What is An Earwig – “Pincher bugs” or better known as earwigs are insects that have an interesting urban legend behind them. The urban legend says that Earwigs are known for crawling into people’s ears and eating their brains. Even though this urban legend is fiction, it cannot help but make you think if it can happen. Over the years there have been several recorded instances of insects crawling into people’s ears and living in their ear canals. Even though these instances are rare, it is an occurrence that happens. Furthermore, how do you identify Earwigs and where do they live?
How To Identify an Earwig?
Earwigs are typically brown or reddish-brown with a slim body. They have 6 legs and can move with surprising speed. One physical attribute they have that is very noticeable is the pinchers they have on the back of their abdomen. Depending on the size of the earwig these pinchers may be pretty big. Some species of earwig also have wings; however, they are not the best flyers. If you see them flying, it will be for short bursts. Similar to how a grasshopper would fly.
Where do Earwigs live?
The most common places to find them would be under mulch, dead leaves, logs, and piles of firewood, boards, stones, and other debris or in rotted wood. These are perfect areas for them because they are dark and damp. Areas of the home that would be best suited for earwigs would be the crawlspace, under furniture, and dark closets. If you are finding a lot of earwigs inside your residence, you may have a problem with excessive moisture. Earwigs enjoy damp areas and if your crawlspace has excessive moisture, it will provide the perfect habitat for them.
What do Earwigs eat?
Some may assume that because they have large forceps or “pinchers” attached to their abdomen, that they are catching bigger prey. However, that is not the case. Even though they use their forceps to attack prey, they usually do not go after large insects. Additionally, Earwigs are active at night and wander in search of food and moisture. They feed on a wide variety of materials including: decaying organic matter, other insects, and plants such as vegetables, flowers, and ornamental plants. Besides the crawlspace, they can be found in gardens because it is another area that provides shelter and an easy to access food source.
Call U.S. Pest for Earwig Protection
Furthermore, if you are finding an increased amount of earwig activity within or around your home, call the professionals at U.S. Pest today. We will be able to provide a free inspection and identify the source of where they are coming from.
To learn more about the services U.S. Pest provides, visit uspest.com.
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