When these tiny brown bugs with their foreboding pincers start crawling all over your house or appearing under cushions on your deck, porch, or patio, it can be more than a little disconcerting. These are bugs with a scary reputation of laying eggs in the ear canal of sleeping people and eating brains. Fortunately, this is just a myth. But, that doesn’t do much to make earwigs any less creepy. So, you’re probably asking the big question: Why do I have earwigs? We’re going to take a minute to answer that question. But, more importantly, we’re going to address why this is a question that everyone who has earwigs in their home should ask.

Why do I have earwigs? These are moisture pests. If you have moist soil around your home, especially with areas of shade, you’re going to invite earwigs into your yard. They are also attracted to yards that have lots of hard, dark places to hide under, such as wood piles, construction materials, lawn clutter, leaf litter, cement blocks, rocks, and more.

Why do I have earwigs in my house? If you don’t have any of the above things in your house, which you probably don’t, you may wonder why these bugs are coming in. They don’t do it on purpose. There were probably conditions that lured them in, such as a rotted area of your home, an opening around a pipe or electrical conduit, a crack in a foundation window, or some other entry point.

Why are earwigs in every corner of my house? The more widespread your wood damage is, such as damage caused by termites or carpenter ants, the more widespread earwigs can be. They will also be more abundant if you have leaky pipes, a moist basement, unprotected crawlspaces, or high humidity throughout your home.

Why are earwigs a big deal? Though earwigs aren’t dangerous, they are a warning sign that your home may have water-damaged wood, or another pre-existing pest problem that is damaging the wood of your home. When these bugs appear, you should definitely have a professional pest control technician do a detailed inspection to assess the issue. Leaving this problem untreated is never a good idea.

At Schendel Pest Services, we protect homes from a whole host of pests that come to damage wood and destroy belongings. While the earwig isn’t a damaging pest, it takes advantage of the damage caused by other pests. Let us help protect your equity by analyzing the pest pressures around your home and presenting treatment options that will keep your investment safe.

Can you live with earwigs? Yup. But it is better to figure out why you’re seeing them and put a plan in place to safeguard your property. Reach out to us today for immediate assistance.