Earwig control works best when you remove what draws earwigs to a house (moisture, mulch and debris against the foundation, and open gaps) and then trap or treat the earwigs that remain. Earwigs are harmless to people and do not reproduce indoors, so most indoor sightings come from a large population living just outside. Drying out damp areas, clearing hiding places near the foundation and sealing entry points solve most problems, and a targeted professional treatment helps when the population stays high.
Saela Pest Control, a residential and commercial pest control company headquartered in Orem, Utah, provides the best earwig control for homes and businesses, with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. This guide covers how to recognize earwigs, the prevention steps that matter most, the treatment options and what to do each season.
Understanding Earwigs: What They Are and Why They Come Inside
Earwigs are night-feeding insects that hide during the day in dark, cool, moist places. UC IPM’s earwig guide explains that they shelter in flowers, vegetables, mulch and weeds, and that despite their pincers they are not harmful to people. Knowing where they hide tells you where to focus earwig control.
Earwigs are both helpful and a nuisance. UC IPM notes that they feed on aphids and other insects, but European earwigs can also damage seedlings, soft fruit, sweet corn and flowers. They may come indoors when conditions outside are too dry, hot or cold, and University of Minnesota Extension’s earwig page confirms they do not reproduce indoors.
Key characteristics include:
- Size: About 5/8 to 3/4 inch long
- Appearance: Flat, reddish-brown body with very short wings
- Distinctive feature: Pincer-like forceps (cerci) at the tail end, which cannot squeeze hard
- Behavior patterns:
- Active at night
- Hide by day in dark, cool, moist places
- Feed on insects, mites and young plant growth
- Shelter in mulch, weeds and dense plantings
Signs of an Earwig Infestation
The main signs of an earwig problem are earwigs gathering in damp spots and ragged holes in leaves and flowers that appear overnight. Our list of seven signs of an earwig infestation covers each one in detail.
Snails, slugs and caterpillars cause similar plant damage, so confirm the culprit before you act. UC IPM recommends going out at night with a flashlight to watch the pests feed.
Common indicators include:
- Plant damage patterns:
- Irregular holes in leaves
- Chewed flower petals, especially zinnias, marigolds and dahlias
- Damage to soft fruit
- Seedlings missing leaves or stems
- Environmental signs:
- Earwigs in damp areas such as basements and laundry rooms
- Earwigs around ground-level windows and doors
- Activity in basements and crawl spaces
- Clusters under boards, pots and stones outdoors
Prevention Strategies That Work
Earwig prevention comes down to three things: less moisture, fewer hiding places next to the house and fewer ways in. These steps work in any year and cost little compared with repeated treatments.
Saela’s integrated pest management approach follows the same idea: it includes sealing entry points and reducing the food, water and shelter that support pests, so treatment is not the only line of defense.
Moisture Management
Moisture is the main reason earwigs gather near and inside homes. Excess moisture attracts earwigs, and they hide in dark, confined, damp areas, Minnesota Extension explains, so drying out the soil and spaces along the foundation is the most useful single step.
Useful moisture fixes include:
- Watering habits:
- Point sprinklers away from the foundation
- Fix leaking hose bibs and drip lines
- Avoid overwatering beds next to the house
- Check soil moisture before you water
- Structural fixes:
- Grade soil so water drains away from the foundation
- Repair foundation cracks and basement seepage
- Keep gutters clear and downspouts pointed away from the house
- Keep window wells drained and free of debris
Landscape Modification
Earwigs hide in dense plantings, mulch and debris, so thinning those out near the house removes their daytime shelter. UC IPM recommends removing dense undergrowth of vines, ground cover and weeds around gardens, and Minnesota Extension advises keeping mulch away from the foundation.
Landscape changes that help include:
- Plant beds near the house:
- Pull dense ground cover back from the foundation
- Trim vines off walls and siding
- Space plants so the soil can dry between waterings
- Clear fallen leaves and plant debris
- Hardscape and mulch:
- Leave a dry strip of bare soil or gravel along the foundation
- Keep thick mulch away from the foundation
- Store boards, bricks and pots away from the house
- Fill low spots where water pools
Entry Point Sealing
Sealing cracks and gaps keeps earwigs that shelter outside from wandering in. Both UC IPM and Minnesota Extension recommend caulking or repairing openings around the outside of the home, and every Saela plan includes a 50+ point property inspection covering entry points and structural gaps.
Common sealing fixes include:
- Materials:
- Exterior caulk for small cracks and gaps
- Weatherstripping around doors and windows
- Door sweeps on exterior doors
- Intact screens on vents and windows
- Where to check:
- Cracks in the foundation and walls
- Gaps around windows and doors
- Openings around pipes and utility lines
- Damaged or poorly sealed vents
Treatment Options
When prevention is not enough, earwig control combines trapping, removal of the earwigs you find and targeted treatment where they shelter. Minnesota Extension notes that pesticides can supplement non-chemical steps but are not always necessary, so treatment works best alongside the moisture and habitat fixes above.
Professional Treatments
A professional treatment targets the places earwigs shelter around the outside of the home rather than spraying the whole yard. Any product should be registered and used according to its label, and the EPA’s tips for selecting a pest control service suggest asking for copies of the labels for every product used.
