Lost cat or dog? You can contact your city or county animal control here.

pic

What Are Earwigs and How Are They Controlled?

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

What Are Earwigs and How Are They Controlled?

The earwig has an interesting name but that’s about the only “cute” thing about this common garden pest that drives some landscapers and lawn caregivers absolutely bananas. Mostly found throughout North America, the earwig is a glossy, flat insect that’s usually black or brown in color and measures about .5” to 1.0” in length.

Earwigs have a pair a curved pincers at the tip of their abdomen, and adult earwigs may have wings. Even if earwigs do have wings, they rarely fly, and they rarely pinch with their pincers. Northern areas of the country are mostly affected by the European earwig (Forficula auricularia) while the South is plagued by the ring-legged earwig (Euborellia annulipes).  

If you need pest control in Castle Rock or a surrounding area of Colorado, please contact Animal & Pest Control Specialist, LLC today for all your pest control needs, including the annoying earwig!

Earwigs have some redeeming qualities like helping gardeners and lawn caretakers keep certain other insects away, but they eat ornamental and vegetable plants, like dahlias, zinnias, butterfly bush, hollyhocks, lettuce, strawberries, potatoes, roses, and corn silk, which is not something you want to happen. Simply put, if you have earwigs, you want to get rid of them, and that’s just what the team at Animal & Pest Control Specialist, Inc. can do for you.

More About Earwigs

Earwigs are omnivorous and primarily feed on decaying matter, aphids and other insect larvae. Earwigs are annoying because they are attracted to moist areas around and inside homes, and when they come inside your home and when their outdoor populations grow too large, you will have infestation problems. In gardens and greenhouses, they chew holes in plant leaves and flower petals, tunnel into flower buds, and also eat seedlings. These are all problems for gardeners and can lead to costly plant replacements and more time spent fixing the damage caused by the pesky earwigs.

The damage caused by earwigs actually looks much like the damage caused by caterpillars and slugs, so be sure to have an expert pest control specialist diagnose your problem before you take steps to rid yourself of pests.

Earwigs are attracted to light, so eliminate or reduce lighting around foundations, and set out crumpled, damp newspaper, lengths of old hose, or boxes with small holes cut in the sides baited with oatmeal to catch these little buggers.
To learn more about how to make traps for earwigs or to schedule a visit from Animal & Pest Control Specialist, LLC please give us a call. You can also find a great deal of information online regarding how to set traps for earwigs. If you need pest control in Castle Rock, why not leave it to the experts at APCS—let us do the dirty work, so you can just sit back and enjoy watching your garden grow, free of pests!

Mice can contaminate food-preperation areas with their feces and can cause severe damage to structures.

Read More

Here are the signs you should be looking for to identify new pest problems this season.

Read More

We offer all the pest control services you need, including prevention, removal, and extermination.

Read More

It’s hard to understand the value we offer until you’ve tried us. Our discount makes it easier for new customers to get the best value in pest control.

Contact us today