This time of year, Adelaide home owners are noticing a larger amount of pincer wielding earwigs. Perhaps you’re out in the garden pulling the weeds for the umpteenth time, or you’re tending to tender seedlings, or perhaps you’re just wandering the house and minding your own business. There it is. Scuttling out of a dark corner, little claw tail menacing. So what do you need to know about earwigs in and around Adelaide?
What are earwigs?
 | Earwigs get their name from the superstition that they will crawl in your ear while you sleep and bore into your brain! No wonder we don’t like them. Thankfully this is just superstition, you’re more likely to swallow a spider, and earwigs are perfectly harmless. Earwigs grow to a maximum of 2.5cm and only the males have curved pincers, the females have straight pincers. Thankfully those menacing nippers aren’t poisonous and aren’t strong enough to do more than give you a pinch. Earwigs are fairly unique as the female lays only 40 eggs a year and rears the young herself. |
Where can you find earwigs around Adelaide homes?
Australia offers a fantastic climate for earwigs to grow and thrive. There are only about 85 species of earwigs in Australia. As the weather warms, the earwigs come out and we tend to get worried.
Earwigs are not territorial, meaning they can share nests which is why they can quickly rise in numbers.
You can find earwigs inside your home in dark, damp, and cluttered places. Having a source of food would be a bonus. The basement or the kitchen would be the most likely interior habitat for these nasty creatures.
Since earwigs love humidity and dampness, you will also find them wherever there’s rotten wood or leaf litter. Perfectly, warm, moist, and best of all – dark. Combine that with their favourite foods of maggots, worms, aphids and other insects and the garden is their favourite hangout.
Earwigs are not territorial, meaning they can share nests which is why they can quickly rise in numbers.
You can find earwigs inside your home in dark, damp, and cluttered places. Having a source of food would be a bonus. The basement or the kitchen would be the most likely interior habitat for these nasty creatures.
Since earwigs love humidity and dampness, you will also find them wherever there’s rotten wood or leaf litter. Perfectly, warm, moist, and best of all – dark. Combine that with their favourite foods of maggots, worms, aphids and other insects and the garden is their favourite hangout.
How to get rid of earwigs
Other than tidying up in the garden, the best way to control earwigs is at their nests. A licensed pest controller, like Michael, will find and treat the nest and we also recommend a broader pest control treatment to keep them out of your home.
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