How To Get Rid Of Earwigs In The Basement
Earwigs may not crawl into your brain through your ears like urban legends would have you believe — but that doesn't mean you want to find these critters in your home. With pincers on their rear end and long antennae on the front end, these bugs look creepy, and they have a foul odor. So how can you rid your basement of these slender, creepy insects? Follow these tips.
Find and fix any leaks
Earwigs like to hang out where it's moist, which is why you most often see them in basements. If you can make your basement dry, then the bugs will move on. Maybe you have a plumbing leak that is contributing to the moisture in your basement, or perhaps there is a crack in the foundation where water is seeping in. Either way, locate the source of the moisture and call the relevant professional to repair it. While the repairs can be expensive, keep in mind that making them will do a lot more than help get rid of earwigs — it will also prevent mold growth and keep other insects, like cockroaches and carpenter ants, away.
Plug in a dehumidifier
Even with all of the leaks fixed, your basement may be a bit humid, simply because it is below ground. An easy way to control this ambient moisture is to plug in a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier is a device that sucks moisture out of the air. It may deposit that moisture into a bin that you have to empty daily, or it may send it right down into your drain. As the humidity level in your basement drops, you should see fewer and fewer earwigs.
Have your home perimeter sprayed
There's usually no need to spray insecticides inside of your home in the case of an earwig infestation. Earwigs usually hang out in your garden beds or around the perimeter of your home and then find their way into the basement through small cracks and crevices. If you have a pest control company come spray insecticides around the base of your home's exterior, this will kill most of the earwigs without so much risk of insecticide exposure. You can have this treatment repeated every couple of months, especially when it is warm and moist outside.
Earwigs are quite a nuisance, but they are not that tough to get rid of. Get rid of leaks, plug in a dehumidifier, and have the outside of your home sprayed.
For more tips, reach out to a local pest control service.
