Earwigs

Earwigs are dark brown and between 10 and 14 mm long and although they have wings they never actually fly. Usually they are active at night, spending the day in moist, shady areas such as beneath stones or in cracks in walls. They eat a variety of things including flowers, fruit/vegetables, and leaves and decaying organic matter. Some earwigs are predatory, feeding on aphids, insects and spiders.

Earwigs spend most of their time outdoors in moist damp places, but if the weather is hot and dry for a long time they may go indoors. They are a garden pest and can cause damage to flowers, fruit and vegetables.

How do they live?

Eggs are laid in the spring by the female some 4 to 7cm beneath the surface of the soil and usually in batches of 30 or so. The eggs hatch after a few days and the mother tends the young nymphs, who are smaller versions of the adults, until the first moult. After 4 moults, the young adults leave the nest and fend for themselves. Earwigs live through the winter as either adults or eggs.

Can I treat them?

Eliminate damp, moist conditions found in sub floor spaces and along house foundations for example leaking gutters, drainpipes etc. Sealing gaps around doors, windows, pipes and other points of entry, proofing air vents with insect screening mesh, especially at the ground level, will prevent earwigs getting in your home. Changing the landscape around the house producing a clean, dry border around the foundation walls and using gravel or ornamental stones can make an attractive barrier against earwigs and other pest invaders. 

Effective chemical control can be achieved by applying residual insecticide barriers externally around the house.

Please read the label and follow the instructions on any insecticide you use and look specifically for any additional measures you may need to take in respect of children and animals.

Insect Drawings © Bayer 1964