The earwig is a bizarre-looking crawling insect with a large pincer on its back section, which is why some people call it a pincher bug. It likes to hang out in leaf piles and old wood and sometimes makes its way inside. Learn how to use diatomaceous earth for earwigs to keep your indoor and outdoor space pest-free.
Finding one of these insects in the house can be startling since they look menacing with their rear forceps. However, their looks are deceiving since this garden pest only uses their pincers as a means of protection. They are not poisonous and contrary to folklore, earwig bugs do not crawl into your ear while you sleep.
The pincher bug is a beneficial insect since it’s like the janitor of nature, eating decaying organic matter and pest insects. On the other hand, while this nocturnal insect is harmless, an earwig infestation is troublesome, especially if you’re squeamish.
Control Earwigs with Diatomaceous Earth
There is a particular creep factor about earwigs, and no one wants them crawling about, especially if the earwig population gets out of control. Find out how to control earwigs in the home and yard using diatomaceous earth and ways to prevent earwigs from becoming an infestation.
What are Earwigs?
The insect world is vast, and earwigs are one of the 91,000 species of bugs in the United States. Learn what these insects are, their life cycle and habits, and whether they are destructive or harmful.
Earwigs are dark red-brown with yellow legs and wings and a forceps appendage on their abdomen. While they may pinch you if you pick them up, they do not sting or bite and are beneficial to the environment since they keep the garden and outdoor potted plants clean of plant decay and eat soft bodied insects.
There are ten native earwig species in North America, they have a lifespan of about one year, and female earwigs lay about 50 eggs, depending on the type.
The common earwig, or European earwig (Forficula auricularia), has gotten a bad reputation over the years. Yes, they are rather creepy with their scorpion-like pincers, and they are fast-moving, quickly scattering when you disturb their resting place, but they are harmless.
Earwigs seek dampness and moisture, and an infestation of these bugs may indicate that you have a bigger problem, such as leaky pipes and foundation cracks.
What is Diatomaceous Earth?
Nature provides us with many ingredients for taking care of problems, and diatomaceous earth or DE is one of them. Learn what diatomaceous earth is, where it comes from, and how it’s helpful around the house.
Diatomaceous earth is a fine, white powder from the fossilized remains of tiny organisms called diatoms. The skeletons of these aquatic creatures are made of silica, which accumulates in the sediment of streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans over time.
There are many uses for filter-grade diatomaceous earth and food-grade diatomaceous earth, from filtering swimming pool water to eliminating harmful insects.
Diatomaceous Earth to Kill Earwigs
Does diatomaceous earth kill earwigs? Yes, it does. It’s excellent for aphid control and eliminates everything from the bed bug and fleas to the earwig. Discover how this powder works to eradicate this pest inside and outside the house.
Diatomaceous Earth Insecticide
Food grade DE is useful as an insecticide for home use, eliminating many pests, from aphids and thrips to mites, cockroaches, and earwigs. It penetrates the insect’s exoskeleton with its microscopic sharp edges as they walk across it, eventually leading to dehydration and death.
How to Use Diatomaceous Earth for Earwigs
Food-grade diatomaceous earth is an alternative to harmful insecticides, and it’s safe to use around children and pets. Here is how to use DE for earwigs to eliminate them in the yard and indoors.
While diatomaceous earth is not harmful to people, it’s wise to wear a face mask when applying it since the tiny dust particles can irritate the mucus membranes in your nose and mouth.
Before using diatomaceous earth to kill earwigs, check all inside and outside locations for their activity. Dust a layer of the powder over the surface of these areas and repeat as needed. If using DE outdoors, wait until after it rains to help the powder stick to the ground better.
Earwig Control with Diatomaceous Earth
While diatomaceous earth effectively eliminates the earwig pest, one application may not be enough to lower the earwig population. Explore how often to apply it as a means of control to keep this insect in check.
Earwig control with diatomaceous earth is only effective if the powder has a chance to work. If you apply it outside as a way to get earwigs out of garden areas, wind may blow the powder away, and rain washes it from the surface.
New applications are necessary after rainfall or other weather conditions. For use indoors, reapply the powder each time you clean the house until the earwigs are no longer present.
Alternatives to Diatomaceous Earth for Killing Earwigs
There are many alternatives to controlling earwigs if you’d rather not use diatomaceous earth to kill earwigs or you don’t have any of this natural powder. Investigate a few other ways to eliminate earwigs indoors and outside.
Boric acid works similarly to diatomaceous earth, and it’s a great alternative if you cannot find food-grade DE for earwig and bed bug control. Keep boric acid away from your pets and children.
Glue traps capture various bugs, including earwigs, and you can find them at just about any hardware store, along with other insecticides like Sluggo Plus.
To make a DIY earwig trap if you are widely infested with earwigs, mix a cup of vegetable oil with a quarter-cup of soy sauce in a container and set it in an area where you have an earwig problem.
If you make this indoor earwig trap with soy sauce, be sure to put some newspaper or another barrier between it and the floor in case you have a spill. Soy sauce and oil can leave an ugly stain.
Consider making a homemade bug spray by combining warm water with a bit of liquid dish soap. After you make your own pincher bug spray, spritz the places where you commonly see earwigs.
Ways to Prevent Earwigs
We all have better things to do than spend time dealing with pest insects like earwigs. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent an earwig infestation. Follow several steps to keep these bugs out of your living space.
Walk around your home, inspect the walls and foundation, and use caulk to seal cracks, gaps, and holes. Repair window screens, and install weatherstripping around doors and windows. Reduce the amount of moisture indoors using fans and a dehumidifier.
Clear the lawn of wood and leaf piles, replace damp mulch with dry material, trim plants and vegetation around the house’s perimeter, and clean beneath garden plants to remove debris.
Keep gutters, drains, and other areas clear of debris and water, and keep a lid on outdoor garbage cans. Utilize earwig control with diatomaceous earth as soon as you notice earwig activity.
No one wants bugs in their living space, whether spiders, bed bugs, fleas, or pincher bugs. Diatomaceous earth is a safe and natural form of pest control that effectively eliminates all kinds of insects, including earwigs.
We hope that learning how to use diatomaceous earth for earwigs keeps your home and yard pest-free, and we’d love it if you’d share our tips for using DE to control earwigs with your friends on Pinterest and Facebook.