What Are Earwigs and How Did They Get Inside?
5/7/2019
Finding insects in your home can be disturbing. Insects are gross. And let's be honest, there are few insects that aren't as gross to look at as an earwig. If you don't know what an earwig looks like, it is brown, shiny, and has pincers on its abdomen that look like they could hurt quite a bit if they pinched you. Fortunately, those pincers aren't that strong and earwigs aren't considered a threat to people. But that doesn't mean you want them in your home. Today, we're going to look at a few ways those earwigs could have gotten in.
Common Entry Points
There are some common entry points that pests use to get into your home. Earwigs use them too. Do a quick inspection to see if these exist on your home.
- Broken seals or missing seals around plumbing or wire conduit.
- Damaged door sweeps.
- Gaps in weather stripping around doors, especially doors that are in basement walls.
- Broken seals around door and window frames.
- Holes chewed through door and window frames by wood-destroying pests.
- Cracks in the foundation wall.
- Chipped mortar around bricks.
- Unprotected weep holes in a brick home.
The Most Common Entry Point Used By Earwigs
While earwigs can get into your home using the entry points listed above, there is one specific way they often choose to get in. Earwigs are moisture pests. They will hang out in damp areas and especially around damp wood. When they do, they can find rotting wood that has been chewed on by rodents, carpenter ants, termites and other destructive pests. For this reason, earwigs inside a home is usually a cause for concern. It means your home is being damaged by water. This should definitely be looked into by a licensed repair person.
Whether you fix the damage or not, you can benefit from pest control service. Pest control can protect vulnerable spots on your home by taking down pests before they use those vulnerabilities to get into your home. But even if you do everything to seal your home and repair vulnerable spots, pests can still find a way in. Stop them in their tracks by investing in year-round residential pest control. If you live in our extensive service area throughout Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Arkansas, let Schendel help you find the best pest control solution for your budget.
