Earwigs in the House and How to Keep Them Out
Earwigs in the house almost always come from outside. They live in damp mulch, leaf litter and flower beds, and they move indoors when the weather turns too hot, too dry or too cold. They pose little risk to people, and a few changes around the foundation usually stop them.
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Why Earwigs Come Inside
Earwigs are outdoor insects that need cool, damp shelter. They feed at night and spend the day hidden under rocks, bark, mulch and plant debris. When the ground outside dries out, heats up or freezes, those hiding spots stop working, and some earwigs wander in looking for better ones.
UC IPM's earwig guide lists exactly those three triggers, conditions that are too dry, too hot or too cold. DFW delivers all three in a year. Long, dry stretches in summer bake the beds against a slab, and cold fronts in winter chill them overnight. Each shift sends a few more earwigs under the door.
Once inside, they don't settle in for long. Earwigs lay their eggs in small cells dug in the soil. The ones you find in a bathroom or kitchen are wanderers from the yard, not a colony living in the house.
Earwigs in Texas
About 10 earwig species live in Texas, according to Texas A&M's earwig entry, though only a few are common. The ring-legged earwig has yellow legs with dark bands. The riparian, linear and brown-winged earwigs round out the common group. Most are brown to black, flat and up to an inch long, with the forceps at the tail that give them away.
Some adults have wings folded under short wing covers, but they rarely fly. Indoors, they feed on sweet, oily and greasy foods. Outdoors, they eat insects, both living and dead, plus mosses, algae and fungi. At night, they collect around porch lights, which is often where people notice them first.
Are Earwigs Dangerous?
Earwigs can pinch, but they pose little risk. The forceps serve for defense and for catching prey, so an earwig you pick up or press against your skin may squeeze. The pinch can hurt for a moment, but it poses little risk. Texas A&M describes earwigs indoors as a nuisance rather than a threat.
Some species give off a foul smell when crushed, which is one more reason to sweep them up rather than squash them. In the garden, earwigs chew seedlings and soft fruit, but they also eat aphids and insect eggs, so a few in the beds do some good.
Where Earwigs Hide Around a DFW Home
The fix starts outside, where earwigs spend the day. The table below shows the spots around a DFW house that hold them, why each one works for them and what to change.
| Hiding spot | Why earwigs use it | What to change |
|---|---|---|
| Mulch and leaf litter against the slab | Cool, damp cover right at the wall | Pull mulch back from the foundation and rake out leaves |
| Flower beds watered every evening | Moist soil all night, when they feed | Water less often and let the surface dry between waterings |
| Rocks, pavers, boards and debris | Dark daytime shelter | Clear debris away from the walls |
| Porch and patio lights | Earwigs gather at lights after dark | Turn lights off when nobody needs them |
| Gaps under doors and around pipes | An easy route indoors during hot, dry or cold spells | Add door sweeps and seal the gaps |
Moisture ties most of these together. A foundation edge that stays wet and shaded gives earwigs everything they need within a step of your door.
How to Get Rid of Earwigs
Start with the ones already inside. Sweep or vacuum them up, then empty the vacuum outdoors. Inside, earwigs that wander in usually turn up in damp rooms like bathrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens, so check under sinks and around drains.
Traps work well outdoors. UC IPM suggests rolled-up damp newspaper, short pieces of garden hose or bamboo tubes set in the beds overnight. Earwigs crawl in to hide by morning, and you shake them into soapy water. A low can with a little vegetable oil and a drop of bacon grease or fish oil also catches them. Check the traps daily until they come up empty.
Some earwigs keep coming in even after you dry out the beds and seal the gaps. In that case, earwig control for DFW homes treats the hiding spots around the foundation and the entry points, and Dallas homes can see earwig control in Dallas. Get a price online or by phone.
Earwigs in the House FAQ
Is my house dirty if I have earwigs?
No. Earwigs come in looking for moisture and shelter, not because a house is dirty. Damp mulch and flower beds outside matter far more than how clean the kitchen is.
Do earwigs lay eggs indoors?
Rarely. Female earwigs dig small cells in soil and lay their eggs there, then guard the eggs and young nymphs. The earwigs you see indoors usually came in from the yard.
Is it bad to find earwigs in your house?
A few now and then isn't a problem. Finding them every day points to wet mulch or soil against the foundation and gaps that let them in, and fixing those usually ends it.
