Earwig pest control in Orange County is probably not all that high on your pest control priority list. After all, earwigs just look creepy. They can’t sting, they’re not known to spread disease, and they are not a major threat to your property, so you might be tempted to not worry about them. Unfortunately, earwigs can sneak up on you if you don’t pay attention, and they’re more annoying than they seem. The PEST Group is here to tell you everything you need to know to successfully prevent these pests.
What Are Earwigs? A Brief Overview
Earwigs are an order of insect all their own — literally. The order Dermaptera is made up entirely of these oddball insects. Earwigs look a little like beetles from a distance, but up close, you can see they’re wingless and segmented, and they have a large pair of forceps-like pincers on their abdomens.
Earwigs are insects that will take opportunities as they come. They scavenge for food in wet leaves and refuse., they shelter wherever they can, and they’ll seek warmth and moisture anywhere they can get it. This behavior can send them scurrying into your home, especially during inclement weather.
Earwigs may invade your house during times of drought, extreme heat, intense cold, or other weather events they might have difficulty surviving. This means you have to prevent them all year round.
Earwigs Indoors: Their Impact On Your Home
Earwigs are more of a nuisance pest indoors. Their pincers may look intimidating, but they’re for catching prey, fighting for mates, and defending against other invertebrates, like spiders. Most of the time, earwig forceps are not even strong enough to break the skin, so you don’t have to worry about their bite hurting you.
If they’re desperate to get indoors, earwigs can invade in large numbers. They might be trying to escape inclement weather, or there might be something attracting them indoors. For example, earwigs love moisture, so if you have drainage or condensation issues, earwigs may find your house more attractive than others. They may also come inside if you’re leaving your garbage cans uncovered or have crumbs on your floors.
Earwigs In The Garden: Tips To Protect Your Plants
Earwig infestations are not as much of a threat to your garden as other pests, but they can still do damage to seedling vegetables and maturing soft fruits. These scavengers like tender plants and organic litter like leaves and dropped fruits. They may target vegetables and fruits in your garden, crawling on them and feeding on them if they drop to the ground. Apricots, strawberries, and other soft fruits and vegetables are especially vulnerable.
The good news is you don’t have to put up with earwigs. To keep them out of your garden:
- Plant seedlings after they have matured enough to be hardened off.
- Spread petroleum jelly around the stems of plants to keep earwigs from crawling up.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around. It will shred earwigs when they crawl over it.
- Pick up fallen soft fruits and vegetables immediately.
- Try organic solutions like neem oil to repel these insects.
These tips can help encourage earwigs to stay away.
An Effective Earwig Removal Method: Contact Us Today!
Getting rid of earwigs inside your home can be an issue once they invade, mostly because large populations of earwigs can invade all at once, and once they do, there aren’t many products on the market that can eliminate them.
That’s why the best thing you can do if you need earwig removal is call the home pest control experts here at The PEST Group. We can help eliminate the earwigs crawling around your house so you can get back to enjoying your home.
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