Q) I have these insects in my bathroom that have little
pinchers, and when you crush them, they smell really bad. How can I get rid of
this pest?
A) When you mentioned the pinchers, I was thinking earwigs. When you mentioned the foul odor when you
crushed them, I knew for sure you were talking about earwigs!
Earwigs like dead organic matter and moist areas. If you have recently mulched your beds,
sometimes you will see earwigs. They are
considered mainly an outdoor pest.
Earwigs feed on plant material; however, they rarely eat enough to
damage plants.
If you have a pest control company under contract, give them
a call and they can get rid of this problem very quickly. If you would rather do it yourself, the first
place to start is to check and be sure you have a 12-24 inch barrier around
your house that is free of vegetation and mulch. Caulk any gaps around pipes, wires, windows,
doors or any other area that might be an entry point for the earwig or any
other pest (roaches, ants, etc.). Using
yellow bug lights on the outside of your house will attract fewer earwigs and
other insects to your house. Any wood
piles, deep pile of leaves, or other areas that stay moist should be
removed. If you have wood for your fire
place, you can stack it above ground on metal wood holders, cinder blocks or
pallets. These are all good practices to
help prevent insects and to protect your house.
If these cultural practices do not take care of the problem,
you may consider using a control product around the perimeter of your house and
any moisture harboring areas (wood pile).
At Possum’s we probably have over 20 different products that would help
you control earwigs as well as other insects.
Have you put out your preemergent herbicide for small seeded
winter annual weeds?
