings and leaves
- Decaying organic matter
- Mold and fungi
- Small insects
Earwigs can sometimes be beneficial because they consume other insects and decomposing organic material. However, when populations become large, their feeding can damage flowers, seedlings, vegetables, and other plants.
Why Are Earwigs Coming Into Your Phoenix Home?
Earwigs are attracted to cool, damp environments. Phoenix's hot, dry conditions can encourage them to seek out areas where moisture and shelter are available, including irrigated landscaping and areas around the exterior of homes.
During periods of particularly hot or dry weather, earwigs may also move indoors looking for more favorable conditions.
Common entry points include:
- Cracks around doors and windows
- Gaps along the foundation
- Utility and plumbing openings
- Damaged or worn weatherstripping
- Other small openings around the home's exterior
Once indoors, earwigs may be found near bathrooms, kitchens, laundry areas, plumbing fixtures, or other locations where moisture is available.
How to Help Prevent Earwigs Around Your Home
Reducing moisture, hiding places, and potential entry points can make your Phoenix property less attractive to earwigs.
- Seal cracks and gaps around your home's exterior.
- Repair leaking faucets, pipes, and irrigation systems.
- Reduce excess moisture around the foundation.
- Remove piles of leaves and other organic debris.
- Avoid placing excessive mulch directly against the foundation.
- Keep shrubs and plants trimmed away from the house.
- Replace damaged weatherstripping around doors and windows.
- Avoid overwatering garden beds and landscaping.
Because moisture is particularly attractive to earwigs, checking irrigation systems and damp areas around your property can be especially helpful when trying to reduce earwig activity in the Phoenix climate.
When Should You Call an Earwig Exterminator?
Finding an occasional earwig doesn't necessarily indicate a serious pest problem. However, repeatedly finding earwigs indoors or noticing significant numbers around your landscaping may indicate that favorable conditions exist close to your home.
Professional pest control can help identify where earwigs are hiding, determine how they may be entering the property, and develop an appropriate treatment and prevention strategy.
Earwig Control in the Phoenix Area
If earwigs have become a recurring problem around your home or yard, Frontino Pest Control provides professional earwig control and pest management solutions for Phoenix-area homeowners.
Contact Frontino Pest Control today to schedule an inspection and get help controlling earwigs around your Arizona home.
