Are The Earwigs In Chandler Dangerous?

Some bugs get a bad rap. Their appearance and behavior can make them seem more dangerous than they really are. No pest exemplifies this as well as the earwig, which you’ve probably heard endless myths about throughout your life. While these pests aren’t nearly as dangerous as you may have been led to believe, earwigs are still common invasive insects that you don’t want around.

Earwigs & Where To Find Them

Despite the fact that you can find them indoors, earwigs are mostly outdoor pests that are found in gardens, grasses, and trees or bushes. They eat leafy foliage and dig through moist soils looking for snacks. With their beetle-like appearance and rear pincers, earwigs look like formidable bugs but they are really quite docile. Like all pests, however, earwigs will be attracted to come inside homes and businesses, especially in search of food and shelter. As one type of pest moves in, the others that compete with them for resources -- or even hunt them for food -- will also come indoors. That’s why no invasive pest should be treated as insignificant.

Unsightly But Not Harmful

Because of their scary appearance, people assume that earwigs must be able to pinch and hurt people. Their very name is derived from an old wives’ tale that earwigs will crawl inside your ear canal and either lay their eggs or eat your brain. The truth is that earwigs can’t actually cause you harm. Their rear pincers are incapable of breaking the skin and are mostly used to traverse the grassy areas they like to hang out. They also won’t crawl inside your ear or do whatever you may have heard from an older sibling who was pulling your leg as a kid. These misconceptions are why earwigs are probably the ultimate overblown bug. That said, they are no more wanted around your property than other insects. To curb pest populations around your property, you need to prevent them before they become a noticeable problem.

Earwig Prevention Inside & Out

With outdoor pests like earwigs, you need to take preventative measures both inside and outside of your home or business. Here are some of the areas to focus on in both cases:

Outdoors

• Landscaping : The most important thing is to keep garden pests’ domain from overlapping with your own. Soil beds or plants that run right alongside your structure provide them with easy avenues to entry points.

• Moisture Control : Earwigs like moist soils, so proper yard drainage is important to avoid the kind of water buildup that brings invasive pests to your property.

• Crack Sealing : Regularly checking your exterior walls and foundation for cracks or holes that pests can crawl through, fixing them as you go, is a good habit to start.

Indoors

• Food Storage : Like other pests, earwigs will be attracted by food aromas. Don’t leave food out and make sure your containers aren’t easy for tiny bugs to get inside of.

• Trash Storage : The same goes for trash, which will be especially attractive to earwigs if you’ve recently disposed of fruits or veggies.

• Windows & Doors : Earwigs and other pests crawl through torn window screens and gaps beneath doors. Repairing screens and installing and door sweeps and weather stripping can address these access points.

Contact Green Home Pest Control For More Assistance

The most important and effective step for keeping all kinds of pests off of your Chandler property is ongoing assistance from local experts. At Green Home Pest Control, we can quickly address a garden pest population before they find ways of getting indoors. Our thorough inspections are the best way to make sure that a population isn’t growing without your knowledge. Whether you’re worried about earwigs or other kinds of pests, Green Home is here to help. Contact us today.