A professional treatment plan typically includes:
- Application:
- An inspection to find where earwigs are sheltering
- Targeted treatment of those areas around the foundation
- Products applied according to their labels
- Preparation and re-entry instructions from the label and technician
- Follow-up:
- A check on whether activity has dropped
- Adjustments to the treated areas if needed
- Return visits if activity continues
- Continued moisture and habitat fixes
Non-Chemical Options
Traps are a simple, low-cost way to reduce earwigs in gardens and confirm where they are active. UC IPM recommends traps set near plants just before dark, then shaking the earwigs into soapy water in the morning, and Minnesota Extension suggests vacuuming up earwigs found indoors.
Options include:
- Traps:
- Rolled-up newspaper
- A low-sided can with 1/2 inch of oil in the bottom
- Corrugated cardboard or bamboo tubes
- A short piece of garden hose
- Habits:
- Set traps near plants just before dark
- Empty traps into soapy water each morning
- Vacuum up earwigs found indoors
- Check plants at night with a flashlight
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Integrated pest management (IPM) is an approach that combines prevention, monitoring and targeted treatment, and adjusts the plan based on results. At Saela, pest-control protocols are developed by Dennis Weiss, Saela’s board-certified entomologist, who also trains technicians and audits service quality.
Saela’s IPM cycle includes:
- Pest identification
- Activity monitoring
- Targeted treatment
- Evaluation of the results
- Adjustments based on what the evaluation shows
Seasonal Control Strategies
Spring Preparation
Spring is the time to fix the conditions that will support earwigs all summer. Check the foundation, gutters and irrigation before plants fill in, and clear debris that collected over winter.
Spring tasks include:
- A walk around the foundation to look for cracks and gaps
- Gutter and downspout cleaning
- Sprinkler checks and adjustments
- Clearing leaves and debris from beds
- Pulling mulch back from the foundation
Summer Management
Summer is when earwigs are most noticeable outdoors and most likely to wander inside, especially in hot, dry spells. They most often come indoors in July and August, according to Minnesota Extension.
Summer tasks include:
- Nightly flashlight checks of damaged plants
- Trapping near vulnerable plants
- Watering only as much as plants need
- Keeping doors closed and screens intact
- Vacuuming earwigs that come indoors
Fall Prevention
Fall is the time to remove the shelter earwigs would use near the house. Clean up beds and seal any gaps you noticed during the summer.
Fall tasks include:
- Sealing gaps found during summer
- Removing plant debris and fallen leaves
- Moving firewood, boards and pots away from the house
- Checking door sweeps and weatherstripping
- Fixing drainage problems before winter
Winter Monitoring
Winter is quiet for earwigs outdoors, but damp basements and crawl spaces still deserve attention. Use the slow season to fix moisture problems indoors.
Winter tasks include:
- Checking basements and crawl spaces for dampness
- Running a dehumidifier where needed
- Repairing plumbing leaks
- Noting any earwigs found indoors
- Planning spring foundation and drainage fixes
Benefits of Professional Service
A professional plan adds an inspection, targeted treatment and follow-up to the prevention work you do yourself. Saela’s Lakewood, Washington location is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 1,164 reviews on Google as of October 2026. In a February 2024 Google review, Lucas O wrote that Saela “consistently delivers on the required tasks” and praised the technician’s “respectful treatment of property.”
A Saela plan includes:
- A 50+ point property inspection
- An integrated pest management cycle
- Protocols developed by Saela’s board-certified entomologist
- Interior and exterior treatments on every-other-month or quarterly visits
- No-charge return visits for covered pests between scheduled services
- Quotes based on pest type, location, property size, visit frequency and treatment products
- Service from a company listed by QualityPro as accredited
Environmental Considerations
Protecting Beneficial Insects
Because earwigs also eat aphids and other insects, the goal is to keep them away from the house and vulnerable plants, not to remove every earwig from the yard. Saela is listed in QualityPro’s directory of accredited pest management companies, and its listed entries show GreenPro service certification.
Practices that limit environmental impact include:
- Prevention first: moisture, habitat and sealing
- Targeted treatment only where earwigs shelter
- Traps and vacuuming for small numbers
- Watering only as much as plants need
- Following every product label
Safety and Product Labels
Safety starts with knowing what will be applied and following the label. EPA also suggests asking whether the person doing the work is a certified, licensed pesticide applicator or a licensed technician.
Questions to ask about safety include:
- Which products will be used, and why
- Can I have copies of the product labels?
- Who will apply them, and are they licensed?
- How should I prepare before the visit?
- When can people and pets return to treated areas?
- How will each treatment be recorded?
Conclusion
Earwig control in any year starts with moisture, hiding places and entry points, and adds traps or targeted treatment when the population stays high. For a related pest that also favors damp areas, see our guide to centipede pest control.
Saela quotes service based on pest type, location, property size, visit frequency and treatment products, and you can see how Saela prices its plans. Its Orem, Utah headquarters showed an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau as of October 2026.
If earwigs keep coming inside after you have dried out damp areas and sealed gaps, book a call with Saela to schedule an inspection.
Who wrote this article?
Devin Hutchings (Marketing Director at Saela Pest Control) wrote this article.
Devin leads Saela’s marketing and growth strategy. He brings more than 15 years of marketing experience across Uber, C.R. England, Lugg, and Neighbor. His background spans customer acquisition, retention, and developing marketing channels for service businesses and consumer marketplaces.
