Over time, earwigs have become so prevalent that they have become second nature to us. We see them in our homes or on our properties and hardly give them a second thought. But should we? The pests themselves are pretty harmless. No, they don’t crawl into our ears at night while we are sleeping. But their existence may indicate that there is something homeowners should be very concerned about.
Earwigs generally reside outdoors and live in moist, dark areas for example under mulch, logs, and rocks. While looking for these perfect living conditions, they may find their way inside your home. You may see them inside more often when the temperature outside is too hot or when there is a lack of moisture. Once inside, they don’t cause many problems. They don’t bite, but they may pinch if they feel threatened. Those pincers aren’t very strong and hardly affect humans. There is also the possibility that they are carrying harmful bacteria and could potentially infect an open wound if exposed, but that’s fairly uncommon. They sound pretty innocent, right?
Unfortunately, earwigs may indicate that you have a bigger problem going on beneath the surface. Because earwigs are attracted to damp or moist and dark areas, if you find them in your home that means that they are satisfying this living condition somewhere inside. You may have water damage affecting your home's structure. A lot of times, without proper gutter maintenance, water can run down the exterior and create wood rot. Wood rot attracts all kinds of pests and rodents, including earwigs.
In order to prevent an earwig infestation, the first tip would include reducing any moisture around your home. You can do this by checking to make sure your gutters are working properly, as well as correcting any moisture issues inside such as leaky faucets and pipes. Removing piles of leaves, fallen trees, and other debris around your property will eliminate any hiding places for earwigs. Also, make sure that you repair any cracks and crevices found around the exterior of your house to prevent earwigs from entering.
Even though earwigs aren’t destructive and are actually fairly harmless (thankfully they don’t lay eggs in our brains like the myths say), you probably don’t want them hanging around your home. If you want to either eliminate or prevent an earwig infestation, residents of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut should contact Big Blue Bug Solutions for help! For more than 80 years, we have been protecting homes from a wide variety of pests and have established the most effective and reliable pest solutions over the years. We offer effective residential pest control programs—all of which include three preventative maintenance visits each year and a free visit if those earwigs come back in-between routine visits. Our respect for our customers is on another level and our technicians do everything they can to provide the cleanest and safest solutions during their visits. We want those earwigs gone just as bad as you do…so call Big Blue Bug Solutions today!
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